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How To Avoid Sabotaging Your Success

  • Since we are at the end of the month I thought that today would be a good time to write a post that was originally inspired by a TV commercial. Don’t worry, there is nothing for sale here, the concept the ad firm used illustrates a very important concept that I’d like to share with you.

    But first let me describe the commercial so you have some background.

    The first image on the screen shows a pro-surfer riding on the the famous big waves that looks at least 30 foot high if not more. He is doing a superb job and surely the male audience to which this is geared can identify that we would love to be able to do this. The caption reads: “Step 1,042″ and then it fades to the next image.

    We are brought back to a different reality and see an acountant type thirty something male sitting over a bowl of healthy cereal at his kitchen table. The caption this time reads: “Step 1″

    The commercial goes on for a few more seconds, but this is the gist of it.

    I believe that the mjority of us that have a desire to accomplish anything in life have made this mistake. It’s the faulty thinking that we can start at the end result and go from a TV dinner and McDonald’s diet to being a Hawaii pro surfer and impress the ladies with our washboard abs instantly. Not so fast I say…

    Virtually nothing that we set our mind to and wish to accomplish is out of reach, and that is the good news. However, the Internet and our society is also filled with the thinking that we can go from broke to billionaire overnight or from nobody to CEO in the same timeframe.

    Here’s what those ads and society does ommitt: The period of cultivating the seed of your desire.

    Have you heard the commercial that says: ” Make $50,000 from home per month, no selling, training and capital required.” Sounds great, does it not? Or we read about figures like movie stars and celebrities that seem to come out of nowhere and all of a sudden get paid 25 million dollars to do a signle movie and end up on the A-List of Hollywood.

    But let’s look at what really happens in thes cases: The actor that gets the gig to be the next James Bond may be virtually unknown to pop culture, but did we acknowledge that he started with really small roles at the tender age of 5, then went to theatre school and did small scale plays before landing bigger gigs much later?

    What about people like Barak Obama? A celbrated speaker and gifted politician who was working in the shadows of Chicago fro a long time before his tipping point came and he delivered a keynote address that would change his life forever. He didn’t just walk out of Harvard and into the Democratic party and get nominated to be the next presidential candidate.

    We often forget the middle part that lies between forming our desire in the mind and the tipping point where the flood gates open and it is all there for us in total abundance. The length of that time period is individually different, but let me tell you that it is rarely an overnight thing.

    So when you feel like you are not going forward in your dreams, may they be of becoming a millionaire or otherwise, remember that every seed takes time to grow into a big tall tree. The mental attitude you take in that time frame should be one of considering it already done and acting as if. But don’t think even for a moment that it’s not moving forward just because the end result is not in fron of you yet.

    Enjoy the long weekend and I’ll see you in September with more exciting posts and a suprise for all my loyal readers.

    See you at the top…

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  1. #1 april
    September 2, 2008 pm31 8:47 pm

    I agree with you. When we are ready, success is a natural flow. But we have to enjoy every move, before and after our dream comes true. Thanks for the post!

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  2. #2 Thorsten
    September 3, 2008 pm31 5:26 pm

    @april: Yes, that’s right. No amount of talking can substitute for readiness of the higher self. The tipping point is a given, just the timing is up to us.

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  3. #3 The Fitness Diva
    September 3, 2008 pm31 10:35 pm

    I agree. Success is achieved in a series of steps. Nothing worthwhile is gained overnight.

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  4. #4 Chris
    September 4, 2008 pm31 1:40 am

    We are a culture that demands instant gratification just by merit. If you need something you can go buy it…now…even if it is midnight.

    Sometimes finding motivation to continue working hard is difficult, but one should never forget the end goal.

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  5. #5 Renee
    September 4, 2008 pm31 5:51 am

    I think this message is especially applicable when it comes to blogging. People start up a blog and expect it to be an overnight success. They think they will make thousands and only have to write a few times a week. Blogging takes work and as soon as people realize that many abandon their blogs. Whenever you start anything you need to decide from the very beginning that you are in it to win it.

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