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Set Big Challenging Goals…
Have you ever wondered what separates the top achievers from everyone else? Could it be their level of ambition? Probably not. You too probably have some big goals that you would like to achieve, and yet these goals continue to elude you.
Maybe it’s their determination and perseverance that separates them from the pack? It’s no doubt true that these two attributes can certainly make a difference when pursuing our goals. However, both determination and perseverance mean very little if we lack the focus required to stay the course until its completion.
Staying focused means directing your mind and body to one definitive course of action. It means committing fully to a goal and staying on the path up until the moment the goal is achieved. Yes, there will no doubt be obstacles, setbacks and distractions along the way, but high achievers don’t allow themselves to get side-tracked by these things. They stay focused and what they must do until their objective is firmly in their hands.
On the other side of the coin there are many ambitious people in this world who consistently achieve very little in life. They have all these big and wonderful goals that they would like to achieve, and yet weeks, months, and years pass without much progress. Why is that? What are they lacking?
These people are lacking the focused-attention and commitment required to stick to one goal and follow it through to the end. Yes they have big goals. But the problem with these big goals is that it takes a mammoth effort to achieve them.
Attached to each of our big goals are big risks and many obstacles. These things make the path toward these goals very difficult indeed. And for those lacking the necessary focus, concentration, determination and perseverance, it’s very easy to become disheartened when progress gets impeded.
Those who don’t achieve much in life struggle not because they lack ambition, but because they are too easily sidetracked trying to accomplish lesser goals that are just more comfortable and easier to pursue. They are distracted from their big goals by smaller goals that have very little long-term value.
The downside to pursuing easy goals is that there are normally very low rewards and scarce opportunities for growth. On the other hand, big goals are far more difficult to attain, but they come with high rewards and incredible opportunities for growth.
We grow when we are tested, when we struggle, and when we reach the limits of our own capabilities. Yes, it’s when we are challenged that we grow the most. Therefore the easy path is rarely ever the best path when it comes to long-term growth and development.
Every time you choose to go down the easy path to a lesser goal you are at that moment saying ‘no’ to the incredible opportunities for growth that would await you if you had chosen the more difficult path. It’s the distracting properties of the easy goal that is keeping you from pursuing the goal with greater rewards and growth opportunities.
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Action Points
Have a think about the goals you are currently pursuing and ask yourself:
- What are my big goals? (high risk and high reward)
- What incredible growth opportunities exist when I accomplish these goals?
- What progress am I making right now toward these goals?
- Am I being sidetracked or distracted by any easier goals?
- How are these easier goals impeding my progress?
- Do these easier goals need to be accomplished? Right now?
- If they do, then could I delegate these easier goals to someone else?
- What must I do to ensure I stay focused on my highest priorities at all times?
As you work through these questions keep in mind that you are kept from your main goal not by obstacles but by a clear path to an easier goal that is keeping you from reaching your full potential. The choice of course is always yours to make.
You can either choose the easy path with little risk, no obstacles and low rewards, or you can choose the more difficult path that is littered with numerous obstacles but incredible rewards and growth opportunities. The choice again is yours to make.
IQ Matrix Maps
Here are links to complementary IQ Matrix posters that go into more depth about this topic:
- Resilient Willpower: Shows you how to develop the strength you need to pursue your goals.
- Overcoming Obstacles: Provides you with necessary guidelines to overcome obstacles.
- Unlocking Opportunity: Explores how to recognize and take advantage of opportunities.
- Conquering Obstacles: Provides insights on how to think proactively about obstacles.
- Thinking Big: Examines how to think big to strengthen your desire to achieve your goals.
