Design, Launch, Weather

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one - Mark Twain

I like to think that Mark Twain knew what he was talking about. He was a talented man with many side hustles. With his quote in mind, let us talk about the steps necessary to getting ahead.

Congratulations!!!

Mark says that the first step to getting ahead is to get started. You have started thinking about moving forward and that is why you continue to read this blog. Now what?

Design

First, you need to design your goal. What is going on in your mind? Which project is itching to get started? What is it that you want to do right now? Which activities do you dream about? Here is a quote by Sir Ken Robinson from his book, The Element that should get you started:

If left to my own devices- if I didn’t have to worry about making a living or what others thought of me -what am I most drawn to doing?

Sir Robinson advises that your answer will help you determine your element, a happy place where you tend to lose track of time. 
​
A lady I admire, Faith James, asks you to think about what gets you out of bed on a cold rainy Saturday morning.

​Warning! You may not be able to find your major element or passion that easily. Your aim at this point is to find a goal and explore it. Think about it!

Launch

Once you know your goal, you are well into your journey of getting started. Now, it is time to launch into action. Watch out though! You may be overwhelmed. Take a deep breath or perhaps a few deep breaths.

​Remember? The kind of breaths that help you relax.

It is time to bin your fears and launch your goal/project/dream/career.

​Researchers agree with Twain’s suggestion about the importance of designing achievable goals. Therefore, now is the time to break down that challenging goal into smaller achievable chunks. Signal your intentions by committing daily hour/hours of focus on these smaller chunks. 

Weather

Stop!

Check in!

How do you feel about these smaller tasks?
Do you look forward to accomplishing them?
Are they manageable?

Your responses to these questions are crucial. They will determine whether you will weather the grind and the failures that come before success.

What are you waiting for?

There’s no time like the present to get ahead.

​Design. Launch. Weather!!!