Image via Wikipedia Do you have trouble getting started? I know I do and judging from the number of people that I talk to about their future plans that just never seem to materialize, I’d guess that this is a common problem. In a recent article in Success magazine by John Maxwell, he says “If you want to win, you’ve got to start.” Seems pretty obvious doesn’t it? So what’s the hold up? While getting started is an action step, many times it is our internal critical voice that prohibits us from taking that first step. Here are four key roadblocks to getting started:• Not knowing exactly what you want. If you haven’t yet set a goal it’s hard to achieve. Many times we distract ourselves by identifying so many possibilities that we are overwhelmed with the choices. We say things like, “I could do anything…if I only knew what it was that I wanted to do.” This involves learning to set priorities. Pick one or two goals and put 100% of your effort into achieving it. You can always backtrack to other minor goals later.
• We know what we want but we are afraid to ask for it. We are afraid we may fail. We secretly have a desire, a goal but we are afraid if others know about it, we will be turned down, rejected, embarrassed if we don’t achieve it. We may try to achieve on our own without using our resources, usually to no avail. We say things like, “I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.” We are actually cheating ourselves with this one. Our social network is often more willing to help us achieve than we give them credit for.
• We are afraid of success. Just as fear of failure can paralyze us, so can fear of success. What if we don’t really know what to do, how to act, how to perform? What if we are overwhelmed with the responsibility of success, the amount of time and energy that it requires? What if we are successful and it turns out not to be what we expect it to be? Again our internal voice is paralyzing us with what if questions. We may say, “What if I succeed and they expect me to know everything and then find out I don’t?” We fail to recognize the flexibility, the power and the control that we have in any given situation.
• We know what we want but we don’t know the steps, the path, and the way to achieve it. This is a research question. There is always someone who has gone before us in all that we do. We need to find a role model and connect with them to discover how they were successful. We can then design our own way.
Sound like a daunting job? It is difficult but not impossible. Roadblocks can be cleared and the road paved for success. Don’t let fear, lack of focus or lack of knowledge keep you from making that first step to achieving your goal.
Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending. Carl Bard
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