“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.” ~ Buddha
Yesterday I conducted a workshop on the conversations we have with ourself and others. The focus of the workshop was how those conversations influence our ability to engage and interrupt our potential for success. In breaking down the process from awareness to accomplishment, there are two places where our journey is defined—at actualization and in adversity. Like this quote, realizing our dreams is defined by how we manage two junctures in our journey: taking action to make our dream reality and how we deal with the challenges we face along the way.
There are plenty of reasons why many do not start on their journey in the first place – fear of failure, risk, an effort not worth the reward, or too much self-doubt to even engage. I call this the Fourth A – Accommodation. (Note there are Eight A’s in the Journey to Success Process.) When we accommodate we have made the decision that despite the situation, the need for change, and the frustration and challenges we face in our current state, it is not nearly bad enough to force or pull or push to take a step in a different and new direction. When we accommodate we justify our current situation as tolerable enough and certainly not worth the risk associated with a commitment to change.
Until we reach a point where the need for change is greater than our ability to justify dealing with the status quo, nothing will change. Most people are reluctant to get outside their comfort zone until a dramatic event –illness, divorce, loss of job, arrest—forces them to reassess the situation in their lives. It is only a mistake not to take action when, in light of the obvious, someone still refuses the shift.
The other obstacle to realizing our dreams while on our journey is the Seventh A – Adversity. Adversity is the master obstacle. It represents those events, while often predictable and expected, that we simply allow them to stop us in our tracks. Since we know ourselves so well, we know our weaknesses, we know our faults, we know our shortcomings, and we know our habits that most of our adversity can be anticipated, planned for, and avoided or managed. However, it is adversity, when we allow it, that derails us from finishing what we started.
Besides anticipating, planning for, and predicting for adversity, the other step to staying in motion toward our goals, is to remember our commitment to them. As I have stated many times, “the depth of success is defined by the intensity of our commitment.” Once you make that commitment to find success, the only force with power enough to stop you, is you. Internalize and live your commitment and adversity cannot and will not derail you.
We have been provided many opportunities in live to engage in realizing our goals and dreams. The only things preventing us from getting there is never getting in gear or failing to make it to the finish line. Now that you are aware of these behaviors, avoid making those mistakes again.
