By Clint Cora, Stepcase Lifehack
We are heading into the time of year when we evaluate how we did with our goals during the past year and plan our new goals for the year to come. We reflect and look ahead all within a short span of time. When we do this, many of us will be disappointed because we have fallen short of our goals.
We are heading into the time of year when we evaluate how we did with our goals during the past year and plan our new goals for the year to come. We reflect and look ahead all within a short span of time. When we do this, many of us will be disappointed because we have fallen short of our goals.
Why is this? Is it because we didn’t do enough to make our goals a
reality? Is it because we didn’t have a system in place to keep track of
our progress?
Actually, the problem is that sometimes our goals are so big that
they are like mountains—they end up being too overwhelming. These are
the goals that we usually never achieve no matter how worthwhile they
are.
Here are some common examples to consider:
The Lose Weight Mountain. For a lot of people, losing weight is such a
mountain. Many will make losing weight as one of their main New Year’s
resolutions. Some will even join a gym and go with “full gusto” even if
they haven’t exercised in years.
Of course, many will end up quitting once February or March rolls around.
Many will go for those “lose weight fast” programs or go on extreme
diets. These folks expect to lose a significant amount of weight within
two weeks. Of course, results don’t happen like this. In the end, these
desperate actions are abandoned and the person is left at where they
originally began.
The Make Money Mountain. Another common mountain is to make
money—fast. People still get suckered in easily by signing up to various
“get rich quick” schemes as they are lured in by the reports of others
who claim to be living the high life within weeks of starting. The tough
economic times certainly have made many people even more gullible to
such scams.
Unfortunately, these people end up poorer after coughing up the
initial funds to get into such moneymaking schemes. Quite often, friends
are lost in the process as well if they were pressured to buy all sorts
of supplements or other products as part of these systems—all designed
to make money.
Mountains: Chinese Proverb. So just how do you move a mountain then?
Well, this brings us to an ancient Chinese proverb: “The man who
moved a mountain was the one who began carrying away small stones.”
The trick with very ambitious goals like losing weight or making lots
of money is to take things in small steps slowly but on a regular
basis, much like carrying away those small stones a bit at a time. When
giant goals are broken down into small steps that can be handled easily,
the results of all those small steps turn into giant goals being
achieved over time.
Once you realize that big goals are achieved bit by bit, you won’t be
as gullible to buy into the claims of losing weight or making money
quickly. Instead, you will take on logical, proven programs to get
healthy or financially wealthy.
You will “carry away small stones” by exercising regularly at paces
that are suitable for you and gradually increase intensity when you can
handle it. You will slowly build your financial wealth with wise
investing, saving or building of viable businesses over time.
So if you have ambitious goals, don’t make the mistake of trying to
do everything at once hoping that you will succeed. It doesn’t work like
that. If you have already abandoned such big goals, maybe revisit
them—but with a new strategy.
Don’t expect to rush through big goals. Instead, just start working
towards them a little at a time but on a steady, regular basis so you
still have forward momentum. Then in the future, you will be able to
proudly look back and see what a big mountain you have moved.
