TWO boys dove into a lake one day, challenging each other to swim across, a distance of about two miles.
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| Pic courtesy of rapidlikes.com |
They swam with a strong and steady stroke, and the lead swimmer, not looking back, continued swimming on toward the other shore.
When he emerged on the shore after completing his swim, he looked back to see that his friend was nowhere near.
When they met back up, he asked, “How was it that you did not follow me across?”
The boy who turned back said, “Oh, after I got about halfway out, I looked back and saw how far I had come, and I was afraid I could not make it, so I turned back.”
“But,” said the boy who swam across couldn’t you see that it was just as hard to turn back to safety as it was to continue swimming to your goal?”
One of the biggest obstacles to reaching our goals is fear.
'Fear is an emotion that overrides our intelligence'
It stops us from moving toward our goals, and it plays havoc with our quality of life.
People often fail to recognize the impact of fear - sometimes because we don’t even use the word. Instead we talk about things like worry, nervousness, stress, shyness, or anxiety.
But the only way to diminish fear is to conquer it.
Develop self-confidence: Self-confidence is not absence of fear but the mastery of fear. The key is to know it is a state of mind you can create anytime you want, no matter what the circumstances.
Master motivation: Motivation is a vital component of reaching any goal. Since most goals tend to involve pushing through short-term pain to achieve a long-term gain, staying connected to your motivation keeps you on the path to success.
Goals themselves are highly motivating, but to get even greater leverage you need to keep that motivation up front in your mind.
Proceed past procrastination: When you procrastinate, you’re waiting for the right time, the right place, the right person - external things you can never count on.
When you find yourself becoming paralyzed by inaction, learn to power through. Start with small tasks to build momentum and move past the obstacle of procrastination.
Build self-discipline: To achieve a goal, you must be willing to do what you know you should do when you should do it, whether you like or not.
Underlining all great achievements is the quality of self-discipline. It is the ability to delay short-term gratification to enjoy even greater rewards in the long term.
Carry out commitment: One of the fastest ways to move past fear is to commit to what you are doing.
When you commit, you’re putting your integrity on the line, making yourself accountable to do what you say you will do. If you need help, enlist support to keep yourself accountable.
'Conquer your fears and achieve your goals'
When you realize that you have come just so far and then you find yourself tempted to turn back instead of moving forward because of worry, anxiety, or fear.... conquer your fear and enhance your motivation and self-discipline, block procrastination, and carry out your commitment.
Lead From Within: Self-awareness can be life-changing, and doing what you need to do to reach your goals is transforms leadership. Keep swimming in the direction of achievement.
Lolly Daskal is the president and founder of Lead From Within a coaching and consultant firm that manages large scale corporate coaching and custom made leadership programs. Connect with Lolly Daskal
