Last December, after evaluating the goals I accomplished in 2012 and putting together my goals for 2013, I decided to develop a goal I could incorporate into my blog writing. I came up with the idea of running a marathon, as I thought this would surely generate a lot of writing ideas. Little did I know what I was signing up for! I quickly realized I had to fully commit to the goal since I announced it on my blog, told every friend and colleague I was going to do it, and posted it on my Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts. An interesting thing happened: I got a lot more out of my journey than just blog material.
You may be familiar with the basic psychological principles of Abraham Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs. Self-actualization is located at the very top of the pyramid, representing the need to fulfill one’s individual potential. According to Maslow, peak experiences play an important role in self-actualization. Self-actualization is actually considered quite rare, which means that peak experiences can be equally elusive. Not all people reach the peak of Maslow’s pyramid.
Peak experiences are often described as transcendent moments of pure joy and elation. These are moments that stand out from everyday events. A peak experience is profound and life-changing—it is often considered one’s finest moment. Peak experiences can include weddings, births, and the occasional vacation. High achievers seek out peak performances that will surpass ordinary events happening to us over a lifetime. These individuals seek out performance achievements like President’s Club, advanced education, or personal physical challenges.
What is the one extraordinary thing either professionally and personally you have always wanted to achieve?
Don’t worry about what it will take to accomplish the goal. I challenge you to just close your eyes for a moment, visualize your goal, and then write it down. Now it’s time to get moving! To quote a Chinese proverb, “To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep stepping.”
When preparing for my marathon, I decided to keep a log of my training. As I wrote this post, I reviewed my logbook and realized I ran 77 runs totaling 657.82 miles for a duration of 107:50 hours. Looking back, those numbers represent a tremendous amount of time, miles, and effort—however, to get to where I was when I completed the race required multiple small steps completed one after another.
The challenge of extraordinary results is this: they require you to not only think big, but then to also take the necessary steps to get there. A big goal requires you to focus small and work backwards, as this crystallizes what you need to do to achieve your goal. A great quote from a recent book I read by Gary Keller reminds us to take one step at a time: “Actions build on action, Habits build on habit. Success builds on success. The right domino knocks down another, and another and another.”
One of the greatest inhibitors of our success is FEAR. Gary Keller quotes a famous Cherokee speaking to his grandson about the great battle in all of us. The Cherokee said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us. One is Fear. It carries anxiety, concerns, uncertainty, hesitancy, indecision, and inaction. The other is Faith. It brings calm, conviction, confidence, enthusiasm, decisiveness, excitement, and action.” The grandson thought for a moment and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” The old and wise Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”
People with extraordinary results don’t feed their fears, but instead, their fears fuel their fire within and drive them forward.
As a non-runner who had never run more than five miles four months ago, little did I know that a blog project would turn into a peak performance that will have a lasting impression on me for the rest of my life.
Life is too short to pile up the “Should-ofs,” “Could-ofs,” and “Would-ofs.”
What is stopping you from getting to President’s Club this year? Or from achieving some other personal goal you may have? To quote the great author Mark Twain, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Have a big audacious goal, work backwards breaking it down, and commit to take one step after another until you reach your goal. Don’t let your fears get in the way—embrace them and let them fuel your fire, driving you to victory.
Watch the video below to get fired up!
