What Are You Aiming at?
Zig Ziglar once said, “If
you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” And each of us knows from our
own experience that he is right. The
general flow of human life tends to be toward ease and comfort. One day flows into the next, and many of us
never quite get around to turning our good intentions into reality.
Those ‘good intentions,’
while no doubt admirable, tend to remain unrealized mainly because they are too
vague. Vague ideas are impossible to
focus on and aim for; they are moving targets.
Do you have moving targets
in your life? Perhaps you want to eat a
more healthy diet or lose the winter weight that has crept upon you. Maybe you just want to establish a regular
workout routine and stick with it this
time.
The keys to your success
are two-fold: steady the target and create momentum.
How to stop a moving target
Imagine a target shooter
trying to hit a small bull’s eye on a distant target. He begins to aim, but then the target
suddenly moves to the right, and before he can position himself to aim again,
the target darts to the left. Will he
ever hit that target? Not likely.
Without setting specific
goals, your good intentions are exactly like that moving target. You would like to lose some weight, feel a
little better, make a change in your diet--but without clearly defined goals
and methods, you can’t focus and make it happen.
The way to steady the target so you can finally hit
the bull’s eye is to define your goals
and write them down:
·
How much
weight do you want to lose?
·
What kind of
changes do you want to make in your diet?
·
How many days
per week do you want to exercise?
·
Which article
of clothing do you wish would fit your body again?
·
How much
weight would you like to lift while strength training?
Once you know where you
want to end up, you are much more likely to get there.
But you have to start
moving toward your goals. That is where
momentum comes in.
Create momentum to reach your goals
In his book, Eat that Frog, Brian Tracy discusses the
Momentum Principle of Success. In Tracy’s
words:
“This principle says that although it may take tremendous amounts of
energy to overcome inertia and get started initially, it then takes far less
energy to keep going.”1
There is much wisdom in
his words. Sometimes, the hardest part
of reaching a goal is just getting
started. That first day of doing
things differently or the first experience of bypassing an unhealthy treat in
favor of a food that will give you more energy can be daunting. It isn’t easy and it certainly isn’t
fun.
So how do you get that momentum? How do you
start moving?
Accountability is the
answer. Having someone else involved in
your efforts can be the most important factor in your success.
It is hard to change
lifelong habits on your own. You need
radical motivation that comes from involving others in your efforts. Setting deadlines, making commitments and
entering contests all provide an external motivation that will carry you through even the toughest
temptations.
And once you get started,
you will find that the momentum principle kicks in and it becomes easier and
easier to keep going.
Start NOW
You can make that moving
target come to a screeching halt and blast the bull’s eye right out of it by
taking a few minutes to write down what you want. Don’t make it your goals too broad; be
specific. And then begin brainstorming
ways to get others involved with you; that will provide your momentum. Success is within your reach. You can do this!
Oh, and remember, we’re
here to help you the entire way! J
Click Here for a FREE CONSULTATION.
Source:
1Tracy, Brian (2007-01-01). Eat That Frog!: 21 Great
Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time (p. 107).
Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Kindle Edition.
