When I committed to a new life of being an Entrepreneur, a strange thing happened. This one weird distraction started popping up ALL THE TIME. New opportunities were constantly popping up everywhere. I know that at first glance, this doesn't sound like a problem. But take a look again:
One of the most important components of success is dedication. If you have your sight set on a goal "“ especially an amazing goal that you really want "“ you're not going to get there without committing to it.
The Appalachian Trail is a trail that stretches 2,200 miles from Maine all the way to Georgia. Ranging from 124 ft at it's lowest point to 6,643 ft at its highest point. Every year, many people set out with the goal of hiking the entire trail. Most don't finish and some do.
Think of yourself as one of these hikers. Imagine your goal being the entire 2,200 mile trail. Lucky for you, you have a map of the trail. That's one part most people struggle with in life. Finding or creating a map that will get them to where they want to be…
So you're lucky. You have a map. All you have to do is follow it.
It's going to be hard, no doubt. But if you commit to it everyday when you wake up, you will succeed. Others have, so there's no reason you can't. As long as you follow the map.
Now, if you start wondering about all the other side trails that pop up… And from Maine to Georgia, you're bound to see a lot. Different trails. Different towns you might want to stop at. Maybe someone even offers you a free plane ticket home to forget about the whole thing.
Those other trails might look real cool. It would be fun to check it out, sure. But does it take you closer or further from your goal?
It would be great to hang out in a town for a while. Just one night. Maybe longer.
And at some point, a plane ticket home will sound great. Especially when things are getting really tough.
These are all the weird distractions I'm talking about. A new product to promote. A friend with a new business idea. They just kept popping up everywhere. And for a while, I would spend my time jumping from great new opportunity to great new opportunity.
And after a while, I found myself exactly where I was a few years earlier. Which was about a month into a new opportunity, trying to make it work. And the excitement was starting to die down. Without a clear goal and unwavering dedication, I spend my time chasing the excitement of starting something. And I lost sight of the true fulfillment of working, finishing and accomplishing something.
No matter what we're all aspiring for in life, one thing is for sure. We'll never get there if we take every detour that presents itself. No matter how attractive. We have to get that goal in our sites. Figure out what needs to be done. And do it. Every day. And we need to ignore and say 'no, thank you' to everything to pops up that will move us away from that goal.
To Your Success,
Del