How to Succeed
It is easy to lose faith in what you are doing. I had a wobble on my Synergy 21 Day Challenge last week, as you may recall. Today it was over the commitment to write every day. At the start, 39 days ago, I did wonder if it might be too much of a stretch. But you don’t get anywhere if you give up before you start!
This afternoon I had the same doubts again. Is it worth the effort? Why am I stressing over it? How do we ensure success? And why is it always so difficult?
Why?
Our heads seem to be very good at wanting us to be safe and comfortable. The problem is that growth does not come from being safe and comfortable. Growth comes when you stretch yourself, extend your boundaries, don’t quit.
What you can you do to ensure you don’t quit at the first hurdle?
You can start by following these six simple steps. They are working well for me, and they will help you too.
Know WHY You Are Doing it.
There will always be an underlying ‘why’ to your actions. Why did you go to the shops? because you were hungry. Why did you run up that hill? because it is fun. Why do you want to build an extension? Because you want more room, and to look at it knowing you built it with your own bare hands.
You may need to go quite deeply, as the why has to be for yourself if you have any chance of success. You wouldn’t raise a thousand pounds just to line your bosses pockets, but you would swim across a freezing lake if it meant funding for an ill child. Because YOU don’t want to see them suffer.
Why am I writing every day?
To leave a lasting legacy. I want to be a better writer, a better communicator, to change peoples lives and to leave memories for Anya once I am gone.
Above all else I am writing for myself. This article will be my reminder to stay strong over the next year and more.
Have a specific goal
You need something to aim for. That goal does not have to be set in stone, and it DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU DON’T ACHIEVE IT. The goal is your beacon. The shining light to guide you through the dark when you are lost and losing hope.
Mine is to write every day for 500 days. Simple. Even if I somehow end up missing a day I know the goal isn’t that far ahead of me, I can keep striving towards it. By itself the goal will be too big and scary. 500 days? but, that is, at the very least, a quarter of a million words. Maybe double that! OH MY GOD! How HOW HOW!!! Which is why you break it into smaller steps. This is called a…
Plan
You should now know where you want to be heading, but how do you get there? A plan should have multiple levels.. ‘Go West’ could be the general overview, but you need more detail. That would be like me saying ‘picking up pen, hold against paper, move hand.’
I am sure you have heard this a million times before. Maybe this time it will actually sink in?
I have a list of subjects to be writing about, and a plan of themes. This gives me the freedom to write about whatever is in my head if I wish, but to have something to wrote about if there is no immediate inspiration. My problem is…
Focus
Avoid distraction at all costs! You need non-negotiable time to progress. each distraction in your day can set you back hours, and that soon adds up.
Where do you get distracted? The Mac (and my phone) is my distraction. I tend to forget this on a regular basis, and fall back to multiple open windows, even though I know I write better (and faster) with a pen and paper.
Be positive
Note down positive feedback and put it in a prominent place. Luckily for me, this morning, one of my interval group told me how much she was enjoying reading my blog (thank you Hilary!)
Remember it is a journey.
It is not going to be a straight line from A to B. It will be an experience, an adventure. It won’t all be plain sailing.
Anya has a great reminder for me, as you can see
