Success Means Weathering The Storms
Author: Maria E. Andreu

In today's climate, many people are concerned that it's harder to succeed and move ahead. The stock market is in the tank. The job market it tough. People are holding on to their money, making retailing and any kind of selling just that much tougher.

So is it true that it is harder to move ahead and "make it" than it's been before? Perhaps. But I have always rejected the "wasn't it great in the olden times" mentality, and here's why you should too.

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant." -Horace. It was true in Horace's time, and it is true today. Who were the heroes on that doomed flight in Pennsylvania, but regular men and women going about mundane activities, making business trips, going to see relatives?

The challenges we face, of course, are much less dramatic than the life and death struggle of those amazing people. But we are no different than they are. What makes them amazing is their very ordinary-ness; a glimpse into their greatness is a glimpse into our own. If we can commit to living our lives every day in that spirit, to giving our all, be it in business, or our relationships, or the challenges we face, we can do nothing else but succeed.

We tend to put off making those truly big and sweeping moves, the "heroic" moves we could make which would make our lives and businesses much bolder and, possibly, more successful. Standing in the way of that success is fear, fear of failure, fear of rejection, of doing or saying the wrong thing. It's easier to stay the course than make a radical change. But without radical changes, none of the great accomplishments of our society would have come about. Who would have thought we could have won our independence from the British? They were much richer and better armed. Who could have thought that man could fly? A pretty ridiculous proposition. How could we ever fight bacterial infections with mold? (And, even before that, what are these invisible buggers that are making me sick - are you kidding?). Who could make one of the internet's largest retailers and biggest success stories (yes, even finally showing a profit!) by selling what? Books?

Before success, every endeavor is only possibility. After it's done, it seems so obvious. Oh, yes, of course the British were too rigid and not accustomed to the land, of course man could make machines fly with the right aerodynamics and propulsion, of course Amazon was just waiting to happen. But in the moment of inception, it is nothing but a hope and a plan, like so many you've had and discarded.

Let's look at some of the common self-limiting "excuses" my clients often give me for not taking action on their dreams. Let me know if any of these sound familiar.

1. I have no time.
Ah! A perennial favorite! No time. Usually, the first think I ask people is, if I had a million dollars over here, waiting for you, would you find the time to pick it up? Of course, they'd drop everything and come running, even if they're across the country! Often the time excuse masks a motivation problem. It's not that you don't have time, it's that you don't want to make the effort to carve out the time (using the usual time-management techniques, cutting out television, getting up a half hour earlier, etc., etc.). Perhaps you haven't made the value of what you're putting off sufficiently clear or compelling to yourself. What is it costing you NOT to pursue this dream, this business idea, this change you want to make? In money? In satisfaction? In comfort? By spelling it out to yourself, you may find the time to work through it.

2. I'm too old.
Tell me, how long do you anticipate this goal of yours will take to achieve? Realistically? Say it's a biggie, and will probably take 5 years. Good. Okay, now, how old will you be in 5 years? Do the math. Okay. Now, if you don't go after this goal, how old will you be in 5 years? Yes, it's a trick question. Of course you'll be the same age either way. Would you rather be that age having achieved this goal, or would you rather be still dreaming about it, kicking yourself for not having gotten started sooner?

3. I have no money.
A doozy. No, you probably don't have enough money. No argument from me here. Do it anyway. You'll never have enough money. Conditions, be they the financial conditions, relationships, your health, etc., will probably never be perfectly aligned for you to embark on the journey of fulfilling your dreams. Start right now. Start smaller than you'd have liked to. Borrow. Be creative about developing joint ventures. True leadership derives from seeing the possibilities past the problems.

So, the action plan:

1. Write up the goals you want to achieve. Whittle it down to three really meaningful and important ones.

2. Write up 10 reasons why you absolutely will never achieve them (yes, I'm serious).

3. Now hush up that critic who wrote those awful things in response to Question 2 and write all the reasons why they're not true, why and how you can do exactly what you want to do.

4. Do them! If I sound flip, I assure you I'm not. Getting started is really half the battle. Do something that gets you on the road. Make a phone call. Write a letter. Whatever the first step is, do it right now. Inertia is tough to overcome, be you at rest or in motion. Choose to be in motion.

I'll leave you with words far more eloquent than any I could ever cobble together. They speak to the expansiveness of possibility in the human spirit, the spirit inside you. Take full possession of that spirit, and go after your dreams with the abandon of a happy, unencumbered child.

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value."

-Thomas Paine








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Maria E. Andreu is a Life and Success Coach, author of various articles and is currently completing her book, The Heroic You. She writes, speaks and offers personal coaching. Subscribe to her free online newsletter at http://www.MariaEAndreu.com or e-mail her at maria@MariaEAndreu.com "Empowering you to Experience the Extraordinary every day."

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