aboutgoals.com

Success is not sexy…  It’s a matter of routine

Some of us seem to have this strange love affair with what we define as success. We pursue it the way in which we pursue a man or woman.  We try to attract it, we want to seduce it, we want to court it, some try to force it, all with the hopes that one day it can be all ours.

The problem with this is that when we objectify success it very often plays the role of the coquette.  It becomes a consummate tease with the ability to arouse desire through an attractive appearance and an alluring persona.  Like a drug it has the power to lock a person in emotionally and hold them long after the initial attraction fades.  It becomes a thing that keeps you wanting it, but never allows you to fully have it.

 You may know of that person who is forever chasing success but can never obtain it, at least in their own eyes.  They come close, but something happens and success once again eludes them.  This groupie-like “cat and mouse” game played with success can become dangerously habit forming and can go on for a lifetime. 

So how do we avoid this?

Never objectify success. It is not a person or a thing.  It is not an identity or who you are. It is simply the achievement of an intention. That being said, you have many successes throughout the day.

Successfully reaching a goal is a matter of consistently performing tasks that move you in the direction you want to go, nothing more, nothing less.  It is necessary that you are clear on where you are going.  It is also necessary that you are clear on the steps you need to take to get there.  Aside from that there is no mystery.

 In fact, if you look at it inversely you would realize that everyone is reaching the goal toward which their daily activities are driving them.  Let me give you an example:  If I consistently eat fatty foods, my daily eating activities are leading me to an unhealthy body. That might not be the result that I want, but it is the goal that I have as determined by what I consistently do. Another example is that if I consistently produce or create little and only add value to the lives of a very small number of people, my reward, monetary or otherwise, will reflect that.  I will not earn a lot. On the other hand…

Success is not personal

Cause and effect, sowing and reaping are no respecters of person.  It works for you the way that it works for everyone else.  The question is, “What are you consistently sowing to reap the life that you currently have and what do you need to start sowing to reap the harvest that you desire?”

Do you have a routine that will take you from where you are to where you want to be?  When you wake up in the morning are you entering into the new day as a random being or do you have purpose and a clear direction toward which to travel?

Good routines are the key to success

You should not have to constantly find new steps every day to get to where you want to go. I am working on a book the title of which is Break Out! Seven Steps to Busting Ruts and Living an Unstuck Life.  Completing this book is ultimately a matter of organizing thoughts, writing chapters, and editing.  Each step has sub-steps.  The sub-steps break down into simple tasks, and when done consistently the book is written.

I don’t need to judge if I am a good or bad writer.  I have a copy editor for that.  I don’t even need to judge the content shared. I leave that up to the reader.  All I can do is share what I’ve lived, learned, and can articulate.  The only thing that matters today is that I find 120 minutes to take the necessary steps to live my goal of writing the book.

When your daily activities reflect your mid and long-range goals you are well on your way to greater success.  More importantly, you are well on your way to transforming yourself into the person you need to become in order to live the life you envision.   

This is going to upset a few people

I define wishful thinking as wanting something for which you are not willing to work.  Dream –junkies live on wishful thinking.   I don’t think that’s who you are.  Pray, meditate, visualize, and dream, and then rise up and get busy.  Break off your schoolboy/schoolgirl crush on success and focus your time and energy on doing that which needs to be done.  Set the course, develop good routines and let the rest take care of itself.

Start Now!

The following are some action steps to help you along the way:

Action steps:

1.  Write down a clear picture of where you want to go.

2.  Write down the steps necessary to get there.

3.  Break those steps down into subs-steps

4.  Break those sub-steps down into daily tasks.

5.  Every day take the steps

6.  Repeat and refine.