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I read the BEST newsletter the other day. Now, all of those who know me, know I have very limited time to work on my hopes, dreams, and goals (and my beloved blogging)so if I am going to sit and read something, it better improve my noggin. There’s this great newsletter calledthedreamingcafe and Sandy had an awesome story this week about the “All Or Nothing Trap.”
“All or Nothing” means you won’t run the marathon cuz you don’t think you can win the race, so you sit on the couch and doing nothing. Gawd knows I have been guilty of that a time or two! (especially the “sit on the couch and do nothing” part).
We live in a society of “fast food” mentality. Everybody wants what they want in five minutes or less, or they’re pissed. We want to lose 20 pounds in a week even though it took us a year to gain it. So we pop diet pills and stop eating. We want to start a businesses, but leap with no net and not so much as one customer in our pocket. Then, the first month when nothing happens, we get mad and give up. “Wasn’t meant to be” we say and give up the dream.
I too have goals. But being the complete “non risk taker” person that I am. I move slow. RREEAALL slow. I am the tortoise in the Tortoise & The Hare fable. But that’s OK. Like in the fable, sometimes “slow and steady wins the race”. For me, it’s all about “steps”. Daily, I work on moving towards my goals in millimeters. I am OK with that because at least I’m moving forward. I know if I try to bite off too big of a chunk, I get overwhelmed. And frustrated. Then I am ineffective.
Some day I’d like to teach seminars and be a speaker. I love learning and would love to empower others to do the same. But I have one major hurdle…I am terrified of speaking in front of a group. So I joined a networking group of about 10 people. The first time I stood up to do my 30-second-commercial I was shaking so bad I could hardly speak. But I got over it. Then I joined a little bigger group. Now it’s getting easier and easier to stand in front of people. It’s all about baby steps sometimes. Who knows, in a year I you’ll see me teaching Community Ed or being a guest speaker somewhere. I’m slow, but I’ll get there!
good for you! and i know what you mean about steps…i need to take those! i’m a leaper!
This was truly enlightening…thanks for sharing it. I won’t give up.
It’s not just taking the baby steps…it’s not listening to other people when, after you have finished a baby step and you are so happy and proud, some dingleberry comes along and says, “Yeah, but you didn’t do….” Then you feel like, “Why bother?” (Can you tell I have too many negative people in my life?) My new strategy of the past few months has been to tell them where they can go (as politely as possible), or ask them why they feel the need to put me down, which usually sends them running and makes them think twice before doing it again. There’s my evil side for you.
Amen to baby steps. Just getting out there and doing it actually works, believe it or not!
Great post!
~Shaye
This is so true, what a great post! Thanks for stopping by today. My trip to MN was right past Ely, MN. I just love the area up there. It is so beautiful and peaceful. It was such a great vacation.
Kudos to you for facing one of the Greatest Fears on the Planet!
How true is the all or nothing mentality? But ya know, I was at the zoo the other week and those tortoises are pretty quick. 😉
Wow! Good for you!
My husband is an ‘all or nothing’ sort of guy, whereas I am more of a ‘do the best you can, it’s better than doing nothing’ type.
And YOU are taking amazing steps!