In the last few weeks, we have been talking about how to be successful by living a focused life. The more focused your life is, the more impact it will have and the more success you will have in reaching your goals.
We’ve already learned that to be successful in achieving goals, we must:
- Determine our present position
- Describe exactly what we want
- Identify the barriers
- Create a step-by-step plan
- Be patient and persistent
Today, we’ll look at the final two steps: We must enlist a team for support, and we must be willing to pay the price.
First, enlist a team for support.
You’re never going to fulfill your vision by yourself. Success is never a one-man show. You’ve got to involve other people. It takes teamwork and cooperation. An African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Also, “a person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
The last thing you must do to accomplish a dream is this: You must be willing to pay the price.
There’s always a price tag for fulfilling a dream; there’s always a cost for reaching every goal. Great goals require great sacrifice. Ask yourself, “What will it cost? What am I willing to pay? Is it worth the cost?”
Never desire the success of another person without first finding out what they gave up for it. They may have given up their health or their family or their integrity.
Some things are not worth giving up. But some are worth sacrificing for a greater cause.
I’ve noticed that a lot of people give first-class allegiance to second-class causes. You need to give first-class allegiance to first-class causes. The greatest use of your life is to invest it in those things that will outlast it. Make the rest of your life the best of your life.
Let’s put this into practice:
- Do you tend to surround yourself with a team for support or go it alone in life?
- As you look at the goal you’re chasing today, what will be the cost of achieving it? Is it worth the sacrifice?
Excerpt taken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren.