4. Anticipate it
Obstacles will pop up on your way to reaching your goal. Taking the time in advance to consider what those obstacles might be and how you might address them will allow you to seek solutions when you are calm and have more presence of mind.
5. Admit it
Often part of the reason we fail is because we attempt to reach our goals in our own strength. Goals by their very nature are a stretch, or you would have already reached them. You need God’s guidance along the way. Actively include Him in the process and ask for His help. Admit that you lack what is needed to accomplish the task.
6. Answer to
A balance pole improves your ability to maintain your balance when tight rope walking. In the same way, having people in place to keep you accountable to staying on track with your goals can help you stay the course. Enlist the help of one or two trusted individuals to regularly check in to see how you are progressing.
7. Advisers
If a safety net had been in place in the opening tight rope story, falling would have been substantially less dangerous. Both the distance and the impact of the fall would have been minimized. Correspondingly, a trusted and more experienced adviser serves as a safety net for you as you take steps toward your goal. Advisers might be an expert in the area you are pursuing or someone with skills in an area you are weak. Working with a coach can enable you to expand your perspective, uncover destructive mindsets and patterns, help you flesh out your vision, create a strategy, and help you navigate the process. The support and accountability provided by a coach can be invaluable!
Back in the day, my view of failure was much more entangled with my identity and worth. Today, my identity and worth are firmly rooted in Jesus, and failure is my teacher. Failure is just a part of the process. Now I understand why my intense aversion to failure was met with chuckles. Failure is really my friend.
How about you? How do you view failure? What goals has the fear of failure kept you from reaching?
