As humans, we seem to be hard-wired for instant gratification.  We also often hope for a big downfall of money- winning the lottery, a bonus at work, an inheritance, selling that collectible item or heirloom for an insane amount of money (a la Antiques Roadshow), or selling our own program or services to a crowd of people just waiting to throw their funds at us.  We want lots of money, now.

While the reasons are usually many, we usually want money to be able to live without debt, and to live a lifestyle we’d like with more ease.  Most of us want to be paid to do what we love and to share our gifts with the world.  So what happens when “now” doesn’t come soon enough?

Whether we are talking about money or some other non-monetary goal you may have (losing weight, starting a family, or making new friends, for example), the key is one step at a time.  We often look at what other people have and think that we should be operating at the same level they are, rather than realizing how much work it took and how much time it took to get to that place.  The truth is, each of us has our own timeline for manifesting our goals, and all goals worth achieving take time.

There is not much in this life that is a sprint; most of it is a marathon.  Sometimes we may “hit the lottery” in the form of a promotion, new job, or selling something, but the vast majority of the time, we must take small, consistent steps over time to reap the rewards of our hard work.  We are not in control of exactly when we reap the harvest, but we are in control of what we plant, nurture, and grow.

What is a goal that you have where you have struggled to see the results you’d like?  Can you break things down to one day or one week at a time?  I’m currently a part of a business incubator for women entrepreneurs, and our mentor leading the group advocates working in 12 week “sprints” to achieve a bigger goal.  For example, one goal I have is to launch the revamped version of the cleanse.  I can then break it down to 12 weeks’ worth of tasks that I consistently complete in order to achieve my goal.  One week’s goal in my case may be to outline the new cleanse format and determine the content placement.  I have seven days to complete that goal, and so I can plan out which days I want to do which aspects of that goal.  The next week, I may have another goal that builds on top of that, such as creating the welcome page information, and maybe the next week I create scripts for videos, and another week I record the videos.  So on and so forth, until, by the end of the 12 weeks, or perhaps even less, I have all the pieces in place for a fully revamped cleanse and I can launch it.

If I only looked at the end goal, it could feel too overwhelming and I may never get started.  That’s true especially if you have several goals, like I do.  Because it’s never *just* one thing.  It’s not only the cleanse, but it’s also launching a wellness center, it’s building my email list, it’s building my client base, it’s launching a signature program, and so on and so forth.  If I think about everything at once and wonder how the heck I will get it done (which I’ve wondered many times), I freeze up and end up doing nothing.  By choosing one main goal, and then breaking it down to doable steps, I am able to make forward progress and achieve my goals, one at a time.

It may be a year or two down the road, or maybe even longer, before I’m at one of my goal places to be, lifestyle-wise.  I have even bigger goals later on, though.  When you are driven by a higher mission, and the desire to help make the world a better place through your particular gifts, you keep going.  I’ve been offering my cleanse for 6 years now, practicing acupuncture for 6.5 years, teaching yoga for 10.5 years, and doing feng shui consultations for almost 14 years.  I put in many years of working as a scientist before that.  I have many more years to go, and many more dreams to fulfill.  I am going to get to each dream by placing one foot in front of the other.

What dreams are you walking towards? 😉

xo,

Jen

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