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Forget about the Carrot and Focus on the String!

     Why are goals so difficult to achieve? Do they have to be?

     That would depend on the attitude of the person trying to achieve the goal. We always compare motivation to the carrot dangling in front of the donkey from a string just out of his reach so he will plow the field as he attempts to reach the carrot.

     We are not donkeys...(well...I'm sure we all know some who may fit that description)... and we know to use our intelligence to achieve that goal. We simply figure out a way to break the string, and the carrot will be ours for the taking. So often we think about how far we have to go to get to where we want to be, that we forget to take the baby-steps necessary to get there. There can be a hundred smaller goals for us to achieve on our way to the big picture. As we accomplish them along the way, we grow, not only in knowledge and experience but in self-confidence.

    A marathon runner wanting to break a three hour marathon does not think about the three hours. He or she thinks about the times necessary at each of the 26 mile markers along the way. Achieving those goals on the way to the finish-line gives the runner the ability to create a cushion by, perhaps doing a little better at each mile marker than what is necessary.

    What are the things keeping us from attaining our goals? Can we eliminate them or at least make them less significant? Can we figure out a way to overcome the difficulties in our immediate future to make it easier to get to the finish-line? Of course we can. We can cut that string and grab the carrot, but we have to be smart about it. If we cut the string and the carrot falls down a steep hill, it will still be out of our reach and then we have new obstacles to deal with. Those things we feel may be keeping us from reaching our goals and dreams may not be difficult to deal with, but we must not be hasty. Confusing? Let me explain in an analogy.

     Imagine that our goal is to climb a hill. It seems difficult because the hill is covered with snow that is two feet deep and difficult to walk through. If we are hasty we trudge on, gasping for breath as we climb the hill. If we are patient, we take the time to lace on a pair of snowshoes and easily ascend the hill on top of the snow.

    So many of us want to live a long life. Maybe instead of focusing on the fact that we are going to die someday, we need to think about how we are going to live the happiest life we can right now.

     Achieving a goal is only as difficult as the path we choose to get there. We can blame society, mortality, friends, neighbors, relatives and whoever we want for the position we are currently in but it all boils down to each of us and how we approach life and deal with our day-to-day decisions. When others give us advice and tell us what they feel we "need to do" we can take that advice or leave it. But we have to remember that there are no experts in the art of achieving what we want, simply because each of us is different. Taking advice is okay, but do we want to live a life dictated to us by others, or do we cut the string and live our own life, our own way? We each have the ability to choose what we want and do our best to go for it. No strings are needed. Get rid of them. Those strings need to be dealt with. If not, your goal may always stay....just out of your reach!