The Art of Getting What You Want
By Clara Farres Centeno
Many studies support the claim that achieving what you desire is dependent upon your confidence, planning, and perseverance. Lacking these three factors will likely impair your chances to achieve your goals. It is extremely easy to feel discouraged when you think that you are lacking the necessary skills to achieve your goals. The most intimidating aspect of achieving your goals is believing in yourself and not quitting at the first failure. We often avoid even attempting to achieve our goals because of our own self-doubt. To combat that nagging feeling, I like to put my thoughts into perspective with the quote, “you don’t have to be great to get started but you have to get started to be great.”
It’s been found that most people hold low confidence in their workplace, which holds them back from attaining their full potential. Low confidence holds you back from speaking up for yourself—even if your differing opinion is adding great value to the problem at hand. Having confidence in your abilities is a lot easier said than done. Simple ways to bolster confidence include being assertive, acknowledging your strengths, and being kind to yourself with positive self-talk. The more you stand up for yourself, the more you’ll repeat it when you need to and the more confidence you’ll gain each time, thus creating a positive feedback loop.
Proper planning is most important in attaining and achieving goals. Planning helps to consolidate goals into attainable actions rather than simply concerning yourself with the result. Once you know not only what you want, but also how you’ll get there, you will have more guidance about what actions are more aligned with your desired path. Another reason people don’t reach their intended desires is a lack of perseverance, for whatever reason. Unfortunately, this cxan decrease motivation for proper planning and often leaves an individual with a lack of direction. Inversely, planning can help you persevere even in difficult times. Planning goals at a reasonable pace and taking small steps toward the future aid in creating consistency.
Through having confidence in your ability, planning, and determination, you can achieve your goals. While there are people that can guide you when it comes to attaining your goals, you are the only person who can get yourself to where you need to be. Take advice, accept guidance, and embrace the fine art of combining all these skills to be the best you can be. There is no secret formula—don’t second guess your needs, don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. If you don’t, the next person will, and only then will you realize how attainable your goal was.
