Since the beginning of time, humans have had an instinct to fear failure or failure to complete important projects and goals on time.
When things take longer than planned, it’s common to rush, ask others for their opinions, or be tempted to abandon the task or goal altogether.
When these negative thoughts and fears sneak up on you, confront them and commit to staying focused instead of giving in to them. Having a plan in place helps keep you accountable and motivated.
Follow these six practical steps to help you achieve your long-term goals, whether building a successful business, writing a book, or attaining financial independence.
Embrace the Process
When the path to your goal seems long and arduous, remember that your actions can negatively or positively affect the speed of your progress. Learning to control less and going with the flow will keep you on the right track.
Remaining patient can sometimes be challenging, but some things in life can’t be rushed. If you try to speed up the process, you’ll often find yourself right back where you started.
Only some things have to make sense at the moment. Stay focused and wait for the missing pieces to fall into place.
Backtracking in a certain area sometimes prevents burnout and brings you closer to reaching your goals. If you allow yourself to do this, you’ll know when and what’s needed to take a more significant step forward.
Trust the Silent Zone
From my experience, I’m too familiar with what I call the silent zone. It feels like crickets moved in overnight and pushed out all my ideas.
It’s easy to panic, have doubts, and question if what you’re trying to do is worth it. Don’t give in to the negative self-talk. Pretend you’re waiting patiently for Waze to finish re-routing and find a better route.
If you take a deep breath, relax, and give it a few days, the silent zone will become loud again when you least expect it.
Use the silent zone as a period of reflection and rest, where your mind processes information and prepares for the next burst of productivity.
It can happen during your morning run, at the gym, or the traffic light. In my experience, it often happens sitting in my car and at the exact moment that the light turns green!
A word of caution: If the silent zone unexpectedly becomes loud again at a red light, please be careful when rushing home to apply all your exciting new ideas.
Listen to Your Intuition
Listen to your inner voice, gut feeling, or instinct and follow it even if the order of steps doesn’t seem logical or rational.
If your ideas flow differently than planned in a particular area, be willing to switch and work on another section of your goal. Flexibility can take you a long way if you allow it.
Follow your ideas and thoughts for that day. Don’t insist on working on something different just because it’s written down on your planner.
Specific ideas need to percolate. When they’re ready to materialize, you’ll know!
Evaluate and Make Changes as Needed
In the writing world, there’s a saying, “Kill your darlings!” This means having the courage to delete a sentence, section, or step unrelated to your project.
Evaluating your work and making changes as needed gives you a more precise direction of where you’re headed.
For the perfectionist, admitting that some parts of the whole are imperfect and need changes is challenging.
But it’s important to know that showing up for yourself requires being your cheerleader and, at times, your impartial critic.
Don’t Try to Be Understood
You are the only person who truly needs to understand the map in your head. The more you try to explain it, the more sidetracked you’ll become and the more doubts you’ll have.
We know at least one person is always ready to give unsolicited advice. But the truth is, they’re only getting half of the picture and seeing things from their perspective and biases.
Don’t Share Your Milestones
Trust your journey, decisions, and yourself. Encouragement from others can be uplifting but can also distract you from your beliefs.
Take away: Committing to finishing a project or long-term goal through fear and self-doubt is the key to completion. Now, take a moment and reflect on your long-term goals or a project you’ve been trying to complete. Then, reflect on how you can use these habits throughout the day.
I guarantee there will be days of frustration, but that’s when you listen for your inner voice. If you hear it whispering, “Keep going; don’t even think of giving up.”
That’s precisely what you do… Small steps lead to significant results. So, take a deep breath and take your first one!