We all have been taught to set goals and strive to become more and do more with our lives. So many, however, reach a goal only to feel a lack of accomplishment. They tend to feel unfulfilled with little understanding of where to go after the established goal has been achieved.
To be satisfied as you attain your goal requires maintaining perspective. It is not enough to set and then achieve your goals. One needs to learn how to live once you’ve reached it. Below are 5 strategies for helping you live your goal.
- Realize What Success Actually Is
By realizing what success actually is, we can prevent many of the downfalls that accompany it. Striving for the goals in life that lead to the success you desire is just a small part of what it takes to remain at the top. The rewards you have and continue to reap in life are due more to your mindset than anything else. If then, we are influenced by what affects our minds, we must be particular about who we associate with. The few people that experience true personal success will tell you that. Although they have a love for mankind, they are leery about who they spend their time with.
The late Zig Ziglar once said, “You are what you are and where you are because of what goes into your mind.” How true that statement is. I believe I described it best as the outhouse syndrome. The idea being you may not be one, but if you hang out long enough in one you may begin to smell like an outhouse.
Even fewer who reach the top remain successful. Why? It’s simple. They have unrealistic expectations. They simply don’t know what success really is. You must realize that success does not bring happiness. You are ultimately responsible for your own happiness. True success brings with it a sense of personal accomplishment and satisfaction that ultimately leads to confidence in ourselves. Self-confidence is important in the overall picture of happiness.
Realize that reaching the top does not solve all of life’s problems. What we have today can be taken away tomorrow. Reminding ourselves of this keeps us humble.
Remember where you were when you set your goal and how far you’ve come. And understand that you will remain you regardless of what you accomplish or possess. That’s the first key to maintaining what you spend a great deal of your life attaining.
- Set New Goals
Goals again? You bet! Remember I told you a life without goals is like a morning without orange juice or a day without sunshine? Well it doesn’t change when you accomplish lifetime dreams. Unless of course, your life is over. You must always look for ways to better yourself in all aspects of your life.
To say that you don’t need to do so is arrogance and with arrogance breeds’ pride. Allow me to tell you something profound. You never will be perfect. Surprised? We all need to change and change is constant, never ending. Granted, your goals may change, but the importance of having them doesn’t. Besides no one just coasts through life. You either continue to grow, or you stagnate and die. It is a simple choice.
- Look for Advice in All the Right Places
Sounds like a song, doesn’t it? For the sake of this chapter, let’s call it the song of life. In many ways, we discussed this in the first strategy when we spoke of choosing your company well. I feel, however, that the company you choose and the advice you seek are two separate and entirely different things. No matter how good the company is that I keep I am not inclined to seek advice from all of them, quite the opposite as a matter of fact. Seek advice from people who are successful in the areas you are interested in. More than that, be sure they share your similar beliefs in the area.
For instance, let’s say you’re thinking about getting into the rental real estate market on a conservative basis. You have decided to stay with single family homes with the following qualifications:
You want to begin slowly with only one. Should it prove to be successful, you may look at another. You set out to talk with someone that is successful in the real estate market. You are referred to a man that owns an army of real estate from homes to commercial buildings. Great! What a better person to talk to right? Well, maybe. Suppose this person tells you that the only way to get into real estate is headfirst. “Just jump in and don’t look back,” he says. He tells you that he has five homes for sale now that are all rented and he will make you the deal of a lifetime.
You look at what he has and realize that only one of the homes meet your criteria and it’s not exactly what you wanted. The man is pushy and eventually writes you off as someone that is all talk and no action. Is this person someone for you to seek advice from? He is in the business and successful, but his beliefs of how to get there are totally different than yours? So do you give in saying I’ll do it his way, or do you seek someone that’s more compatible with your way of thinking?
I believe the choice is obvious. As good as the stock market has been to certain people, it’s also been not so good to others. That’s why everyone is different in his or her initial approach. The same is true of real estate or any other venture in life. Don’t trust advice from just anyone and be sure you can back it up with sound biblical economics. If not, you may want to find someone else.
- Keep Hope By Remaining Spiritually Focused
Sometime ago I was watching a famous radio/television show host being interviewed on NBC’s Dateline. He described his life and all of the ups and downs accompanying it. He once achieved success on his terms and later fell from the ladder. He had been married to four different women and was presently single. When asked about his life and the financial success he now enjoys, he commented that no woman could ever take the place of the camera. He went on to say that his biggest fear in life was death. Having lived through a heart attack, he hated that he didn’t see a tunnel of light or any other sign of the hereafter. He was therefore sure that this life was all there was. “This is it,” he said.
Watching that program, I wondered how this man defined success and whether he believed he had attained all life had to offer him. I can’t imagine going through life believing that death is ultimate and there is no hereafter. How can you enjoy success or for that matter, even attain it without being spiritually focused? By humbling ourselves to a greater authority, we can keep things in perspective, as they should be. If we allow our spiritual eyes to wander, regardless
- 3 bedroom/2 bath
- House on a slab
- Quality neighborhood with little crime
of our beliefs, we will never enjoy the true joy, peace and happiness life has to offer. Being prepared for death does create a peace within that fills a void, an emptiness and blackness. It’s what I refer to as the black hole. No matter what you attain, accomplish or become you will never have true peace, joy and happiness until you fill the black hole of your soul. Religion will not do it. Philosophy will not do it. False doctrine will not do it.
John 3:16 sums it all up, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” He came that you may have life and have it more abundantly. Keep focused. Keep your faith, and hope will come naturally.
- Avoid Failure at all costs
At all costs! That’s pretty tough, isn’t it? Yes, it is. But if you understand what success is and what the consequences of failure are, you will soon realize that avoiding failure is the only way to go.
Stated another way, play to win! Life is tough; there is no question about it. But I don’t believe it’s too tough for us to succeed in. If that were the case, we would be basically saying that God created us and placed us on this earth to fail because success was not possible! That obviously doesn’t hold water.
A word of caution is needed here. Success in individual areas (i.e. spiritual, family) should not be sacrificed to avoid failure in other areas. When I say to avoid failure at all costs, I am speaking of failing at life, failing at the success you desire for yourself to include these things. We have already discussed their importance. You must realize you cannot succeed without them, to sacrifice them would not be avoiding failure.
Having always been taught I now teach my children: when you play a game, you play to win. Does this mean you should cheat, hurt others or violate sound biblical principles to do so? Absolutely not! What it does mean is that you should be focused on your goal, be prepared and persevere until the end regardless of the outcome. Keeping your eyes on the goal means focusing on your God and your family while you are pursuing your goals. Being prepared means you should look at all of your obstacles and be prepared for all that may come your way. And persevering— well, it means just that—never, ever quit.
About the author
Dr. Dallas Humble is a healthcare provider, business owner, professional consultant, author and founder of The Reshape Institute. Dr. Humble consults with individuals and organizations across the country to improve productivity, identify & mitigate injuries and promote wellness. For more information visit www.dallashumble.com.
