What you want and what you need are not always the same.
Sometimes, you must be willing to delay the short-term gratification for the long-term greatness.
I have to admit that shoes are my weakness and I have a habit of celebrating the small wins by buying a new pair of shoes … so you can imagine what my walk-in wardrobe looks like, right? But … if my long-term goal is to save money so that I can go overseas for a month, do you think it’s wise for me to buy new shoes today? No.
We often find ourselves spinning around trying to pursue many different directions at once, but not making any progress. We want it all and we want it now! And the problem is this, we think in short term thinking … if we don’t do all the things that have to be done today on your to do list – we think it means it won’t get done, and how effective is that mindset really? I mean how is it working out for you?
The solution is to think long-term.
You can’t take a donkey to water …
There is an old fable of a donkey that was crossing the dessert for several days and nights without food or water and then all of a sudden, the donkey finds itself standing in the middle of a pile of food and a pond of water. He’s torn between which one to have first … short-term thinking. Riddled with internal conflict like this inner chatter of – if I don’t eat now I could die but if I don’t have water now I could die.
Unable to make a decision, the donkey was stuck in the middle of the two and eventually he fell to the ground dying of hunger and thirst. You see the donkey didn’t think of the future and it was very clear that the donkey couldn’t do both things at the one time, therefore not being able to make a short-term decision and died.
The moral of the story is that donkeys don’t think long-term … instead the donkey was paralysed with making a decision, weighing the options, both looking equally appealing but not able to make a decision, which unfortunately had an unfavourable outcome. Hence … don’t be a donkey! However, if you think long-term, for example … I want to live a healthy, happier life – then your driver is more powerful to make a decision in the present moment, quickly and act on it to reach your long-term vision.
You can do anything and everything you want to do, you just need foresight, passion and belief that you are already living and breathing your outcome. Act as if you have it now and then … how do you react or respond to a situation?
Focus on one direction at a time …
If you keep your mind, energy and consciousness in one direction for a certain period of time and remain fully focused on that one thing at a time, without feeling resistance, conflicted or distracted, then your success is guaranteed because you will be moving forward. We know obstacles are inevitable and if you are prepared to meet with your obstacles and have a plan on how you are going to respond or react, then that obstacle will show you a way forward.
We all have a tendency to be guilty of this. When we think that things are urgent and that they have to be completed now (!!) we make a start – we begin by being pumped and super focused… and then, all of a sudden get distracted by an email or a phone call, and that takes attention away from the very thing that is urgent.
No wonder we get overwhelmed with unnecessary tasks that bring no value.
Focus on one thing at a time …
This quote from Rania really resonates with focusing on one thing at a time – if you chase two birds at the same time, you will miss them both. Focus on one bird and you will reach your goal. Step-by-step, working towards one thing is much better than doing nothing.
Don’t be so short-sighted… If it doesn’t happen right now, you’re not going to be happy. Remember that you are sowing the seeds that will reap a great harvest for generations to come. Think long term and use the future to make your decisions today, not today to make your decisions because of what you desire this very moment without taking into consideration the consequences or the impact it would have on your future, will definitely have an impact on your success.
Don’t be afraid of making decisions …
Making decisions can be hard, especially if you have to make a decision or a choice between where you should be and where you want to be. But play out the scenarios. As much as logic and practicalities are important, feel your way through – what feels aligned with the outcome that you want to achieve.
Unsuccessful individuals make decisions based on their current situation where successful individuals makes decisions based on where they want to be. And this is important to remember because where your focus goes, your energy goes. So, make sure you end up where you want to be.
