Tony Robbins QuoteNobody says it better than the empowerment guru and motivational speaker, Tony Robbins, who advocates the importance of figuring out what it is you want and then taking action. There are so many examples of how setting goals have pushed individuals to achieve great dreams. All you have to do is Google “celebrity success stories” to read one example after another about how extraordinary success came to those willing to follow their heart’s desire, no matter what anyone else thought!

As a writer, I have long been inspired by J. K. Rowling’s success story. Author of the Harry Potter books, Rowling is a perfect rags to riches testimony. Surviving on welfare and working in a cafe as a single mother, Rowling didn’t give up her dream to be a writer. Thank goodness she held firm because I have wonderful memories of standing in a bookstore line with my son Nathaniel, waiting for the midnight release of Harry Potter sequels. Up and down the line, children and parents were dressed as their favorite Harry Potter characters.

Like Rowling, following your dreams can lead you to places you never imagined, all the while helping you grow and develop into your best self.

Another example is Richard Branson’s story of how Virgin Airlines began. He was at the airport waiting for the last plane to the Virgin Islands to visit a girlfriend. When the flight was cancelled, he didn’t throw up his hands in resignation; he began thinking of possible alternatives. That led him to inquire about chartering an airplane that cost more money than he had in his pocket. Undeterred, Branson did some quick math to determine how much it would cost per seat and then went back and offered $39 seats on his chartered flight for those standing in line to rebook for the next day. Branson sold every seat.

That means that as you pursue your dreams and desires, the journey itself can inspire you in new directions. No matter where you thought you were going, you could end up on a long, curvy road only to come to a fork in the road. Either path will take you where you want to go. There is no right or wrong way, only different ways. If that’s not an adventure, I don’t know what is!

Consider that Richard Branson never entertained the idea of starting an airline until shortly after the Virgin Islands adventure. It was then that someone approached him with the idea, and he fearlessly seized the opportunity in that moment.

Goals are meant to be flexible to accommodate your growth and learning along the way. Don’t shy away from a goal because you don’t think you have the skill or expertise to achieve it. On the contrary, allow the pursuit of the goal to give you the experience and training you need along the way. And if the goal you begin with morphs into something different before you get there, that’s perfectly okay so long as you stay true to you. Branson’s original goal was to get to the Virgin Islands. Later, however, the dream expanded into something much greater.

Achievement of your goals can be even sweeter when you allow them to evolve along the way, mirroring your own growth and evolution. Flexibility, combined with a solid belief in yourself, will give you a strong foundation to succeed.


Pin It on Pinterest