I wanted to share some thoughts that I’ve learned over the years that have helped me to keep going when I didn’t know what else to do or where to turn. These three simple, but often overlooked steps, could make the difference for you as well:
Don’t set your goals too low: you may be saying to yourself, I don’t have goals or don’t know what is best for my life, or for me, it’s not a matter of setting goals too low; I don’t even know where to begin. Trust me; I’ve been there. My suggestion in setting goals is to ask yourself a simple question, “If I had unlimited funds and time was not an issue, what would I do with my life?” If you had absolutely no restrictions, what would you be doing with your life? When answering this question think big, not small. Why? It’s been my experience that you must be excited about your goals. Excitement will keep you going through the tough times and you certainly can’t get excited about small ambitions.
Don’t look back: one of the worst things I’ve seen people do (including myself) is to look back at past failures. We’ve all had failures and done things we’ve regretted, but looking back does absolutely no good. The mere fact that you may not have been successful in the past does not mean you can’t be successful in the future. Similarly, don’t listen to nay-sayers who may try to discourage you. You control your success, not someone else. Don’t let them rob you of your success.
Have unshakable discipline: discipline means many things to many people. My experience says that you have to be willing to sometimes do things in reaching your goals that other people are not willing to do. You may have to work longer hours. You may have to save more money. You may have to stop watching television as much. There may be many things in your lifestyle that you will need to change in order to reach your goals, the key is to be consistent in your goals. Taking positive steps toward your goal some of the time will not help you be successful. You must be consistent and take positive steps toward your goals all the time.