Creating the life you want can be an extremely rewarding
experience, yet there are times when you find yourself stuck in a place where
you're questioning yourself, your abilities, your competence, your gifts, and
the list goes on. You wonder if the hard
work and sacrifice is really worth it or if it's best to just count your
losses, and quit. I really don't think
that you can ever lose by betting on yourself, and giving everything you've got
to seeing your vision for your life manifested.
However, practical issues call for practical solutions:
Get back to your "why"
Sometimes when feeling discouraged, you can easily forget why
you thought your ideas would work in the first place. But your "why" is what originally
fueled you to put your ideas in motion.
So review it again. Did you start
doing what you're doing for a better life, more financial freedom, or a greater
sense of purpose? If so, then it's
totally worth seeing this process through to the end. Write down your "why" and put it on
your desk so that you never forget what you're working towards and why
you've got to finish.
Create a checklist of measurable, actionable steps
When attempting to achieve your goals, it's important to be able
to track your progress. One way to do this is to create a daily checklist of actionable items that will
help you achieve your bigger goal. The
list should include 3-5 action steps that are prioritized by level of
importance. Once you've achieved those 3-5
things, you can feel good knowing that you're a little bit closer today to
getting what your working so hard to achieve.
Phone a friend
Sometimes when things are not going as planned, you feel like you
need to unplug and vent to one of your girlfriends. Do it.
Having someone in your life who loves you, listens and provides some
checks and balances is a great person to talk to about your frustrations. She'll sit with you while you lick your
wounds, and then send you back into the wild to get back to work.
Commit to solving the problem quickly
If you want to quit because you're having a difficult time
figuring out how to get beyond a current challenge, don't stop working through
it until you come up with a way to fix it.
Instead of running from the challenge or putting it off, commit to
resolving the issue so that it's not hanging over your head. Even if the solution happens in several
steps, take the necessary steps in a timely fashion so you can begin to see the
light at the end of the tunnel. However,
when you don't respond in a
timely fashion to problems, they get worse. Before you know it, you're stuck
with this insurmountable issue that could have been resolved much quicker if
you would have approached it head on. So
take a deep breath and get back to it.
Send the email, ask the question, rework the plan. Do whatever is within
reason to resolve the issue and bring things back to neutral. You can do this.
Reward Yourself
It's time to redefine your perspective on success. Perhaps you're too focused on the goal, and
have lost sight of your current achievements. There's already so much to celebrate! Going forward, I suggest that you take a
moment to list at least 10 things you'd like to do once you hit certain milestones. Doing so
will give you something to look forward to while you're working hard on
achieving your big goals.
Stop procrastinating
There is no better way to lose momentum in getting what you want
than to procrastinate. Sometimes the
very task that would get you over the hump is the least desirable and the one
you keep putting off. I challenge you to
do that task first. If it's the only thing you accomplish today, you'll be
better for it, and a HUGE step closer to getting what you want.
Delegate the tasks that keep you from operating in your
brilliance
One of the best ways to get motivated about your goals again is
to connect with people who can help you get there. For example, if you want to
apply for a grant, but grant writing is not your strong suit, hire a grant
writer. Everyone has their area of
brilliance, including you. Instead of
trying to do everything moderately well, focus on the areas that you excel
in and outsource the rest. Websites like
fiverr.com, elance.com, and odesk.com are perfect resources to use to find the
help you need within any budget.
Designate time to just think
The world we live in is extremely fast paced. It's easy to spin your wheels and be
"busy" without really getting anything done. When you bump into that fact and take a look
at what's been accomplished, it can be deflating to see that you haven't gotten
as far as you would have liked or that you're not going the way you intended.
This is why it's so valuable to plan time to step away from the noise and
think. Some questions you may want to
ask yourself are:
-
What went well this week?
-
What didn't go so well?
-
What important tasks are incomplete
-
Do I need to make any adjustments
-
What can I do better
-
Do I need to seek advice from a colleague,
mentor or coach?
Once you've determined the answers, make it a priority to apply
the information to your process right away.
At first glance, taking time to think may sound like an excuse to do
nothing. But every once in awhile you must take a step back and examine
your process to ensure that you're going the right way.
Read books and/or quote(s) from your favorite people
Social media has given us the amazing opportunity to access
incredible people who we otherwise would have never known in our lifetime. If you're following them, your timeline will
probably be full of incredible quotes, articles, and suggested books that will
inspire and motivate you to keep going.
When you have some down time, take a moment to read the amazing gems
that people have shared. But don't stop
there. Take some time to also consider
how you can improve your process with this new information.
Schedule breaks to do something fun
Let's face it, sometimes you can be so enthralled with meeting
your goal that you refuse to take a break to eat, call your best friend, or
even sleep. But you can't sustain a
lifestyle like that for very long without burning out. You definitely need
food, friends and sleep. So instead of
being forced into a break due to exhaustion or depression, schedule small ones
along the way. Schedule a visit to see
your girlfriend's new baby, or to call that friend that you haven't spoken to
in awhile. You'll find that creating
memories while on your journey will make the whole process much more enjoyable
and rewarding.
Be Grateful
The truth is no matter how bad that business deal went down,
there is someone who would pay money to be you on your worst day. So take some
time to think about, and maybe even record all of the incredible things that
have happened to you since you began pursuing your big goals and dreams. It's
possible you'll find that the good outweighs the bad.
Pay it forward
Sometimes when we lose hope and motivation it's because we've
become a little too absorbed in our own affairs. While you're on your journey to creating the
best life ever, make it a point to stop and help someone else achieve their
dreams as well. You'll find that the
time you take to teach, guide and encourage others will also inspire you to get
back to work with a new found vigor.
Stop being so hard on yourself
With everything that you've been through, you've come pretty
far. Whether you've hit every goal on
your list or not, the truth is that it's taken a lot of courage and hard work
to get where you are today. You've done well, and whatever mistakes you've made
do not define you as a woman, professional, and/or business owner. Another day offers you the opportunity to do
better, to apply new ideas, make adjustments, etc. So be kind to yourself, dust yourself off and
get back at it.
You have so much to offer the world, and no one can do it like
YOU! Even with things being challenging, you're stronger than you think. You
will make it---if you just don't quit! I'm rooting for you and would like to
leave you with this quote:
I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit.
Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.' --Muhammad Ali
