Goal Achievement: Developing a Long Term Mindset
November 16th, 2008 by John Wolfe
We’ve all heard the adage – “good things come to those who wait”. I believe that phrase to be true, but there are far more components involved in any accomplishment than just waiting around for the passage of time. However, there’s no denying time is a huge part of the equation. It takes time + emotions + thoughts + consistent, persistent action to = results. If we can develop the capacity to understand the concept of patience, through understanding time’s role in the natural progression and processes of all living things, we will have made great strides in short-circuiting the “I want it now” mentality. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting something to occur faster, it’s important we don’t make that our constant modus operandi.
So very often, in the natural progression of life, rapid manifestation doesn’t occur and for good reason. Just as a sapling doesn’t become a giant sequoia overnight and a ten year old child can’t become a thirty year old adult in a week; neither can our hopes and dreams become instantaneous reality in an unreasonable amount of time. If we constantly expect instant gratification, yet it ceases to come at the rate we demand, we will continue to feel disappointment and frustration; eventually removing all of the necessary components from the above equation. And when that happens, there also will be very little sitting on the right side of the equal sign.
Instead, we must learn to focus on progress and the long term development of that which we intend to accomplish; paying close attention to the subtle changes along the journey. Small, subtle changes indicate momentum and progress towards that which we desire. While the sapling doesn’t immediately become a towering tree, it does develop noticeably throughout each and every year of its life. These smaller, but observable, measurable changes, accruing over time, are what lead to its eventual colossal state.
Thinking in the short term is almost always a recipe for quitting. When we think in the short term and things don’t initially develop in the manner we had hoped, we’re much more likely to give up. When we give up, we settle. The short term mindset causes us to trade in our dreams for something that appears to be a “sure thing”, albeit a diminished version of our initial hopes, because it’s only supplying us with a fake form of quick gratification. It’s quick because it’s convenient and it’s gratifying (only at first) because it appears to come easily.
A person, thinking primarily with a short term mindset, assumes why should I apply X amount of time, physical, emotional and thought energy toward achieving my dreams, at a future date - when I can have a facsimile of what I originally wanted to achieve right now? After all, my dreams were probably unrealistic anyway, right? This is the way in which so many of us talk ourselves into accepting dead end jobs, living in locations where we don’t truly want to live, walking around uncomfortable with our bodies, spending time in unhealthy relationships, settling for less income than we deserve, living with large debt looming over our heads, etc.
It’s a snowball effect that continues to grow, while we opt for less and less and less. We’ve done it so frequently (sometimes since childhood) that we eventually convince ourselves it’s wrong to want more and to have more and/or we just don’t deserve it. The short term mindset, coupled with a lack of belief in one’s self, unfortunately, is what puts far too many people on the fast track to a miserable existence. By trading in their dreams, they sacrifice their passion and succumb to coping and existing, instead of living intentionally.
When I speak of wanting more or our ability to feel deserving of it, I’m not necessarily referring to material items. I’m actually referring to our state of joy and our quality of life. The material items are only there as a form of enhancement, once we have regained the power over how we feel and have chosen to consciously apply that power through our thoughts, emotions and actions. They are by no means a substitute for it.
In thinking from the long term, I believe, we quite naturally develop many of the following unstoppable characteristics of a spiritually/physically successful human being: living with passion, finding ways to follow our bliss, removing most forms of negativity from our lives, steadfast determination, staying true to ourselves, creating a niche where none previously existed, shifting the paradigm, overcoming fears, never giving up, embracing our power, thriving even in an economy that occasionally focuses on lack, realizing there are no true roadblocks keeping us from that which we desire – only momentary impediments, and wanting to uplift and give back to others in whatever form that may take.
Now, I know my above commentary may sound contradictory to one of my main themes at Wind of the Soul: “Each one of us is responsible for creating our reality.” And, if we choose to believe our goals and dreams will take large amounts of time to accomplish, then aren’t we setting ourselves up for that exact scenario to unfold?
I’m not saying we should assume our dreams will take many years to become a reality. In this post, I’m juxtaposing our dreams against the manner in which all living things naturally progress in our Universe and driving home the importance of never giving up. It’s through this juxtaposition that we can begin to understand why we need to think more from a long term mindset. Apply this mindset (i.e. the realization of time’s proper place in the equation) with the other components, and results will undoubtedly show.
One more thing pertaining to living in this manner, as it applies to achieving our hopes and aspirations: long term doesn’t mean we forsake the moment of now. It means we stay present in our current moment, doing all that we can towards accomplishing our goals, while realizing each moment will eventually stack on top of the next, until we find ourselves looking out atop that giant sequoia.
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