And achieving the extraordinary is more possible than ever before, thanks to the technologies and knowledge we have today.
However, it’s also easier than ever before to get distracted, too.
So, how do you stay focused? And how do you ensure that you are making progress every single day?
By taking a lesson from other successful people who have reached their goals.
There is a common fallacy in our culture known as the ‘overnight success.’
Someone achieves something great, and because this person was previously unknown, people say s/he achieved this success seemingly overnight, out of thin air.
But as you might expect, it actually takes years to become an overnight success.
If you ask any entrepreneur or actor who made it big, you’ll find they worked hard for years before achieving their goals.
Think about this: You’re an actor, going up for a major role. If you get it, this will be your big break.
But you’re up against another actor for that same role.
This actor has been taking acting classes for 10 years, taking part in local theater, auditioning for every part possible, and taking every job she’s offered.
You’ve been ‘acting’ for 10 years, too, but in that time you really haven’t done much.
You didn’t take any acting lessons.
You didn’t participate in local theater.
You didn’t audition for a part unless you ‘felt like it.’
Needless to say, it’s the other actor who gets the part and becomes an ‘overnight success,’ all because she’s been working hard for a decade to get ready for this exact moment.
I’m going to share something with you right now that is life-changing.
However, since you’ve probably heard this before, you’re also likely going to dismiss this.
That would be a grave mistake.
What I’m about to impart will make the difference in a life of mediocrity and stellar success, and it’s this:
Every single day, without fail, determine the ONE thing you need to accomplish to move forward on your goal, and DO IT.
If you can only get one thing done, what would it be?
Ask yourself this question every night before going to bed, and again the next morning.
If you get just ONE thing done, what should it be?
The key here is to focus on importance, not busy work.
Contacting ten possible new clients is a step forward. Clearing your desk is not. Yes, it might be important to have a tidy desk, but how does that advance your goals?
There is the story of the professor who holds up a glass beaker in front of the class. The professor fills the beaker with large rocks all the way to the top, and then he asks the class if the beaker is full.
“Yes!” the students reply.
Then the professor pours small pebbles into the beaker that fit all around the large rocks. Again, he asks the class if the beaker is full.
“Yes!” comes the reply.
Finally, the professor pours sand into the beaker, which fills in the gaps around the pebbles.
Now the beaker is full.
But what if the professor had put the sand in first, or the pebbles in first? Then the professor could not have fit the big rocks into the beaker.
The things you need to do to advance your goals are your big rocks. You’ve got to do these things first, or they will never get done. If you focus your efforts all day long on sand and pebbles, you will always be busy, but you won’t accomplish anything.
Choose one thing per day, the one BIG thing you can do to advance your goals, and do that thing first, no matter what.
