“The journey is never-ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” – Antonio Brown
You’ve still got a long way to go, you’re probably still years away from achieving your goals and your dreams in life. When you think of it like that, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It’s easy to give up long before you even started.
But, if you do give up, you’re never going to get anywhere in life, you’ll never discover your true potential. It may seem difficult now but when you visualize yourself in the future, what do you see?
Do you still see yourself doing the same job, wearing the same uniform, driving the same car, doing the same boring routine?
We all have dreams. But why is it so many people continue to live mediocre, unhappy, and unsuccessful lives? And there’s only a select few who get to live the life they’ve always dreamed of?
The difference is many people don’t even bother taking that first step towards their goals. They don’t think it’s worth the trouble and they don’t believe that they can do it, that they can overcome the odds and reach their goals.
Know Your Limits
Some people probably think that those who succeed in life have secret superpowers, that they’re not mortals like the rest of us. This theory is obviously silly – we’re all mortals here. So, why is it then that other people make success look so easy while the rest struggle mightily?
The answer will vary from person to person. However, generally, many people don’t succeed because they’re simply doing things wrong. They’re probably not setting the right kinds of goals, or they’re not following through with their plans. They’re not mentally, physically, emotionally, or financially ready to chase their dreams.
For others still, they simply don’t know their limits and their boundaries. Or, they don’t know that they can, in fact, push their limits. So, they stick to what they’ve always done, too afraid to see how far they can go in life.
Taking that first step to chasing your goals is always the hardest. Start small. Take baby steps if you need to. No one’s going to judge you. And if there are those who will judge you, don’t mind them. They’re not going to dictate how you will accomplish your goals – you are!
Your limits are yours and yours alone. You can even test your limits tentatively to see how far you can go. You don’t have to remove those barriers all at once. Maybe ease up on one front and then another one until you finally stop limiting yourself. The moment you remove those limits you’re opening yourself up for success!
Stop Making Excuses
Excuses aren’t going to take you anywhere near success. They’re going to drive you far away from your destination, and it’s going to leave you there, stranded.
There’s got to be a limit to the number of times you can use a certain excuse until you finally get to the point where you run out of ideas, and you’re forced to start taking action on your dreams!
But alas, we’re creative beings, and we’re never going to run out of excuses.
So, the only thing left to do is to actually stop yourself from making excuses. Stop looking for an escape. The more you look for an escape, the more elusive your goals become.
To stop making excuses, you have to be highly self-aware. You know yourself best. You know when your thoughts are turning towards making a quick run towards ‘freedom.’ The ‘freedom’ to not take action is going to cost you your real freedom later on. That’s the price you pay for your excuses.
Commit To Success
Commitment is the last key ingredient to success. You can have the best-laid plans ever, but if you don’t commit to it, then nothing’s going to happen. You’re not going to get any closer to your goals. Having the passion to go after what you want is important, but passion without action means absolutely nothing.
When you first plan out your path to success, you probably told yourself you’ll stay committed. You’ll remain true to yourself. But there will be times when you’ll start feeling tired, and the temptation to self-sabotage becomes too strong. What do you do then?
When times get hard, when life becomes too challenging for you, think about your “why.” Why are you chasing that goal? Out of all the goals you initially wanted, why did you choose that particular goal? Your “why” will help you get out your rut. It will motivate you, it will give you a good kick in your behind to spur you into action.
When you commit to success, you’re going to need all the help you can get. Your “why” is just one way to motivate you. There are many others.
This is where keeping a journal comes in handy. It will help you recall your humble beginnings, it will help you re-live the excitement you felt at the very beginning. It will help you remember how you were able to get through other tough times.
Success may seem magical, but it’s really not. It’s a combination of good planning, hard work, tears, frustration, and even failure. It doesn’t matter how many steps you need to take to get to arrive at your goals, it’s always that first step that’s the hardest. Good Luck.