Is it true?
Is the start stopping you?
After all, you are hard-wired to act. To grow. To achieve. It’s in your DNA.
Think about it.
The moment the first breath of life filled your lungs, you sprang into action.
The first thing you did was set out to get something to eat. When you were fed, you were very satisfied.
But soon, you wanted more, and you started to pursue bigger goals and do bigger things. You started to sit up, to crawl, to walk and to talk. Think of the satisfaction, pride and joy that came with your first word or first step.
However, that satisfaction soon wore off and dissatisfaction set in again. You wanted to put words and steps together.
You kept wanting to accomplish more and do greater things. That’s natural.
And that natural desire to start something new—to be, do and have more—is supposed to continue throughout your lifetime.
However, sometimes your “wiring” gets short-circuited and you become complacent. You might think you should be satisfied with what you have or be so afraid of losing what you already have that you won’t take any chances. During those times, you lose the motivation and joy of growing.
Has something like this ever happened to you?
Here’s how a man I’ll call Cliff described a certain point in his life…
I had been at my job for five years and was completely stuck.
My boss had given me only one raise and, since there was only the two of us in the company, there was no position to move up to.
I’d had applied for several jobs, but nothing had panned out.
I wanted to quit my job bad, but I couldn’t. I had a wife at home and bills to pay.
My only option was to keep working 10 hours days even though I no longer liked what I was doing. I started to feel like I was going to die there.
I hated going to bed every night because I knew I had to go to work as soon as I woke up. Every morning, I had to drag myself out of bed.
I was spinning my wheels and, before long, everything started spiraling downwards.
I started getting sick all the time. My relationships suffered. And nothing seemed to matter.
That is until I had had enough. I decided to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I had no idea what it was; however, I knew what I didn’t want, so I started there.
Knowing what I didn’t want helped me narrow things down. Eventually, I figured some things out, and I decided to focus on just one thing.
Then, things started to turn around.
Creating a goal re-energized my life because I had something inspiring to work toward.
A few short months later, everything in my life changed.
I got a great job, my relationship with my wife improved dramatically, and I was healthier than I’d been in years. And one year later, I started my own business.
Have you heard this one?
I shared Cliff’s story with you because it’s like hundreds of stories I’ve heard before.
Now, you may not feel hopeless, or like you’re trapped in a dead-end job. However, you may feel something you really want is completely out of your reach—so you don’t even try to get it.
It reminds me of an interesting fable about Satan that I used to listen to all the time…
The story goes that Satan was having a sale of his wares. There on display, and offered for sale, were the rapier of jealousy, the dagger of fear, and the strangling noose of hatred, each with a high price.
But standing alone on a purple pedestal was a worn and battered wedge. The pedestal, which was the devil’s most prized possession, was not for sale because with it alone he could stay in business. It was the wedge of discouragement.
Why do you suppose the devil values so highly, and actually would not sell, the worn and battered wedge of discouragement? Makes you think, doesn’t it?
He prized discouragement because of its devitalizing, demoralizing effect. Hatred, fear, or jealousy may lead immature people to act unwisely, to fight, or to run. But at least they act.
Discouragement, on the other hand, hurts people more than any of these. It causes them to sit down, pity themselves, and, worst of all, do nothing.
Get back to the basics
When we’re discouraged, we stop doing what’s natural for us—what we started doing the moment we were born. We stop wanting to be, do and have more.
However, when we realize that discouragement is often a form of self-pity, we can begin to take stock of ourselves and our predicament and decide to act… to do something that will take us out of the unpleasant situation.
The answer to discouragement, then, is intelligent action. Get rid of discouragement and doubt before they get rid of you. The devil might not survive without his priceless wedge, but you can.
Get started today! Yes, there are risks and costs to action; however, they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction. And the rewards are usually greater than you’ve ever imagined.
To your success,
Bob Proctor
P.S. If you’re having trouble taking action on a change you’d like to make or a goal you’d love to achieve, download “6 Ways to Take Action When You Can’t Get Started” now.
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