You started out enthused...and now you wonder why you wanted a business in the first place. Or you entered graduate school and now the program seems boring and the classes run together in your mind. Or you began writing a book and you’re bogged down halfway through. Who wants to be a writer (or an artist or entrepreneur) anyway?
1. Why did you embark on this goal in the first place?
Are your reasons still valid? You’ve changed. The world has changed. So maybe now you’re looking for a different path.
I recommend extreme caution before abandoning a goal. But I also encourage clients to invest energy in exploring new possibilities.
Or maybe you got sidetracked. Your original business model called for working three days a week, but you’ve hooked up with a program based on “eighty hour weeks for the rest of your life.”
Good grief. Time to return to the drawing board and design a plan that works for you.
2. Are you following your own dream?
Many of my clients admit they’re following someone else’s dream. Sometimes they’re following a parent’s wish. Sometimes they’re doing “what everybody expects me to do.” And some business owners actually realize they’re implementing their mentor’s ideal business model – not their own.
3. Are you dragging yourself through a step-by-step plan that seems to go on forever?
Return to the idea inspired action: whatever moves you toward your goal, without useless detours, usually with a feeling of ease. In her best-selling book, Excuse Me: Your Life is Waiting, Lynn Grabhorn warns against “heigh-ho silvering,” action that makes you feel busy but gets you nowhere. See
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/amazonbks.html#grabhorn
Maybe you’ve inadvertently chosen the rocky path to climb your own personal mountain. Read a map or hire a guide: you may find a smoother path or even (my favorite) charter a helicopter for the rest of the trip.
More on inspiration:
Your 21-Day Time Management Makeover
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/timebook.html
Robert Middleton’s new program emphasizes the power of intention for businesses – an unusual follow-up to his web tools guide and infoguru manual.
http://tinyurl.com/3sv83
If you liked this article, you’ll love collaborating with Cathy on the First Inning of Your Second Career whether your goal is to survive office politics, take your career in a new direction or consider a Big Break: self-employment, sabbaticals or school.
Discover the 5 reasons most career change fails (and how you can write your own success story).
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.html
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