We are creatures of comfort. For the most part we like feeling certainty on the outcome, knowing how all is going to turn out. And observing this inherent nature of ours, I realized that it is one of the main reasons why we seek conformity. Why we comply with following one linear pattern through life, why we fail miserably when we are out of the familiar.
And while blindly following one routine after another, there comes a time once in a while where we abandon the unilateral side of life and try to achieve something throughout change, setting new goals and changing our approach.
Expand your goals
What I want you to do is think about your goals and expand them. You see, most people blinded by conformity go through life casually. Retaining status quo only makes them produce mediocre results. And one of the biggest reasons people fail in life is not because they aim too high and miss, but because they aim too low and hit.
Reminiscing about your goals, about your expectations from life try and raise the bar a little higher. What will happen is almost miraculous in the sense of transcending your current self. You see, as your goals get expanded, as the bar gets higher, you start to do something life rewarding. You start to change your approach, the way you do things. The higher and more seemingly impossible the goal, the better your performance. Getting yourself out of the comfort zone by challenging your capacity is allowing your potential to transcend.
And no matter the outcome, you are changed both in the sense of allowing better performance to happen, as well as growing pass your current circumstances. In translation this means that even if you go for the moon and miss, you are still among stars.
You need to believe that it is possible
I will not write some flowery prose as to convince you that every segment of your life is going to flourish once you set your goals high. You see, it needs more than that. You need to believe in the outcome, no matter the circumstances, no matter your current position.
The way in which we operate is a manifestation of what we believe is possible. For the most part, we are sabotaging our progress all by ourselves. Adopting every negative attitude down the road, allowing to be convinced by naysayers. There is an old African proverb that says “If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.”
And this is true at a number of levels. Setting our mind on a certain goal, the possibilities in which we achieve it are infinite. We are the ones setting the boundaries. And once we start doubting the boundaries are girded too tight, thus not allowing us to excel in terms of using our potential as well as finding the means that will lead to achieving our goal.
Most people operate out of their personal history. What they experienced, what they’ve seen, what they observed. They prescribe future results to past experiences. If they failed in the past, they cannot see a reason why it would be any different now. But the approach we must take is opposing this mindset. Operate based on your imagination rather than your past experiences. Don’t let them as well as other people tell you what is possible for you.
Assure yourself that it can be done
Here is a story that will convince you of the power of believing in something.
Before April 1954 the common belief was, due to past experiences, that man is not physically capable of breaking the four minute mile. Meaning no one can run a mile in less than four minutes.
However, Roger Banister came along and did the unimaginable- he succeeded. And here lies the significance into this story. Since then towards this day over hundreds of thousands people has done it, amongst which even high school kids.
But what changed?
I will tell you what changed. The moment those people got on the track they knew it was possible. They knew someone has done it, they believed they can do it as well. There was no belief whatsoever that convinced them otherwise.
Therefore, if you know someone into your life that had a vision and a goal and worked towards achieving them, and eventually succeeded, then you can do it as well.
Don’t let someone telling you otherwise
There is another story I want to share with you today. It’s about how powerful we can become in our actions if there is no one and nothing to convince us otherwise.
There were two boys one day who were playing on a frozen pond. All of the sudden as they got more into their game, they failed to notice that suddenly they were no longer near the beginning of the pond, but almost in the middle.
Then out of pure negligence, one of the boys fell into the cold water and not being able to swim back he got suck under the thin ice. His buddy quickly looked around and seeing a tree in the distance ran and climbed up, broke a branch and came right back pounding onto the ice. In no time the ice broke, allowing the other boy to swim back and get out.
Once the medics came they were unable to understand how this small boy did what he did in order to save his buddy. But the old man who called for help, seeing the whole scenario from almost a mile down explained to them in an instance. They asked him “How he could have done it?”
And the old man said: “There was no one there to tell him that he can’t do it.”
Now imagine what you would do if there is no one telling you, not even yourself, that you can’t do it. Imagine what will happen if you believe naively, just as that boy believed, that you can do it.
There are both types of people: ones who say I can, and others who say I can’t. The thing is, they are both right.
So as you look at your goals, don’t be afraid to expand them. Don’t let anyone tell you how high you can go; how high you can aim. Believe that it’s possible. You can have the lifestyle that you always wanted, you can have your business, excel in your career, attract the people you want present into your life, have what you believe you deserve. You can bounce from adversity, reinvent your life. Regardless of where you are, your final destination is all up to you.
_______________
Slavko Desik is writer who is fascinated by the power that words hold when improving your life. He helps people improve their life by advocating lifestyle changes and tries to familiarize them with the importance of personal growth.
-Your thoughts and feedback on the ideas above are welcome. Share them in the comments below.
Featured: