One of the phrases that I dread the most and one of the ones I hear very often. Along my career I’ve had the opportunity to mentor and coach many people. Many of them have moved on, grown and become successful in their own way but many more have given up, and usually that giving up started with a mental trap I refer to as “it’s not worth it for me”
What is valuable is not easy to get It can be summed up with a very short phrase, but to some this may not be enough to understand. Why? It could be because they have seen people achieve a lot with little effort before, someone who won a lotto, inherited a business or something of the sort.
“A wise man plans for the rule, not for the exceptions” -
It's a phrase that even I have to remember when thinking of the next steps to take, because as I’ve said before we must always plan for the worse outcome, but hope for the best. In any career path you may choose, regardless of country, culture or any other variable these are unquestionable truths.
Understanding that nothing valuable comes easy is also key when it comes to staying motivated walking towards the goals you want to achieve. Something that is too easy to do, something that anyone can do is by its nature not valuable.
That sounds a little negative but it's just an observation of a fact. If anyone could draw up house plans, there would be no need for architects and their salaries would not be justified, if anyone would understand and practice medicine, no one would be called a Doctor, I think this is pretty obvious to all of us.
The idea is that you have to think of your success, of your life plan in the same way some of these successful professional thought of theirs. What is the cost of pursuing your dream? What do you lack in order to achieve it?
It almost never is just about the money but we act as if it always is. Sometimes we have not been able to move forward because of certain attitudes we have, certain behaviors we practice every day but refuse to admit or even see.
I always tell my friends that “opportunities are everywhere, we just are not trained to see them” and that sounds very vague but its really an observable fact. You may even know of somebody in your home city that came into town without a penny in their pocket, they worked hard, seized opportunities and became a success story that inspired many others.
These success stories should not only inspire us, but also make us think. How did this person seize the opportunity? What does this person know that I don’t? What is the cost I have to pay for the opportunities I need?
I’m using the word cost again, and in this context its not the same as value. In the quest of becoming successful you are looking to add value to your life and to those around you, but you understand that there is a cost you must pay in order to do so.
When you think or say things like… “Well, it's not worth it for me”. You are stating you are not willing to pay the cost, sometimes this can be correct, but when it comes to pursuing the things you want in life, this can become an excuse and a mental barrier.
“I don’t need to learn another language” (it’s not worth it for me)
“I don’t have time to read” (it's not worth it for me)
“I have too much on my plate already” (it’s not worth it for me)
You get the idea...
You should really be honest with yourself on this subject if you are serious about moving forward. You should ask yourself if you are willing to pay the cost it will take to learn and to grow, and if you are are, do your best to never fall for that mental trap of “its not worth it for me” and you will start to notice the doors, the opportunities.
Success to you all