Being an avid hiker, spring has always filled me with joy and optimism. It is the season of wildflowers and waterfalls when nature wakes up and comes back to life. As nature reinvents itself, spring calls us to do the same. It seems like every blooming flower carries a message inviting me to create new possibilities and blossom into my potential. What a rush it is to feel the excitement that spring brings, believing that dreams our possible.
The first step in pursuing a dream is fairly easy. It means setting a goal that would lead us on the path of transformation. But this is where things can get complicated. It is so much easier to get excited about something than to do the work to make it happen. When wanting to create the change we want, why don’t we do the things we know we should be doing?
This brings back a childhood memory of my father teaching me to swim the breaststroke. He’d keep yelling “don’t drop those elbows.” And I’d get mad thinking “I know, dad!’ And yet, I kept doing it wrong. There are so many things that get in the way preventing us from doing what we know we want to and can possibly do if we put our mind to it. I find that no matter the goal, most people know what they need to do, but the actual doing is hard. Humans, like most of nature, are wired to take the path of least resistance, to minimize the efforts we exert. It is a natural human tendency to decrease effort and increase comfort. Yet, consistent effort and relentless perseverance are required on the goal-achievement journey.
It's a bit of a conundrum as to which human need takes priority – the need to self-actualize and achieve, or the need for safety and comfort? The simple truth is that achieving a goal is never easy and requires a lot of hard work. In order to achieve great things, we need to make a great effort. And, this is when things typically start to get in the way, when we start making excuses to NOT do the things that we know are conductive to our success.
In my own experience, and the patterns I observe with my clients, there are 3 main reasons why we don’t do the things we know we should for our health, our relationships, and our career success.
#1 The shadow of the past: either romanticizing it, or feeling discouraged by past experiences. When the past interferes with the present bringing up either fears or glorified memories, it can prevent us from seeing future possibilities, obscure present priorities, and impede real action.
#2 Achievement comes with a price tag: anything we seek to achieve will exact a price from us. Setting goals to make dreams come true is a series of trade-offs – what we hope to gain and what we’d be willing to give up in the short-term in order to attain our long-term goals. We often miscalculate the investment of time, resources and efforts required to see results.
#3 Putting off things until tomorrow: delaying or avoiding a task either because we feel we are capable enough to do it later, or because we feel we are not capable enough to successfully do it, thus choose to delay the pain or discomfort. Often, the mythical “later” never comes.
Understanding what can get in the way of getting things done is a solid first step. Then, it’s about empowering yourself with the right strategies to see things through. Getting things done isn’t out of reach, but it requires consistent awareness, alertness, and action. To do what you know you want and have to do, follow the following 3 steps:
#1 Articulate a compelling “why.”
Goal-achievement is easier when goals are personally meaningful. Thus, when you set a new goal, create a resonating “why” statement: “I want to _________ so that I can _______.”
Example: I want to attain a leadership role so that I can increase my influence and impact. (The “why” is increasing influence and impact.)
#2 Predict what might get in the way and remove obstacles.
No one can predict what the future holds and how things will unfold, but think ahead to potential problems and prepare to overcome challenges. This way you can get ahead of the game and clear the obstacles in your path. Ask: “what can prevent me from doing the work and achieving my goal?” Make a list of your fears and possible obstacles, excuses, or challenges. Then write down solutions and ways to overcome them.
#3 Build supporting habits.
Success is about creating the habits that will support your progress. Knowing something and doing what is needed are two different things. In this era of information, you know so much, yet, the challenge remains to keep focus on building the habits that will help you create the future we want.
One of the habits I believe is essential for success in one’s career is dedicating time to continuously set and work towards professional development goals to encourage career growth. We are often so busy juggling every day life, stressors, and tasks that we neglect to make the time to invest in our future. Achieving any goal will depend on your ability to make the time to create a plan and do the work consistently, even if only 10 minutes a day. The key is maintaining the new habit of setting up the time for your goal, every day of the week. By incrementally creating the habit to look for small wins and build on them, you will eventually achieve your big goals. It is the small wins that will motivate you to keep doing what you know you have to do in order to get the results you want.
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