How often do “nevers” take residence in your mind?
Doubts such as, “I could never win this race,” “I will never be able to afford going to college,” or
“I am never going to become a champion,” can stop you in your tracks.
You have tremendous power, skills, and abilities to achieve amazing things in your life but your “nevers” erect seemingly impossible roadblocks.
Let me ask you a question, if you were 99% sure you could accomplish your goal, would you go for it? Would you put in the effort, time, and mental energy to take the final steps to achieve your objective? Or would you allow 1% of doubt to creep in and overtake your 99% level of sureness?
Most likely, if you had a confidence level of 99%, you would go for it. After all, your goal is within reach. It’s right there in front of you. You can see it, smell it, feel it. One more step forward and its yours.
What if you were 89% sure you could accomplish your goal, would you still go for it?
How about 75%?
Let’s keep going, if you were 65% sure you could accomplish your goal, would you be all in?
49%?
Where is your cutoff point? At what place will your effort, focus and energy fall off?
At what point would your “never” win out and your ultimate conclusion be, “I will never be able to accomplish this goal”?
Contemplating these questions will provide insight into your thought process about goals, obstacles, and achievement.
Our “never” can be a powerful force but so can our grit and determination.
To be honest, there have been times when my never has mugged me, knocked me down hard, left me with agonizing pain. My “never” has caused me to doubt my ability, my strength and even myself.
Challenging your “never” gives you hope. Challenging your “never” helps you get up, even if it takes some time. Challenging your “never” can break the stronghold of doubt and allow belief to flow forth. Challenging your “never” can turn doubt into resolve.
Let me go one final step, if you were 1% sure you could accomplish your goal, would you go for it? Would you say, “I have no idea whether I could accomplish this but what the hell its worth finding out. Let me start and see where things go. After all, what’s there to lose?”
When you work towards an objective of personal significance, even without total confidence, your never starts losing its grip. With focused, steadfast effort, one percent of sureness can grow to 5%, then 20%. If you doggedly and determinedly keep pushing forward, meet challenges head on, and plow through obstacles, 20% can grow to 50%, 60%, 70%. If you drive forward with persistence and grit, maybe you can get to the point of, “My goal is within reach. It’s right there in front of me. I can see it, smell it, feel it. One more step forward and it’s mine.”
Challenging your “never” is an essential element of achievement. Your goal deserves your full focus. Your goal is worth the effort… And you are worthy of the reward.