Start at the End: Set a Goal

Once you have set your goal, you are ready to begin planning. Without a goal there can be no success.

Ensure that the goal you have set is one you want to achieve because it is likely that you will be required to put in hard work in order to succeed.

There will be distractions, however, a deep desire to achieve your goal will help keep you focused.

The Middle: Small Steps

Now that you have set your goal, you need to work out what steps you will need to take in order to achieve it. Some people find it easiest to work backwards, while others start from the beginning.

Write down each step you need to take, you will be able to refer back to your plan in order to monitor your progress.

The Beginning: Follow Your Plan

Once your plan works on paper, it is time to put it into action. With a plan you will be able to monitor your progress.

Getting closer to the end goal will inspire you to keep going.

Without a plan it would be impossible to monitor your progress, therefore you will not be able to see where your efforts have led you.

Editing: Revise Your Plan

If you have no plan you may start off enthusiastic and full of energy, but in time you will find that your efforts are not paying off.

Ultimately you will lose heart and may even stop trying.

With a plan, you will have a map which leads you directly to your goal.

You will be able to follow it until your goal is achieved!

Like Attracts Like

Look around at the people you mix with – what does this say about you?

Ask yourself:

• How many of my friends inspire me?
• How many of my friends are like me?
• Do I spend too much time with people who are holding me back?
• Do my friends share my goals?

We are influenced by the people around us; they can either inspire us or hold us back.

It is therefore important to choose our friends wisely.

Do not exclude these people out of your life … Introduce yourself to people who will help you achieve your goals.

Take this example for instance:

If you wanted to trek the Himalayas with a backpack and your friends have never done it, the first thing they would comment would be –

• It is too risky
• It will be too tiring
• What about your work / studies
• I don’t think you are serious

This happens to all of us in our daily life.

We announce our goals to friends and family only to be met with well-meaning advice which de-motivates us. We value the opinions of our friends and family and do not aim to displease them.

So what do we do – Introduce yourself to the people who will help you achieve your goals.

Chances are that you will meet somebody who has either done it already, or somebody who plans to do it. What better way to surround yourself with new people who share the same goals and aspirations!!!

• When we connect with people with whom we have something in common, we develop bonds and new friendships form.
• We enjoy spending time with people who are like us, and we are inspired by them too.

The important lesson here is that it is never too late to make a change.

We all have the potential to be great, it is up to us to choose whether we do it or not.

Why do we fail?

Here are two reasons why people do not achieve their dreams:

• Picking the Wrong Dream

In order to achieve your dreams you must have a burning desire to do so.

When every single moment you waste eats you up inside because you’re no closer to achieving your greatest desire you know that you have chosen the correct dream.

It is easy to know if you have chosen the wrong dream, if you are prepared to sit back and relax – not working towards it.

Another indication of focusing on the wrong dream is the nagging feeling in the back of your head that you would rather be doing something else.

➢ Too Many Dreams

The easiest way to illustrate this problem is with an example. There are two naughty boys who keep stealing apples from the tree in your garden.

Every time you chase one, the other one sneaks into your garden and steals the apples from the tree. When you notice, you turn around and begin chasing him away, the first boy comes back and steals your apples while you are preoccupied.

You will never catch either boy this way and you will lose more apples. The solution, don’t stop chasing the first boy until you catch him.

Then you can spend all your efforts catching the second boy. Once you’ve caught both, you can concentrate on growing apples.

If you are constantly chasing different dreams, you will never achieve any of them. You will spend all of your time, money and effort getting nowhere.

You must choose your most important dream, the one which you desire most and follow it through.

✔ Once you have achieved it, you will feel amazing for doing so. You are then free to choose another dream to follow.

✔ Once you have achieved all of your dreams maybe you can sit back and relax with a nice ripe juicy apple.

Now, chose wisely, and make a wish!

Overcoming Complacency

When is “good enough” not Good Enough?!?

When there is something better.

If you have fallen into this trap you’d better get out quickly.

Let’s say you’re in a comfortable job and are due to a get a promotion. You also know you are much better than the other competitors for the promotion. Can you just sit back and relax and take things for granted … WRONG!

Complacency Is Very Dangerous

You must recognise the signs early and combat it immediately.

✔ A complacent wrestler can lose his title in the opening round to an unranked competitor.

✔ A complacent student can fail in the exams before she realizes it is too late.

✔ A complacent Country can lose a war before they even know it has begun.

Ask Yourself:

➔ Do you feel self-satisfied?

➔ Do you find it hard to acknowledge your mistakes?

➔ Do you find it difficult to accept constructive criticism?

➔ Do you fail to see difficulties in your personal life?

➔ Do you believe that minimal effort “will do”?

These are some of the symptoms of becoming complacent.

Complacency is caused when you become too comfortable, lose motivation and don’t believe that you need to put in any extra effort.

If you recognise any of these symptoms in yourself it is important to rectify the situation.

Becoming complacent will lead you further away from your success.

What Can You Do to Overcome Complacency?

To overcome complacency, you must realise that “good enough” is NOT going to lead to success. It is only when you do your absolute best that you can say, “I gave it my best shot.”

If we go back to the example of the wrestler, we can see why it is important not to become complacent. The champion wrestler believed that he did not have to put all of his effort into training before the fight.

He believed that he was good enough to beat his competitor.

His competitor on the other hand realised that HE was not good enough, and that he had to put all of his effort into training…

That he must give everything he has got. He must put every single ounce of energy into the fight because this could be his only chance to win the title.

You must never assume that there is no room for improvement. If you always strive to improve then you leave no room in your life for complacency.

If you find your faults and deal with them, you will always aim to be a better person. Do not make excuses if you fail.

Why Ask Yourself “Why”?

It is usually followed with an excuse.

Instead, ask yourself “how did it happen?” and “what can I do to rectify the situation?”

By learning from your mistakes you will be able to grow.

When you eliminate complacency and make a positive effort to continually improve yourself, you will find that success is far easier to achieve.

Seven Top Motivation Lessons

➢ The Mind Affects the Body, and Vice-Versa

The condition of our bodies will generally affect our motivation, our motivation will have an effect on the way we treat our bodies.

If we are demotivated we are more likely to sit at home watching TV, whereas if we are motivated we are more likely to get up and go for a run or keep fit.

It works the other way around too.

If we are fit and healthy we are more likely to face challenges with enthusiasm and energy. However, if we are unfit or sick, we may allow challenges to overcome us.

➢ Be Accountable to Yourself

Who is your boss? You are.

The only person you have to answer to is yourself.

So, while you’re sitting around doing nothing when you could be working towards achieving your goals… tell yourself off, go and do it.

Whose goals are they?

➢ Inspire Yourself By Doing Something Unexpected

If at any time you feel like you are going nowhere, do something new and exciting. There are millions of new experiences available to everyone.

Ever done a bungee or parachute jump? What about taking a last minute holiday to a random destination? Surprise yourself, break out of your old routine.

➢ Use Visualisation to Program Desired Behaviour

We learn through experience, nothing stops us from experiencing things in our own imagination.

The human mind is a powerful tool, by harnessing the power of our own imagination we are able to plan up scenarios and play out our actions.

We can correct mistakes before they even happen.

By doing this, when a real life situation arises, we have already learned the best course of action to take.

➢ Start with the End Result and Work Backwards

The achievement of a goal is a personal triumph, by knowing exactly what you need to achieve you are able to focus on the exact steps which will lead you to success.

➢ Aspire to Improve Every Day

Whether you have a weakness or would like to do something more efficiently, there is always something which you can improve.

We grow through constant improvement.

➢ Ask Yourself the Right Questions

Your internal dialogue will either inspire you or limit your progress depending on the questions you ask yourself.

Instead of asking “why?” ask “why not?”

For every question you ask yourself, decide if there is a more inspiring question which could be asked.

Finally, remember that transformation does not happen by just reading a good article or listening to inspiring success stories. Transformation happens when you change your default thinking patterns, your default behavior … and that come from LIVING your transformation.

I feel transformed every moment of my life … what about you … Just MONKing!!!

Dr. Sumit GoelDoctor, Author and Motivator