I'll admit, as I'm writing this, I haven't yet set out a clear plan for 2016.
It's
on my agenda for this weekend. I have one in my head and I had one down
on paper. The one that I had down on paper, though, was not a plan to
move forward. It was a plan to maintain.
Here are six reasons you won't move forward in 2016:
1. You fear success.
You didn't know there was such a thing?
It
does sound strange that someone would be afraid of the very thing
they're working toward. Sometimes it is a fear that our success will
overwhelm us with more responsibility than we can handle or that it will
get out of hand and become a monster. Sometimes it's because we're a
control freak and have to micromanage every aspect of our lives,
including our own success because we're worried what the outcome will be
like.
A fear of success is literally putting a lid on our success
and allowing ourselves to only go so far before it stagnates ... and
eventually self-destructs.
Sometimes the fear of success is rooted in this next fear:
2. You fear failure.
I think most of us can relate to this fear.
Most
of us have dealt with this at some point in our lives when we were
given a task we weren't completely certain we'd succeed at. The fear of
not being good enough, that people will reject us or what we have to
offer and the unwise practice of comparing ourselves are sometimes
enough to prevent us from even wanting to try.
Our own perfectionism takes over and holds us hostage as we battle the negative thoughts that say, "But what if you fail?"
And so what if you do?
Being
a failure at something puts you in very good company: Winston
Churchill, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Sir Isaac Newton, and Albert
Einstein are just a few men who failed ... before they succeeded.
Perhaps instead of viewing our failures as failures, we should look at them as opportunities to try again.
3. You lack of motivation.
A fear of failure can be a huge demotivating factor in our ability to move forward; and most often, it's rooted in our own mind.
Instead
of seizing an opportunity that's before us, we choose to wait for the
right moment. We decide we don't have the time or resources needed to
take that next step.
But these are just excuses.
The right
moment will never be right enough; sometimes you just have to take a
step of faith and trust God's plan for your insanely impossible dream!
Having time and resources are most often the result of good
management and organizational skills. If this isn't your strong suite,
hire someone or offer to exchange services to receive the help you need
to find the time and resources you need to take the next step.
4. You lack of organization.
There is nothing like disorganization to prevent you from moving forward.
Whether
it is an inability to keep your clients' records straight or wasted
time trying to find a document or file, disorganization is a massive lid
on your success that will keep you bound to mediocrity.
Disorganization can also be in your plans.
Do
you know where you're going? Do you know the steps you need to take to
get there? Do you have a vision and mission for your insanely impossible
dream?
5. You lack of direction.
Sometimes our disorganization is the result of a lack of direction.
Do
you have a clear vision and mission statement for your venture? Do you
have clear goals for this month, the next three months, six months and
for all of 2016?
Do you have long-term goals for where you want to be?
If the answer is no to any or all of these, you'll not move forward.
Trying
to succeed without direction is like trying to drive from New York to
Disneyland without a map. We all know you can't just jump in your car
and drive and hope you'll get there somehow.
6. You lack inspiration.
Sometimes
we just lack inspiration. We aren't afraid of our success or failure,
we are organized, motivated and have a clear vision for where we're
going and how to get there ... but the inspiration isn't there.
Written by Rosilind Jukic
Rosilind Jukic,
a Pacific Northwest native, is a
missionary living in Croatia and married to her Bosnian hero. Together
they live with their two active boys where she enjoys fruity candles,
good coffee and a hot cup of herbal tea on a blustery fall evening. Her
passion for writing led her to author her best-selling book The Missional Handbook.
