stopwatch-1-256328-mIt seems to me that, having spent some time visiting issues such as dealing with setbacks, facing the lonely road, and just plain hard work, we ought to investigate one of the most intrinsic elements of success: how to get the ball rolling. To that end I’m thankful to internationally acclaimed author R.J. Ellory for putting me in mind of Goethe’s words:

“The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

Frankly, we could conclude there, couldn’t we? Reading such profound advice expands the chest and sets the eyes glimmering with the sparkle of optimism.

Get stuck in, ask questions later. It sounds compelling but shouldn’t we examine the concept to see if it stands up in real life examples? Do the case studies reflect the notion of achievement-through-spontaneity?

R.J. Ellory besides, there is a collective that favours impulse over strategy. Maybe not leaping in feet first, eyes closed – but taking that jump: that’s what it comes down to.

Don’t confuse spontaneity with acting on a whim though. You have to want it, badly. And you have to believe in it. Jazz composer/singer William Price King offers:

“If this is what you really want to do, then focus on it, and don’t let anyone deter you from your goal.”

The world’s first – and only – double amputee to summit Mount Everest, Mark Inglis, concurs:

 “Make damn sure it is what you want then commit totally.”

So jump in, yes, and don’t spend too long planning because planning can turn into procrastination, but do make sure you want it. Wanting it, I think, surmounts one’s perceived inability to achieve it. I’ve heard so many successful people talk of the fatality of over-planning: spend too much time thinking about something and you’ll never get around to starting it. The details will scare you off.

And with detail comes fear of failure. You begin to over analyse and before you know it, you’re wondering how you can possibly succeed with so much stacked against you. Just doing it – putting aside your hesitation, is a sure fire way to overcome that fear. But there’s another trigger to help you get started: don’t worry about failing. Think about that. If you’re not scared to fail, why not just get on with taking the first step? It’s a philosophy that has led downhill skier Chemmy Alcott to four winter Olympic competitions.

“Failure is a necessary journey to success,” she explains. “Don’t be afraid to risk. And always, no matter what, follow your dreams. If you pursue your dreams, there is a chance you might fall short. If you don’t you are guaranteed to fail.”

Don’t be afraid to risk.

That’s the key to embarking on the road to success isn’t it? Accepting that you’re almost certainly going to stumble and fall – it’s that one certainty that comes with the territory. And as I keep discovering, the more you know of some challenge or hurdle – the better prepared you are for it – the less of an impact on you psychologically when it manifests itself. I’ve covered this in part 4. I know – dealing with setbacks is familiar ground now. But the point is, if we aniticipate those setbacks, assume they are just turnings we must take on the journey, we start not to dread them so much.

For me, a key factor is the notion that I’m in good company. When I attempt something and fail, the event is almost always compounded by a sense of loneliness. I can talk to my family of course, but really it’s hard to get across how it feels. Never mind the fact that I don’t want them to think of me as a miserable, moaning wretch.

But to know that almost all successful people have failed at one point or another – well that buttresses my resolve, fosters a sense of community.

And in any case, what good does over-thinking do us? I mean, you don’t know what you don’t know, right? So forget about the concerns that might be waiting round the corner and have faith in the knowledge that you’ll deal with them at the time. You don’t really start learning until you start doing anyway, as founder of HASfit Joshua Kozak says:

“There are going to be times when your current skill-set isn’t enough to get the job done, so that’s when it’s time to learn a new skill! I’ve taught myself website design, graphic design, video editing, SEO, and more because I didn’t have the money to hire a professional. In this day and age of information, you can teach yourself anything if you have the will to do so. Don’t make excuses, make progress.”

Kozak goes a step further though:

“Be prepared to go a little crazy (or a lot) because everyone who is completely sane will quit.”

To me that says it all: before you start out on the long and treacherous road to your dreams, you first have to surrender all the logic and reason that warns you off. You will find a thousand reasons against without even looking very hard, and only a handful of reasons for. What type of person lays aside logic, replacing it with spontaneous, even rash, action?

A successful one, it seems…

 

 

Image: courtesy of Daino 16 | everystockphoto