Persevere to Get What You Want in Life
Carole Pagan
May 05, 2007
It seems that everywhere you turn – some success teacher is telling you to picture what you want and you will get it. Write in down in full vivid detail. Read it and feel it everyday.
I won’t even go on because most people won’t even make the effort to get that far. Of the students in my course, Whole Life Overhaul, only a handful ever do this on a
consistent basis. How can you get what you want if you don’t even know what that is?
But that’s only the first step. You can’t just sit on your couch chanting, waiting for the magical universe to just drop what you want into your lap. Sorry.
Once you know where it is you’re going, you need a plan, and action to get there. How many of you can make it to DisneyWorld without plane tickets, hotel reservations, travel dates, and packing your suitcase? You can imagine ‘til the day you die – you’ll never get there. You have to do what it takes to get there.
And even then, there’s one more piece that most people miss.
No matter what it is you want to accomplish, there is one thing that is guaranteed to get you there - perseverance.
It doesn't matter if you want to lose weight, get a better job, start your own business, or simply get your house clean. It's a matter of getting started, and sticking with it until it's done.
Easier said than done though, isn't it?
How do you find the inner strength to keep on going, even when it appears that it's not working?
I read a quote recently that really sums it up-
"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Jim Ryun
That's right, it's just that simple. It's habit.
Keeping your house clean is a habit.
Eating healthy is a habit.
Reading an hour a day to improve yourself is a habit.
Working a little everyday on your goal is a habit.
Unfortunately, these are habits that most people don't practice. Many choose to practice bad habits- eating junk food, watching too much TV, not getting exercise, putting off house cleaning until it's so bad it takes a bulldozer… well, you get the picture.
So what does this have to do with perseverance?
Simple, if you get in the habit of consistently taking the actions you need to in order to reach your goal - everyday, all of the time, as a habit, you will find it is much easier to persevere. I dare say, it's the only way.
No matter how bleak your situation may seem, if you believe that you can change it, and you take consistent action and never give up until you have reached the goal - you will reach the goal.
Granted, some goals are easier to accomplish than others. You can get your house clean and keep it that way, if you do certain things everyday.
You can lose weight if you eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less fat and processed foods, and get a little more exercise (like cleaning the house?).
Other goals may take years, like inventing a cure for cancer, or making a million dollars, or becoming a rock star. But the process is still the same – make it a habit to make improvements everyday - no matter how long it takes.
The only way to fail is to give up.
I want you to sign a contract with yourself.
I _________________ will __________________
I promise that I will work on it everyday and I won't quit until I've done it.
Sign Your Name
Put this where you can see it everyday to remind you. After all, you don't break promises, do you? Guarantee yourself success.
You can do it! Picture exactly what you want, then learn and apply something new everyday to get there. Consistent little steps every day will move you faster than you ever thought possible. Try it for a while and see what happens. What do you have to lose?
You can do more than you think you can!
I won’t even go on because most people won’t even make the effort to get that far. Of the students in my course, Whole Life Overhaul, only a handful ever do this on a
consistent basis. How can you get what you want if you don’t even know what that is?
But that’s only the first step. You can’t just sit on your couch chanting, waiting for the magical universe to just drop what you want into your lap. Sorry.
Once you know where it is you’re going, you need a plan, and action to get there. How many of you can make it to DisneyWorld without plane tickets, hotel reservations, travel dates, and packing your suitcase? You can imagine ‘til the day you die – you’ll never get there. You have to do what it takes to get there.
And even then, there’s one more piece that most people miss.
No matter what it is you want to accomplish, there is one thing that is guaranteed to get you there - perseverance.
It doesn't matter if you want to lose weight, get a better job, start your own business, or simply get your house clean. It's a matter of getting started, and sticking with it until it's done.
Easier said than done though, isn't it?
How do you find the inner strength to keep on going, even when it appears that it's not working?
I read a quote recently that really sums it up-
"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Jim Ryun
That's right, it's just that simple. It's habit.
Keeping your house clean is a habit.
Eating healthy is a habit.
Reading an hour a day to improve yourself is a habit.
Working a little everyday on your goal is a habit.
Unfortunately, these are habits that most people don't practice. Many choose to practice bad habits- eating junk food, watching too much TV, not getting exercise, putting off house cleaning until it's so bad it takes a bulldozer… well, you get the picture.
So what does this have to do with perseverance?
Simple, if you get in the habit of consistently taking the actions you need to in order to reach your goal - everyday, all of the time, as a habit, you will find it is much easier to persevere. I dare say, it's the only way.
No matter how bleak your situation may seem, if you believe that you can change it, and you take consistent action and never give up until you have reached the goal - you will reach the goal.
Granted, some goals are easier to accomplish than others. You can get your house clean and keep it that way, if you do certain things everyday.
You can lose weight if you eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less fat and processed foods, and get a little more exercise (like cleaning the house?).
Other goals may take years, like inventing a cure for cancer, or making a million dollars, or becoming a rock star. But the process is still the same – make it a habit to make improvements everyday - no matter how long it takes.
The only way to fail is to give up.
I want you to sign a contract with yourself.
I _________________ will __________________
I promise that I will work on it everyday and I won't quit until I've done it.
Sign Your Name
Put this where you can see it everyday to remind you. After all, you don't break promises, do you? Guarantee yourself success.
You can do it! Picture exactly what you want, then learn and apply something new everyday to get there. Consistent little steps every day will move you faster than you ever thought possible. Try it for a while and see what happens. What do you have to lose?
You can do more than you think you can!
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