Identify Opportunities From Obstacles

03/27/24 • 13 min

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Daily Boost Motivation and Coaching

Identify Opportunities From Obstacles

When you boil it down, all the activities that keep you busy every day lead to one destination—happiness.

It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that none of us are chasing misery.

But what happens when you have too many options and keep choosing those that throw you off course?

My dog, Levi, and I have had a standing appointment with Mindy for years. She's a dog agility world champion and knows a thing or two about training champions. She's also very good at teaching us to negotiate a field of obstacles successfully while running as fast as we can.

When we begin to run a course, we aim to complete it as fast as possible with no mistakes. Follow the numbers from lowest to highest correctly, and everything will end well.

But life gets in the way, even in dog agility.

Mindy is an expert at setting traps designed to distract and pull us off course. Since a dog can't read numbers, I must discriminate between the correct and the false path. The wrong choice will cause us to go off course and not reach our goal.

If you live an active, growth-oriented life, you will encounter distractions. Many are placed in front of you by well-meaning people. They look like opportunities. In reality, they are obstacles that will cause you to veer off course—potentially for years.

You will go off course if you take a job that is not aligned with your goals.

If you negotiate a deal on a new home that leaves you underwater, you are off course from the start.

If you enter into a relationship that doesn't match your values, you will have no numbers to follow.

Setting well-defined goals is the first step in knowing the difference between opportunities and obstacles. It is a skill that will serve you well.

Everybody heads down the wrong path from time to time. It takes time to recover. The fewer times you do that, the faster you reach your goals.

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Identify Opportunities From Obstacles

When you boil it down, all the activities that keep you busy every day lead to one destination—happiness.

It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that none of us are chasing misery.

But what happens when you have too many options and keep choosing those that throw you off course?

When we begin to run a course, we aim to complete it as fast as possible with no mistakes. Follow the numbers from lowest to highest correctly, and everything will end well.

But life gets in the way, even in dog agility.

You will go off course if you take a job that is not aligned with your goals.

If you negotiate a deal on a new home that leaves you underwater, you are off course from the start.

If you enter into a relationship that doesn't match your values, you will have no numbers to follow.

Setting well-defined goals is the first step in knowing the difference between opportunities and obstacles. It is a skill that will serve you well.

Everybody heads down the wrong path from time to time. It takes time to recover. The fewer times you do that, the faster you reach your goals.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

Life Changes When You Are Most Tired

Life Changes When You Are Most Tired

Many have said, "Life is a marathon, not a sprint."

But what happens when you find yourself doing both at the same time?

If you've been living on this planet for any length of time, you've figured out life is a long game made of day-to-day sprints.

If you want a big bank balance, you make small deposits over time.

If you want to lose weight, you make small reductions over time.

If you want to get a promotion at your job, you do well every day.

The challenge happens when you have yet to define the marathon you are running. A lack of a specific goal can only lead to daily activity that may or may not get you to your destination. If that happens to you, you may feel worn out, frustrated, and wondering when things will turn around.

There's good news. That kind of thinking means that you are on the right track to success.

Certain stamina is required to reach any goal, and society today celebrates one's ability to put in the hard work no matter what.

There's only one problem.

If it's not working for you, it's not sustainable behavior. Sooner or later, you will decide to make a change - usually abruptly.

Here's the truth: you will change when you wear yourself out.

Reluctant, fearful, or hard-headed, you will put up with a less-than-satisfying life path for so long.

When you've had enough, even if the timing is not perfect, you will change when you wear yourself out.

You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it.

So, what's the fix?

The marathon we call life will continue until it doesn't, and there are three things you can do to make it better.

The first is to define your destination with clarity.

Next, match your daily activity with your goals.

Finally, accept that if things don't go your way, you're going to change directions anyway.

You will change when you wear yourself out.

Just skip the bad stuff, adjust, and get to the good stuff right now. There's no need to wait.

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Next Episode

Calculating Your Success

Calculating Your Success

You have big dreams, and you've set your goals. Filled with excitement and setting your fears aside, you are off and running toward your success, but it's more complicated than you thought it would be.

What's going on?

That was the question on my client's mind when I stopped by for a visit. His new business was growing but slower than expected, and he was beginning to wonder if his dreams would come true. Stress was high, and time and money were running out.

Having seen these situations before, I decided to walk him through three questions that, while they would have been better answered before starting the business, there was still time.

My first question was, "How long will it take you to learn the skills required to succeed? Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, anything and everything needed to run a successful business. Everything takes time, and you need to be able to survive the learning time.

Next, I wanted to know how long he would churn and work at the goal. Was he committed for as long as it takes, or was there a set deadline? Building momentum in anything can be exhausting. How long can you keep going?

I saved the most important question for last.

How long will it take until you burn through your resources? Cash, credit lines, free rent on your building, favors from friends and family? Knowing the answer to that question can be humbling and scary, but it can also set you free.

After several hours of our learn, churn, and burn conversation, he could pinpoint exactly how long they had to reach their goal. With a definite timeline, the entire team focused their energy on the minimal viable actions that would achieve success and fit their schedule. Within months, they reached their goal and have enjoyed a successful business.

Whether you own a business or not, any worthwhile project has a far better chance of success when you are realistic about the process before you get started.

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