The Key To Achieving Success In Anything You Want
Focusing on the end result isn’t getting you anywhere
It’s extremely satisfying to sit down and write out all of the things you want to do.
You are left feeling euphoric and excited about the idea of all your hopes and dreams coming true.
How many times have you written down your goals only to become overwhelmed at the amount of work you need to do to actually achieve them?
For years I struggled with going to the gym consistently. I’d have a surge of motivation after the New Year and quit about a month in when I no longer felt excited about it. I’d come up with some excuse about why it’s too hard for me and I deserve a break.
Looking back I realize that I was doing it all wrong.
I’d state that I wanted to hit the gym 6–7x/week and get 6 pack abs within 3 months. I had no comprehension about what it would mean to actually achieve the result I’m looking for.
I was focusing on the wrong things.
The ideas themselves weren’t enough to make me continue when things got hard or mundane.
Whenever I’d focus on the end result, I would fail.
But something wonderful would happen if I took the pressure off and committed only to the progress I was making every day.
Instead of being overwhelmed by how much I had left to do to reach my end result, I took a step back and realized I only had to beat today.
How many days you “win” in a row is a direct correlation with how successful you are at reaching your goals.
In other words, consistency really is key to getting anything you want.
Do not rely solely on motivation to motivate you
“Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it.” — Mark Manson
As I mentioned earlier, if you only take action when you feel like taking action, you aren’t going to get a lot done.
You need to understand that you create your own motivation by doing the action themselves, not the other way around.
This requires discipline and habit change. The more days you “win”, the easier it will be to complete the tasks required of you even when you don’t feel like it.
Action creates motivation which creates action.
Don’t be a bystander of your life. If you can get past the hurdle of taking action without knowing all of the answers, you will succeed in everything you do.
Create a daily routine that’s in alignment with your goals
The key to your success lies in what you do every day.
When I began writing, I waited until I was done a full workday. By then I was tired and it felt like a drag.
I started setting my alarm 45 minutes earlier in the morning to create time for writing.
I then decided to change up when I go to the gym so I can have more time in the morning for personal development. This requires me to drag my butt out of bed even if I don’t feel like it.
“A daily routine built on good habits and disciplines separates the most successful among us from everyone else. A routine is exceptionally powerful.”
― Darren Hardy
Take pride in the routine you create for yourself. This might mean sacrificing some of the things you enjoy most.
Maybe you take away an hour of TV every night or only go out with friends twice a month.
Either way, make sure you’re realistic about the time you can dedicate to the daily grind and stick to it so you reap the benefits.
Keep track of your progress
“All winners are trackers.”
― Darren Hardy
I’m not a huge fan of delayed satisfaction.
I want to feel rewarded right now for things I haven’t even accomplished yet. One way to do that is to track your progress.
I feel a huge sense of reward when I can check things off my to-do list.
There are 2 main ways you can track your progress:
- A more modern way to keep track of daily progress is the app Stride. It creates streaks for different tasks and holds me accountable. You can also have the app send you reminders and customized texts to keep you on track.
- If you enjoy physically writing things down and crossing them off your to-do list, then get yourself an old school planner.
You can also look back and see how far you’ve come when you start keeping track of your progress.
This is a huge motivator on days where you want to give up.
Keep the end result in mind, but it shouldn’t be the only measure of your success
Personal transformation and growth should always be the ultimate goal because, without it, we can’t actually go anywhere new.
“The great solution to all human problems is individual inner transformation.” — Vernon Howard
It’s completely normal to want to achieve great success and personal milestones, but focusing on the wrong thing can leave you feeling empty or dissatisfied.
This is why focusing on personal growth and the process is so important. It shifts your focus from the end result to the actual journey and what you’re learning along the way.
It’s dangerous to become tied to an outcome.
People measure their personal worth on whether or not they achieve the end goal they had in mind.
Take the simple goal of losing 30 pounds in 60 days for example.
This is a big task. Not only does it demand a new lifestyle and eating habits, but you have no idea if it’s realistic for you.
If you become tied to the idea that you’ve only succeeded once you’ve hit your 30lb weight loss goal within the time period you assigned, you risk feeling like a failure and losing all momentum.
What if you fall short but still make exceptional changes?
Will you praise yourself for the amazing progress you’ve made and the new habits you’ve formed?
Will you focus solely on the fact that you didn’t do exactly what you set out to do and quit altogether?
Make sure you acknowledge how important it is for you to make mistakes, grow, learn and develop as a person along the way. If you were better today than you were yesterday, you’ve already done something you should be proud of.
In Conclusion
Your ability to hit your goals is the difference between getting what you want out of life and not really doing much of anything.
Where do you see yourself in 3 months? 6 months? 1 year?
By breaking your big dreams down into the required daily tasks and committing to doing them every day, you create an environment for yourself where the chances of your success are almost 100%.
In other words, you stop being a dreamer and start being a doer.
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