I have been so busy learning that I haven’t done enough doing!
Have you ever found yourself always studying and never acting? Like reading every book in the library about dieting, but never actually dieting?
I hear ya. I have signed up for too many workshops and classes about blogging and writing. I know tons of theory. I’m weak on the implementation.
A few days ago, we went out for Chinese and I got this fortune.
Bam!
I reflected on how much money I have spent on courses that are sitting on my hard drive or whose log-ins I have long forgotten.
Yikes. It’s time for some honesty.
Will I be forever the learner, never the do-er?
How do I light a spark under my behind to do the things I think I want to do?
Do you have a fighting spirit?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably set some pretty enormous goals for your life. Things that may take you 5 or 10 years or sometimes even longer, depending on the magnitude of the goal.
It’s going to take a ton of willpower and persistence and determination to make these goals become a reality.
To even come close to achieving these goals, in some cases, is going to take more effort than you probably even realize today.
A big question for a lot of people, and I’ve battled with this myself many, many times, is how do you keep that fighting spirit alive? How do you keep yourself getting up every day and keep exuding all your energy towards just taking one step closer to this goal, when some days it feels like you’re even going in reverse?
How do you keep going? It’s a big question.
Quite truthfully, there are a number of ways to answer this, and there are a number of different strategies that I’ve used.
I want to focus on one right now, and that is understanding the driving force or the reason why you set this goal in the first place
I’m going to give you a very specific example.
For me, a big goal I’ve been working on for the past number of years is to build my website to the point where I can earn sustainable income from it.
There’s a very specific personal and financial goal and I have not yet attained it. I’ve made some excellent progress over the past five years, and my overall income has increased every year.
So the progress towards my goal has been very, very exciting.
However, I come from practicing law where I am accustomed to making a salary for my education and skills.
Quitting that job and going off on my own is a scary thought, and I’m not there yet.
There were many days when my fighting spirit is challenged. On those days when I start questioning why I put effort and investment in this, it’s my reason WHY that kicks in.
The reason why I was doing all of this is much bigger and much more important to me than any pain or suffering or frustration I am feeling in any given moment.
When I started focusing on the reason why I am building this web presence in the first place, I am immediately rejuvenated with new energy and a new fighting spirit to keep going, even on those dark days when I don’t really feel like it is worth it anymore.
That’s the key thing here. What is your reason why?
Having a business that I could work from home and travel when and where I want to is worth a lot to me including the ability to fight through any pain and suffering of building a business.
That is a huge driving force for me. I don’t always want to be tied to client needs and court schedules.
A second driving force or reason why for me is freedom. To me, I value freedom more than almost air.
There were so many different aspects where the lack of freedom literally is soul sucking that the reason why I’m staying at this and I’m fighting through all these challenges is because I don’t want to sacrifice my freedom anymore.
If I focus on those reasons why, then I can create a fighting spirit even when one didn’t exist before, and I can do it in a matter of seconds.
What’s your reason why? What’s your driving force?
As you glance into the future and look at those things that you’re working on right now, come back to the present moment and remember your reason why and it will immediately generate that fighting spirit you need, anytime you need it.
KNOW YOUR WHY!
Hi Christine and thank you for sharing how you make things happen. I agree we need to know the “why” of our goals.
I downloaded Finding Your Purpose pdf and answered the questions. I was pleasantly surprised that I came up with a purpose that I can be excited about. It evolved from first writing down other ideas, but I became excited when I wrote down the following idea. The idea is to start a blog or even an open chat with ladies from my church. I’m 71 and live with chronic pain, but I have had a strong desire to find an outlet where I can help others find answers for life situations. In the early church, according to Scripture, older women were commanded to teach and train the younger women (I believe it applies to all generations). My idea is to provide a vehicle for younger women to ask questions about life and give older women an opportunity to share how God has brought them through similar situations or how they would respond to their own situations differently if hey could go back and to it over.
Again, thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom. I welcome feedback from you or other members of your blog.
Linda this sounds exciting – and needed! I would love to hear updates on how this is progressing!