There are Many ways of Going Forward, but Only One Way of Standing ...

‘There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.’- Franklin D. Roosevelt

I came across this quote last night when working on a project for a client and loved it so much that I decided to do a post on it and make it the title of it. This one quote really got me thinking about the many excuses we make for not doing something and the scores of reasons we give as to why something won't be possible. All of us have some goals we would like to fulfill. Be it losing a few extra pounds, saving more money, looking after your health, quitting a bad habit, improving your productivity, trying to increase your income, starting your own business or anything else- we have goals we wish to achieve. But do we always end up fulfilling them? Do we achieve everything we aspire to have? Do we always turn our dreams into reality? Sadly, the answer is a NO.

Dreaming is often easier than following through with a goal and achieving it because when you have to fulfill your goal, you need to give it your all and work hard for it. However, that is what we fall short of doing. We think that there is only way to achieve our goal and if we don't experience much luck with it, we quit the pursuit of our goal altogether. If you find it difficult to exercise to lose weight, it is likely you will stop pursuing the goal altogether instead of changing the route you are taking to fulfill it. If you wish to have your own startup but lack funds for it, you may quit that goal altogether instead of planning to raise funds for it. The problem is that we forget that there isn't one, but there are MANY ways to go about a certain thing and there is a lot you can do to fulfill your goal, but that happens only if you want to do it.

When we tell ourselves that a certain goal isn't achievable or now isn't the right time to work on it, we are actually giving ourselves excuses to not work on it. You see, there is always a way to do things like it is stated in the quote above. It is only standing still that is done just the same way- you decide not to do anything and just stay still. Soon, you become so stagnant that it feels weird to even think about moving an inch further. That is what standing still does to you- it jams your mind and it clogs your thought process.

If you really want to do something and that 'something' is difficult and complex, do not get scared by the severity of its nature and do not let that put you down. Instead, think of what you can do to achieve that goal. I gave myself a gazillion excuses on how I cannot take care of my skin and let it get into a really bad shape. However, a few days back I realized that only doing a few things for 5 minutes a day consistently can help me take better care of my skin. I often spend hours thinking of things so if I just take out 5 minutes from that time, I can improve my skin's condition. You see, we always have time to do things and there are scores of ways to go about a goal, you just need to prioritize it and make it really important to you.

If there is something you really want to do, but are somehow putting it on the side and not following through with it, here are a few easy and effective tips for you:

Firstly, really figure out the reason why you want to pursue a goal so you know why you cannot live without it and why you must, must achieve it.

Secondly, make your goal less overwhelming by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable milestones. If you want to start your own business and that too a successful one, make a business plan first, research on the idea, raise and gather funds for it, make a prototype if you plan to create a product and so on. When you chop a big goal into smaller pieces, you have many in front of you the many steps you need to take to climb the ladder and reach your goal and this makes it easier for you to achieve your goal.
Thirdly, come up with 3 plans to go about it and opt for the one that seems clearer and more logical to you at the moment. Work on it for a few months and if it yields the desired results, stick to it. If not, change the course and move to plan B. I tried like 10 different work out plans before landing on the one that is working for me right now. Also, I took into account that my body changed a lot after pregnancy so the exercises that I did before becoming pregnant were tougher for me now so I found some even easier ones. You must take into account your body, your current situation and your willpower to do things before coming up with a plan. We change all the time and the different experiences we go through bring about different changes in ourselves and we must take into account those changes to come up with an effective plan.

-Once you have a somewhat clear plan on how to do something, don't just keep sitting and take action.

Doing all of the above isn't easy, but it isn't impossible either. I know you can do whatever you can because you are amazing. Trust that and follow your goals. And don't forget to share your thoughts on the article please- that really does cheer me up. :)

Love and light,

Sharoon.

I am running a writing contest with 5SBD up for grabs for the winner so if any of you would like to participate in it, click on the following link:

Shary's Writing Prompt Contest #2

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