By: D.A. Slinkard
It has been just over two weeks now since I started my new career moving past retail, and I have to admit it has been the fastest time period in my life. I want to thank the folks who have either called me, texted me, or even stopped me when out in public. I really want you to know your kind words are very encouraging and help give me the fuel I need to write the articles I do. Since having my newfound freedom, I am here to tell you I have continued my learning process, and the topic of this article is to commit to things and figure them out on the way.
Yes, you read that right. You need to commit yourself to various things you are interested in and then just go do them. You are going to make mistakes along the way. You are probably going to feel like an idiot and look like one too; but that is all right. The problem too many people have is they want to wait until they have all of their ducks in a row before they start. They make excuses such as, “When I have enough money I will…” or “When I know enough about….” These are all excuses used by people who are too afraid to just act.
Within the past few weeks, I have taken on some roles in my personal life that I normally would have passed on. The way I look at things though is that God has blessed me with an opportunity and I need to act upon it. Yes, I could easily have taken the approach of thinking I needed to do some research before I committed or that I needed some time to think it over. Instead of making an excuse or saying I needed to think it over, as soon as I was asked if I was interested, I gave an emphatic answer of yes. The person did not need to know I was scared to death on the inside.
I am telling you there is no difference between you and me. I believe that everyone can achieve greatness, but people often fail because they lack the necessary courage and commitment to succeed. So you need to commit to things and figure them out along the way. No more making excuses. I guarantee that there is someone reading this who has been putting off starting a business because of the “What ifs” — and my answer is to commit to saying “Yes” and figure it out later.
The other thing is that you need to be 100% committed. There needs to be no turning back. If you have the safety net out in case you fail, just know you are going to fail because you are not sold on what you need to be. I am not saying to throw caution to the wind; I am saying you need to focus on success and block out the detractors. Anyone who has done anything great has been scared to death, but it needs to be a “burn-the-ships, no-looking-back mentality.” When you have this mindset you will succeed.
The problem is we live in the day of taking it easy, making sure you are comfortable; do not rock the boat too much. The movers and the shakers in society are the ones who are taking the right approach. They are the individuals who are committed to figuring it out along the way. Let me ask you this — What have you been shying away from when it comes to the things you know you need to commit yourself to? Why have you been shying away? What are you afraid will happen? Once you realize what your weaknesses are, what your struggles are, and when you acknowledge them, then you need to make a list to overcome these obstacles. The biggest detractor in my life has been my inability to take action.
Once you get started on whatever it is you want to accomplish, as long as you are moving forward and making progress, you will achieve greater levels of success, especially compared to the people who wait until they figure things out or until they have enough money in the bank account. I cannot repeat enough for you to commit and figure it out along the way. What are you needing to commit to? It is time to take action.
By: D. A. Slinkard
