There are two big steps to being successful. Two huge steps. And I believe most people fail in one of these two areas.
Sure, there are tons of steps to any successful endeavor. Tons of tiny decisions and tiny actions that lead you along the path toward success. But those tiny steps aren’t the ones that trip people up. It’s these two big ones.
The first one is: start. I have absolutely no problem with the start step. I’m constantly starting new projects and jumping from one obsession to another. (My current obsession is home-roasted coffee. And I have a developing obsession with gourmet black pepper.) Starting has never been a problem for me. But for many, that’s what’s holding them back from success.
They have a dream or a great idea, but they fail to go for it. They think if they research more or wait until they have enough time to tackle the new project, they’ll eventually do it.
Let me tell you. You won’t. Just start already. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just start.
The second ons is: finish. This is the one I have a huge problem with. I’m the type who’d build a bird house and get bored before the roof was complete. I’ve had to beat my brain into submission so I finish the things I start.
That’s not to say I finish everything…I often abandon projects when I realize they aren’t going anywhere. But for things I’ve committed to and I know will produce results…I struggle to finish. I have to make myself finish.
I write lists and set boundaries, because finishing is what I’m bad at. It’s the one thing that would easily hold me back from success if I let it. But I refuse to let it.
So there it is. The two things people fail at. What do you fail at? What do you need discipline for? To start? Or to finish?
I really want to know. Leave me a comment here. Are my readers bad starters or bad finishers?
As one of your readers… I debated starting this message… for fear of not finishing it. Haha! I tend to be a bad finisher. Typically because other things end up taking precedence. Thanks for the encouragement. Hey, look… I finished the message!