| Author: Jo Gibney |
People often ask me what my Dragon Slaying Program is all about. 'Is it a goal setting program or a goal achievement program'? they ask, hoping, I guess, to put everything into a neatly labelled box. Rather than trying to label the dragon slaying process, I often tell this little story to get my message across.
The Pig and the Chicken Went for a WAlk
Early one morning a pig and a chicken were out on a walk down town. The chicken got really excited when she saw a sign that said 'Ham and Eggs, $3.95' She turned to the pig and said, 'Look at that, we've got double billing again!'. The pig grunted and said, 'That's all right for you to say. For you it's all in a day's work. For me, it's total commitment.'
So my Dragon Slaying Program is about both goal setting and goal achievement. If you want to set goals, then it's a walk in the park for most of usall in a day's work. But if you want to achieve those goals, it requires total commitment. Without this, your dragons will never be slain. They will play dead for a while, then rear up again, uglier and tougher than ever.
How do I find Total Commitment?
'But how do I find total commitment'? I hear you ask. 'Is there a pill? A training course? An injection? Tell me the easy way to get it, and I'll pay anything.' The thing is, commitment is never easy. You can't buy it, or fake it or use some one else's. You have to live it. And that takes work.
The dictionary defines commitment as 'a pledge to do' or 'the state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person'. I really like the idea of emotional and intellectual binding. It infers the whole you, especially if you choose to add 'spiritual' to the mix. Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous American architect who changed the face of America said 'I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.'
Commitment is the key you have been looking for. The extra weapon in your armoury. The answer to overcoming the fears you just can't seem to shake. The unique quality that will get you over the line each and every time.
Famous Comitted Achievers
Louis Pasteur put it succinctly when he said 'Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal: my strength lies solely in my tenacity.' Not intelligence, not skill, not insight, but tenacity. That ability to stick to it till it's done.
Another fine example of tenacity comes from that famous American inventor, Thomas Edison. It is said that he tried two thousand different materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none of them worked, his assistant complained, "All our work is in vain. We have learned nothing." Edison replied, "Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We now know that there are two thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb.' That's tenacity. That's commitment.
The question is how do you and I find this commitment within ourselves, when it has seemingly deserted us in the past. There are five keys to commitment that I have found work for me. Perhaps if you try them they will work for you too.
1.Slay the dragons that are yours to slay.
By that I mean concentrate on the goals that really matter to you. The ones that will change your life for the better. The ones that tug at your heart and touch your soul. Don't do it because you feel you should, or must or owe it to some one else. Do it because you know it's right for you.
2.Assemble the right allies.
They need to be positive and supportive and not undermine you unwittingly because they feel threatened. We live in a world of 'tribes' and our tribe members have become used to us being a certain way. If we change, if we become something they are not used to, they may feel threatened and try to stop ususually with the best of intentions! Recognise this. And do something about it.
3.Keep your goals 'front of mind'.
Find ways to keep the dragon's name (your goal) on your lips constantly. Draw it on a big piece of paper and hang it everywhere you spend time. Keep it on a card in your pocket or purse. Make up a song or jingle about it and hum it often. Get something to remind you of your current dragon (a toy car if your dragon is a new car). Keep the fire in your belly alive by frequently imagining your rewards when the dragon is finally slain.
4.Reward yourself often.
It's important to reward behaviour as well as outcomes. To reward progress as well as success. Don't be stingy in your self praise. Make sure you give yourself a weekly rewardone you can touch, smell or taste. Even a warm bath and early night in bed with a good book can work wonders reinforcing the value of what you are pursuing. Rewards are not indulgentthey are a vital part of the Dragon Slaying Program. If you can find an ally who will reward you too, go for it! You deserve it after all.
5.Keep it short and sweet.
It's true that we should all have long term goals. I have a 10 year plan, with appropriate long-term goals attached. But my dragons come from the here and now. They are the goals I can achieve in the next 612 months, or sooner. They are immediate and their rewards are immediate too. Yes, they build on and add to the 10 year goalsthat's a vital key to success. But I don't concentrate my energies on what I will have in 10 years time. I concentrate on what I will have tomorrow or next week or next month if I commit to the dragon of the moment.
So let me leave you with one final quote from Edison'Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." It's really all in a day's work after all. |
Author Bio:
Jo Gibney is seminar leader, group facilitator, professional speaker, writer and HR Consultant. Her commitment to adult learning is a life long passion, and much of Jo��s work focuses on developing not just work skills but also personal competencies and strengths. Check out Jo's websites at www.organisenow.com and www.dragonslayers.com.au |
| You can search for this article using: success, dress for success, success quotes, business success, lean manufacturing success |
|
