The TRUTH On How You Can Keep Going While Others Quit

The tension at the table in the restaurant felt like a smothering blanket. My former business associate looked at me with barely contained anger. Things had not gone well. We had learned the hard way that we were not a match for working on a project together. The resulting impasse had cost months of paperwork.

I reached over for a napkin and my suit sleeve caught on my water glass. Then it was like time stopped for a moment. My water glass balanced on its edge, then SPLASH—water spilled all over the table.

Amazing! That was just the thing to dispel the tension. And the matter between us was ultimately resolved. It began with a suit sleeve and a glass of water.

When you’re working on projects that are long term and mean so much to you, you’re likely to meet with resistance. The Big Goals often include big obstacles and we need strategies to help us carry on.

A certain few people will make this year a great year for themselves. Many others will quit. But not you—when you apply the following strategies embodied in the N.E.W. process:

N – nurture Levels of Goals
E – energize through new ideas/skills
W – work the Worst First cure to procrastination

1. Nurture Levels of Goals

Whether you keep going or quit depends on your skills to use your emotion to energize your continued progress.

By this I mean, your emotion, properly channeled, can help you endure and ultimately fulfill your Big Goal.

A lot of people quit when their positive feeling (like “Oh! I look forward to being 40 pounds lighter”) fizzles out.

To really be sure to keep going, it helps to have multiple Levels of Goals.

I’m talking about not just relying on “positive motivation.” Instead, use whatever works!

The solution is to use 3 Emotional Focus-Points:

3 Emotional Focus-Points:

• Golden Pull Goals
• Dark Boot Goals
• Green Tranquility Goals

Let’s tackle the Golden Pull Goal (positive goal) of getting more sales. Sure, that’s a positive thing. You might even make a plan to give yourself a personal reward when you accomplish more sales.

However, many of us realize that what really pushes us forward is a Dark Boot Goal. It’s like a boot that kicks us in the rear end. In this situation, a Dark Boot Goal would be “avoid having to tell my wife that our vacation is cancelled because I failed to sell enough widgets.” You work hard to make sure what you fear does NOT happen.

Along this line, here’s another powerful Dark Boot Goal: “avoid tax penalties by turning in my tax return on time!”

Finally, after achieving many goals, I realized that I need goals that would sustain my well-being. I call these goals Green Tranquility Goals. I recall hearing about a building that was built to be “green” and “self-sustaining.”

We, human beings, need to be self-sustaining, too. For example, I take a walk with my sweetheart every day, and that is one of my Green Tranquility Goals. It helps me feel calm and peaceful.

So when you set a goal, be sure to set up a related Golden Pull Goal, Dark Boot Goal and Green Tranquility Goal.

2. Energize through new ideas/skills

You cannot solve a problem on the same level in which it was created. – Albert Einstein

When I was in my 20’s I needed to raise funds to produce a feature film. I had no idea how to do it. And for months I really suffered because I had a dream but also had big fears and no new skills. So what did I do? I gained a number of mentors and also began reading a lot. Now, I tend to read 81 books a year.

My focus is on getting new ideas and new skills each year because I do not know what new opportunities may arise.

More than that, as an Executive Coach, I’m constantly studying new trends and methods so my clients can Move Forward Fast.

With my clients and graduate students, I emphasize this idea: “You need preparation so that you’re strong to face the unknowns.”

To really make sure you have the time management skills and ways to overcome procrastination, please consider my book: Nothing Can Stop You This Year!: How to Unleash Your Hidden Power to Persuade Well, Get More Done, Gain Sudden Profits, Command Intuition and Feel Great! (See a Free Chapter when you CLICK HERE).

3. Work the “Worst First cure” to procrastination

For many of us, procrastination is a habit. It’s almost like a default setting. We feel that something may be unpleasant to do so we go on “automatic” and put it off.

Here’s a better habit—an empowering habit: “Worst First.” By this I mean do the Worst Task first. Here’s an important observation: The task you dread the most is the most important one for your career.

If you’re dreading updating your resume, it’s probably the most important thing for you to do. [Learn more in Power Time Management: More Time, Less Stress, and Zero Procrastination (Your Breakthrough for More Success, Happiness and Time Off) [See a Free Chapter when you CLICK HERE]

As an Executive Coach, I see that some of my clients dread marketing and, of course, many of them would do the best thing for their business by getting help to do better marketing. This blog is YourBodySoulandProsperity.com — and I know that we can eliminate blocks to the flow of more prosperity in our life. Now, see my 1.7 minute video that pulls back the curtain so you see how directing a feature film that went to the Cannes Film market and training Stanford University MBA students all add up for how I help people rise to higher levels of Real Success:

Personally, I dread doing paperwork. How do I handle it? I work on it first thing in the morning. 30 minutes a day adds up when you do the Worst First task consistently.

Observe yourself. When do you have energy? When you wake up? Or later in the day? Or are you a night owl?

One of my clients writes from 5 pm – 6 pm because he has a “second wind” at that time.

Use your best energy to apply to your Worst First task.

One college professor cleared his apartment of clutter by using the first 15 minutes of each day to clear clutter and straighten up. Soon his living quarters were in great shape.

Now it’s your turn.

What do you want to improve for this year?

Identify your Worst First task and get going.

Make this year an outstanding year for yourself. Apply the N.E.W. process:

N – nurture Levels of Goals
E – energize through new ideas/skills
W – work the “Worst First cure” to procrastination

You deserve to live the life of your dreams.

It begins today.

Warmly,

Tom