There are many obstacles to achieving our goals, from not really knowing what it is we want to achieve (a lack of real clarity on the outcome) to fear of failure or even success! I have written about many of the obstacles we may face in previous posts (just check out my link on obstacles, here) and today I’m going to expand further and take a look at what it really means to put in the effort to achieving our goals. Before we start though, let me just say that if you’re on the cusp of starting out on your goal(s), you may find this post somewhat challenging or even an obstacle to starting! Of course, I hope that’s not the case and that you find some value in the words that follow below. [Read more…] about It’s Not Easy, But It’s Worth It!
procrastination
Don’t Waste Your Time!
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It is never too late to be what you might have been. George Eliot
I like this quote – a lot, but at the same time I have to accept that it is somewhat pretentious. It assumes of course that, for whatever reason, there is still more of us to be discovered, used up, developed. It’s almost insulting in its presumption that we have yet to reach the pinnacle of our worth to ourselves or to humanity. After all, we may be very happy with the level of our attainment or development in our lives and may therefore not be looking to make any further changes…at this stage.
And yet…it’s alluring also, telling us that no matter what our age or the stage we’ve reached in our lives, there is still more out there for us. More we can do, more we can have, more we can be, and I’m reminded almost daily, that for most if not all of us, in some area of our lives, there is something lacking. Sometimes we don’t know what this ‘thing’ is, we just have a gnawing feeling of dissatisfaction which we can’t seem to put our finger on. [Read more…] about Don’t Waste Your Time!
Failure is a Necessity!
Failure Is A Necessity!
Some of my most popular Facebook updates recently have been around the perception of fear. It seems that many people are fearful of starting a new venture. Taking steps outside our comfort zones can create anxiety and distress, and the further we wander from the perceived boundaries of our comfort zones, the worse this anxiety becomes.
In today’s post I’m going to take a look at some of the fears that may be holding us back from reaching or even starting our goals.
I guess one of the major reasons we’re afraid to fail is because we think we’ll look stupid – to others, but, more importantly, to ourselves. For many of us, we tend to be our harshest critic and not only berate ourselves internally with tough and unkind words, but often we go on to verbalise not only our dislike of our failure to those around us, but also our dislike of ourselves for having failed. In doing so we ensure that we have garnered support for the critical bombardment with which we are punishing ourselves. In this context, is it any wonder that we fear starting a new project which could end in failure? [Read more…] about Failure is a Necessity!
I’m Ready…!
Today I’m taking a light hearted look at being ready to strike out on our goals.
Quite often this is the most difficult step for most people to take because they know only fear. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the unknown. But whoever we are and wherever we live, these fears are something we all experience…or maybe not…!
“I’m ready, I’m ready…”, sings SpongeBob Square Pants, the happy little guy from the popular cartoon series of the same name. If you’ve never seen the cartoon, then this little animated sponge character is the most happy-go-lucky creature! He’s always willing to help, always goes the extra mile and is always willing to give new things a go! He works hard and plays hard and his favourite activity is jelly-fishing!
On the negative side though, Spongebob is also naïve and has a childlike outlook.
But, there’s a lot we could learn from this character’s way of life, because we often feel that we are ready to make a change, we talk about making the change, we challenge others to make the change with us, but, when it comes to stepping out, we freeze. [Read more…] about I’m Ready…!
Lessons in Failure
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
I have no idea where this adage comes from, but the great thing about this and many other sayings, is that they are usually true!
Unfortunately though, we are taught, either formally or mostly informally that failure is a bad thing, and yet in the view of successful people this just isn’t the case. You only need look to Thomas Edison’s famous quote:
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
for a healthy reminder of the need to try various options regardless of the failure rate, and yet, we persist in holding back on our dreams, for the most part due to the fear of failure.
Wonderful though it is to have a reminder that when we’re knocked back by failure, it is most likely in our interests to get back up and try again, what this saying doesn’t address is the need to be prepared to take action in the first place. For many people there is much difficulty in making a start on something new without any guarantee of a successful outcome. But fundamentally, failure to start is the biggest failure:
‘You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try’. Beverly Sills [Read more…] about Lessons in Failure
That’s Just Too Bad!
As some of you may know, I post a daily status update on my Facebook page which is aimed at being inspirational, encouraging and a call to action. I was interested to see this week that one status update in particular was viewed more often than others, and so I’ve decided to expand upon it in today’s blog.
Here’s the update:
Or you can click through to it on Facebook here.
There are a few themes running through this update, so let’s take a look of them in turn. I’ve also included a link to earlier blog posts for each area which you can click for an alternative view or wider discussion. [Read more…] about That’s Just Too Bad!