We All Have a Choice to Accept Our Situations…Or Change It

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” — often attributed to Albert Einstein

When I set a goal, I immediately procrastinate.

Too many distractions to count. It’s frustrating to say the least. A goal is an agreement with yourself.

This year, I set a goal of attaining the Project Management Professional Certificate. It was such a daunting goal that I went into the “constant planning mode”.

You know this mode, I’m sure. It’s when you think you’re moving forward, but you’re not. All you’re doing is delaying action.

And when you’re not doing things that get you closer to that goal, it becomes discouraging.

The goal starts to slip away. You start telling yourself unproductive stories:

• “that goal wasn’t that important anyways”
• “I’m too busy putting out fires today to do anything towards my goal”
• “that was my goal a month ago… but things have changed… I wanna do this other thing instead”
• etc, etc, etc…

I’ve come to realize: my present state doesn’t suck enough to do anything differently…

This is both good and bad.

It’s good in that you’re not struggling (or so it appears). You can survive this way. You can survive without changing anything you’re currently doing.

It’s bad in that you also can’t move forward. You can’t thrive in this situation.

Thriving is different than surviving. Deep down, whether we can admit it or not, we want to thrive.

How can you survive and thrive? Both are great. You have the safety net of whatever it is you’re doing now. But also the foresight to think about the future.

Reflect on what you want out of life.

This sets the priority. It’s best to set the priorities first. This is the “why”. Why are you doing this? Or why do you want to accomplish this goal?

Figure this out first.

There is an inverse relationship with goal count and rate of accomplishment. When one is higher, the other is lower.

It’s best to focus on quality. So think about it.

Write down (actually hand write) your goals.

Successful people write their goals down and review them regularly. Here are a few of them.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger has emphasized the role of writing down his goals in achieving his bodybuilding and acting milestones.
• Jim Carrey wrote himself a check for $10 million and dated it five years in advance, believing in the power of visualization and goal-setting.
• Elon Musk has been known to set ambitious goals and track his progress meticulously.
• Tony Robbins advocates for the practice of writing down goals as a key component of personal development and success.

You can’t guarantee success by writing down your goals and reflecting on them.

But you can surely put the odds in your favor.