I read one post on face book by one of friends. He posted a link to an
article in economic times about a housewife who started a small scale wedding
card & decoration business from her home and now has three stores open in Delhi
Reading this made me realize that I really want to start my business. In fact
a successful business. But somehow it is not happening. Maybe I have a fear
that what if it does not work. At least right now I have job that pays me
decent. There is a fear that’s blocking too and also some circumstances.
Than same day, Read an interesting article on yahoo and felt very
connected to it.
So some thoughts from that article…
Why do some people like the above mention housewife achieved her goal
while people like me fail or even scared to try? Article said that it’s because
successful people manage to overcome barriers that, in many cases, guarantee
failure. Here are those barriers and how to overcome them:
Below
are the things directly from the article.
1. Uninspiring Goals
When most people set goals, they envision a "thing," such as a particular amount of money, an object (like a new car), or a specific achievement (like writing a book). Unfortunately, these "things I'm gonna get or do" goals don't appeal to the core of what motivates you, because they miss the point that what you're actually seeking in life and work is the POSITIVE EMOTIONS that you believe those things will produce.
Fix: Rather than envisioning a "thing" as your goal, envision--with all the strength in your imagination--how you will feel when you achieve the goal. That way, you'll be inspired to do whatever it takes (within legal and ethical bounds) to achieve that goal.
2. Fear of Failure
If you're afraid of failing, you won't take the necessary risks required to achieve your goal. For example, you won't make that important phone call, because you're afraid that you'll be rebuffed. Or you won't quit your dead-end job and start your own business because you're afraid that you might end up without any money.
Fix: Decide--right now!--that failure, for you, is a strictly temporary condition. If things don't go the way you'd like, it's only a setback that, at most, delays your eventual success. In other words, accept the fact that you'll sometimes fail, but treat that failure as an unavoidable (yet vital) component in your quest.
3. Fear of Success
In many ways, this fear is even more debilitating than the fear of failure. Suppose you achieved something spectacular, like enormous wealth. What if it didn't make you happy? What then? What if you ended up losing all of it? What then? Would your friends start acting weird? Would your family be envious? Such thoughts (and they're common) can cause even a highly motivated person to self-sabotage.
1. Uninspiring Goals
When most people set goals, they envision a "thing," such as a particular amount of money, an object (like a new car), or a specific achievement (like writing a book). Unfortunately, these "things I'm gonna get or do" goals don't appeal to the core of what motivates you, because they miss the point that what you're actually seeking in life and work is the POSITIVE EMOTIONS that you believe those things will produce.
Fix: Rather than envisioning a "thing" as your goal, envision--with all the strength in your imagination--how you will feel when you achieve the goal. That way, you'll be inspired to do whatever it takes (within legal and ethical bounds) to achieve that goal.
2. Fear of Failure
If you're afraid of failing, you won't take the necessary risks required to achieve your goal. For example, you won't make that important phone call, because you're afraid that you'll be rebuffed. Or you won't quit your dead-end job and start your own business because you're afraid that you might end up without any money.
Fix: Decide--right now!--that failure, for you, is a strictly temporary condition. If things don't go the way you'd like, it's only a setback that, at most, delays your eventual success. In other words, accept the fact that you'll sometimes fail, but treat that failure as an unavoidable (yet vital) component in your quest.
3. Fear of Success
In many ways, this fear is even more debilitating than the fear of failure. Suppose you achieved something spectacular, like enormous wealth. What if it didn't make you happy? What then? What if you ended up losing all of it? What then? Would your friends start acting weird? Would your family be envious? Such thoughts (and they're common) can cause even a highly motivated person to self-sabotage.
Fix:
Decide that you're going to be happy and grateful today and happy and grateful
in the future, no matter what happens. Rather than focus on possible problems,
envision how wonderful it would be to be able to help your friends and family
achieve THEIR goals. (Hint: Watch the last season of the TV series Entourage!)
4. An Unrealistic Timetable
Most people vastly overestimate what they can do in a week and vastly underestimate what they can do in a year. Because of this, most people try to cram too many action items into the short term rather than spacing out activities over the long term. The inability to get all the short-term steps accomplished creates discouragement and the impression that the final goal is slipping away.
Fix: As you list the activities and steps required to achieve a goal, schedule only the 20% of the activities that will produce 80% of your results. (I explain more about this in the post The Secret of Time Management.) Beyond that, set ambitious long-term timetables, but always leave some "wiggle room" when you plan short term.
5. Worrying About "Dry Spots"
4. An Unrealistic Timetable
Most people vastly overestimate what they can do in a week and vastly underestimate what they can do in a year. Because of this, most people try to cram too many action items into the short term rather than spacing out activities over the long term. The inability to get all the short-term steps accomplished creates discouragement and the impression that the final goal is slipping away.
Fix: As you list the activities and steps required to achieve a goal, schedule only the 20% of the activities that will produce 80% of your results. (I explain more about this in the post The Secret of Time Management.) Beyond that, set ambitious long-term timetables, but always leave some "wiggle room" when you plan short term.
5. Worrying About "Dry Spots"
It's
easy to get discouraged when you reach a point at which nothing you do seems to
advance you toward your goal. For example, suppose you're trying to master a
certain skill. You make swift progress at first but then, after a while, it
seems as if you're not doing any better, or maybe a little worse. Some people
use these "plateaus" or "dry spots" as an excuse to give up
and therefore fail.
Fix:
Whenever you reach a plateau or dry spot, it's time to celebrate rather than
give up. A plateau is almost always a sign that you're on the brink of a major
breakthrough, if you just have the patience to stick with it and trust that
you'll eventually achieve your goal.
I thought that
this is very interesting and very true.. I relate to it.
So I promised
myself that let me set a realistic goal and I did and I hope to achieve it. Will
work on all the above and hopefully will have my own business by next year this
time…
