Continuing On When the Going Gets Tough
A Long Journey
The journey down the road to finding work and a life with purpose is never completely easy. It may go faster or smoother for some than others, but it never goes like a walk in the park for anyone. Keeping your eyes on your goal is not always easy.
When it feels like failure
The time will come and I say will come, not may, when all you do, all you have worked for and all you hope to achieve seems to have gone so wrong and is so far out of reach that you are quite sure it’s time to admit failure. I can assure you it’s not!
There are hundreds of stories of successful people who never gave up, even when the casual observer would have thought them nuts not to. Wayne Dyer, Thomas Edison, Oprah Winfrey, are Victor Frankl are a few names that come to mind. But how do you work through the frustration and feelings you are experiencing at this time.
Here are a few tips: 1. Stop. Yes, just stop everything you are doing and walk away. Take a walk, a hot shower, or even go fill up the car with gas. Do anything to physically remove yourself from the space you are in when the feelings of overwhelm happen. By doing so, you will cause your brain to switch gears and let release those strong feelings.
2. Now that you have released yourself from the mire of frustration, take a few moments to look at your past experiences when you have had successful outcomes. These successes could be as something as small as creating a great meal or something greater like raising your kids! There are examples and proof of your greatness everywhere. Now is the time to pay attention to your personal success history. Writing down some of your stories in a journal will provide a great source for future reference.
3. It’s now time to take an honest look at where you really are. The definition of failure is to not meet a desired or intended objective. Ask yourself, have you failed to meet your objective completely or have you just not reached your objective yet? Yet – this is a little word with big meaning. When we are in the midst of a journey, it’s hard to tell exactly where we are on that journey.
This is why it is vitally important to get clear about what it is you want and then fully understand WHY you want it. Not only will the ‘why’ keep you motivated, but being clear of your wants and destination will allow you to set milestone goals along the way. This creates a goal map which you can follow and see your progress on the way, I call it your G.P.S. (Goal Point System).
Being clear and stepping away to take a look at where you are will make it easier to stay the course when you want to give up. With your success journal to review, strong reasons why you want to achieve your goals and a well defined map you will be able to recognize that you really are successful and well on your way to meeting your objective – perhaps closer than it seemed.
Fore more information on my Goal Point System visit my website at www.clearpathway.com and sign up for free tips and information!
Lesley V. Ingves
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