Reaching Your Goals

During a class session, the teacher asked us a question, “How are certain people able to overcome their negative surroundings and become successful?” This discussion came up in our Drug Education class while discussing ways to prevent drug use by young children. After the discussion, I began to think about the ways that I was able to stay away from drugs and the best way to portray that message to everyone. As it turns out, the best way to stay away from any negative factors in life would be by keeping yourself occupied with other factors that will bring a sense of purpose to your life. In order to stay occupied by these factors, you have to find out what you want to accomplish in life and work towards it. There should be a main (ultimate) goal that you would like to accomplish once your life is over; and then other (periodical) goals that will assist you in attaining the main goal. I have created a list which I believe you should try in order to better organize your goals and make sure that they all are attained. I personally will begin my path towards these goals by following this list RELIGIOUSLY. I welcome your feedback and any additions that you may have to optimize this list and make it even more successful. Just remember, there is no magic formula to becoming successful in life but there are certain steps that you can follow in order to get close to it. These steps include a positive attitude, belief in yourself, living in the present moment (not worrying about the future or past), and following your dreams and believing that anything is possible. Now, let us get to the list:

Find out what your Ultimate Goal is in life; or, find out what your purpose in life is.

As I spoke about in a previous post, you have to find out what your true purpose/ultimate goal in life is. Everyone has a little voice within them that gives them certain clues pertaining to the essence of their life. Most of the times we either ignore it, fear it, or pass it off as crap because we don’t fully believe in our ability to do what we were put on this Earth to do. It is safe to say that during these tough economic times many people are more worried about their financial constraints and do not take the time to look deep inside and find their true purpose. I understand that it is difficult but you seriously have to do this because you will never succeed in life living through your feelings. Once you find your true purpose/ultimate goal, you can work on setting the goals to get there.

Do your research.

Depending on your goal, you have to do a significant amount of research in order to make sure you accomplish it. Unfortunately, there are many individuals who will try there hardest to knock you down and ensure that you do not succeed. For example, if your ultimate goal in life is to open a successful bookstore, you have to do plenty of research (location, demographic, etc.) in order to get the store up and running. A city official might try to stop you from getting started, but will not succeed if you have all the research and information to defend you. Any type of research will ensure that you have a defense when you present your goal to higher authorities.

Use all available resources to attain your goal.

You have to understand one thing in life, “Everything happens for a reason.” Every person you meet, every piece of knowledge you gain, or every piece of property you earn has been given to you for you to use it. What I mean by this is that everything, person, or information you gain is placed in your path, by a higher source, in order for you to achieve your true purpose/main goal in life. You have to understand it and respect it. For example, if someone brings negativity in your life in order to slow you down, you have to understand that they were placed there for a reason and not get overly upset or angry with the person or situation. This will help you respect the situation and move on towards your main goal without steering off track. Once you understand this concept, you will use (not in a bad way) every person, thing, or information to your advantage in order to be successful in your purpose.

Don’t get ahead of yourself.

This will help you stay in the present moment. You have to understand that you cannot worry about the future outcome because there is no future. The future is the present moment; therefore there is no time but the present. Every step that you take is a step closer to your main goal. What this means is that every step is a goal within itself and if you do not pay attention to each step, you will never achieve your main goal. The best way to prevent this from happening is by creating periodic goals in order to stay focused on achieving the steps to get to the main goal.

Do not let anything hold you down.

There are many people who never find their true purpose in life because they give up too fast or they let other people pull them down. The reason that many individuals give up is because they do not believe in themselves. The best way to become successful in life is by believing in you. There is no other way to say this because there is no other individual that can make you understand this. Also, like I stated in a previous step, you have to ignore all of the negativity around you when other people are involved and are trying to make you give up. Finally, you have to understand that anything in this world is possible as long as you give your full effort and stay driven to achieve your purpose in life. Nothing can hold you away from it and any assumptions that you have should not get in your way. For example, you might be accustomed to the “fact” that you will never be a success in life because of some negative factors in your life (bad community, single parent house, etc.); if you believe that this is a “fact” then you will never succeed; but if you truly believe that anything is possible, then you will understand that you can succeed at anything in life. This will make you see life in a different perspective and ensure that you understand the true fact that nothing in life is set in stone.

Just remember that YOUR life was not molded into a particular shape or pattern that MUST be followed. You have the power to mold or shape your life in whatever way you see fit. Your goals can be reached by following these powerful steps and by knowing that you have the power to do it. It is as the Pharaoh once stated, “So shall it be written, so shall it be done;” the only difference is that YOU will write it and YOU will do it, no one else! Remember that and leave your comments and insight to the topic because WE motivate each other. Like always, I am always just a “Send Message” click away if you need me. Live life to its fullest, one day at a time!

The "Glass Ceiling" Challenge

“Stop looking at what you ain’t got and start being thankful for what you do got!” – Live Your Life by T.I.

Why do we envy people who are successful? There are many times where we look at the “fortunes” of other individuals and become frustrated at the fact that we do not have as much as other people. We live this life complaining about our misfortunes and our “bad luck” while also talking down on individuals that we encounter on an everyday basis. Read these questions and actually reflect and see when the last time that you asked or said such a thing was: A.) Look at the way (entertainer/actress/television personality) is dressed. Doesn’t he/she notice how ugly they look wearing that? B.) Why did he/she get that promotion instead of me? They were probably kissing up to the boss or talking bad about me to the higher-ups. I can’t stand him/her! C.) Nothing good ever happens to me! Why is it that all the good things always happen to the bad people?

Many people have thought these questions internally or different variations of it. They do not understand that these envious thoughts will never allow you to be successful in life. You will be angry at the world around you because you are never given what “you deserve.” I would personally like to issue a challenge to each and every person who has the opportunity to partake in it: Try to look at your life in a different perspective (for at least one day). Stop complaining about how bad your life or situation is at this moment. Stop worrying about the “fortunes” that every other person has and start caring about yourself. Throughout the day, look at yourself (every action, every word, every expression that you use) as if you were narrating your own story. Have something available to jot down how you react to everything that you come in contact with as soon as it happens; be it a traffic jam, the wind blowing in your face, someone else showing excitement or grief over a certain situation. At the end of the day, review your notes and analyze your responses (negative and positive) to each situation. This will help you realize that there are many situations, big or small, that you respond negatively to. Once you realize this, the only thing left to do is work on minimizing the negative responses and maximizing the positive responses.

I would hope that every one of you would try this, but I do understand that you have to be personally motivated to do so. The reason I am asking you to do this is because I can feel the pain and agony in most of your souls that cries out for success and happiness. I do believe that it can be the first step into receiving all of the “fortunes” that are available to you. I would also like to emphasize the fact that the “fortunes” I speak about are in quotations because I am not talking about billions of dollars, even though I know that most of you will be able to attain a grand amount of monetary wealth through positive motivation. “Fortune” for one person is not the same for another; some will feel satisfied and accomplished by a loving family, others by traveling throughout the world. I believe that you will achieve your “fortunes” (whatever it may mean to you) once you truly take the time out to find yourself and your purpose in life. Remember to leave your comments and insight on the ways that you were positively affected by the challenge. Your successful accomplishments will motivate everyone else to do the same. Like always, I am always just a “Send Message” click away if you need me. Live life to its fullest, one day at a time!