I love beginnings.
Whether it's the start of spring, the first two weeks of a new exercise plan, the start of a new friendship, or the first meeting with a new client, I feel energized, refreshed, invigorated, happy. There's so much possibility and potential, and it feels like I will be enthusiastic and motivated for weeks on end.
Except that I won't be.
Because I can only be at the beginning of something for a certain amount of time before it necessarily becomes the middle of something. And the middle of something feels like a totally different place to be.
Fortunately or unfortunately, we must all journey through the middle to get to the end. And of course I try to embrace the journey as a whole and enjoy every minute. But sometimes I've got my eye on the end results.
So how can I ensure I'll get to the end when I no longer can rely on my enthusiasm for the beginning to propel me forward? How can I maintain that burning desire to get where I want to go?
Glen Allsop of PluginID wrote a great guest post over on Zen Habits with great ideas on how to build a burning desire for your goals that will help you stay in action.
Here are the tips:
- Pick the right goal.
- Know you can do it.
- Know how others succeeded with this (and write it down).
- Connect with others who want the same thing.
- Frequently visualize a successful end result.
I like all these points, but I'm especially interested in 1) Pick the right goal, and 2) Know you can do it, because these are by far the most difficult to pull off.
What's so important about picking the right goal? Because we're only going to stick with a process that has ups and downs, such as changing our career or exploring a new career, or searching for a job, if we care deeply about the end result.
If we don't care enough, we're going to quit. This isn't to say that all we need is to care enough in order to achieve something big, but without a deep desire to realize the end achievement, it ain't gonna happen.
How do we know what is a right goal and what is a wrong goal? Glen has some ideas for a litmus test:
- If money didn’t exist would you still do it? (if your goal is a career /hobby)
- Are you working towards it already in your life?
- If I gave you 10 million dollars tomorrow, would it still be in your plans?
That's right, the desire for money just isn't enough to propel us through to the end. If you're thinking that your career goals are primarily about making more money and you're facing some daunting challenges in the execution of these goals, I suggest you create goals that fit the above litmus test and see if that works better for you.
In a world where the only things that are certain are death and taxes, how can we know we can reach our goals? And why is it so important that we know we can?
Our beliefs drive our actions, which drive the results we experience. If we don't really believe we can change our career or start a new business or find a job, we're going to engage in all kinds of behaviors that reflect those beliefs, even if we don't want to or intend to.
Tune in and notice how close or far away you are from truly believing you can achieve your goals. What's getting in the way? What are your most deeply held beliefs about the goals you have in your sights?
If you're noticing limiting beliefs around your goals, list out the actions you see yourself taking that reflect those beliefs. What results are you getting?
Now think about the beliefs you want to have around your goal. What would be powerful, not limiting? And if you truly held these beliefs, what would you be doing? What results do you think you'd experience?
If you just can't inhabit powerful beliefs about your goals yet, then act as if you could. Take the actions that a person who knew they could achieve these goals would take. This is technically known as the "Fake it 'till you make it" strategy.
Before long you'll begin to experience new results that will help you believe that yes, you can achieve what you are setting out to do. Notice when this happens! The new results will be the evidence you are seeking to help you believe in your ability to realize your goals.
When the newness of your career exploration or job search process wears off, and you find yourself in the middle of a challenging time, rekindle your burning desire for change. It just may be that jolt of energy you need to keep going.
