“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar.
Ever since I stumbled upon this quote, I started to live by it. Through it, I realized that I don’t need to be perfect nor be in a perfect circumstance before taking a step toward any venture I wish to engage in. Yet, I also believe that there are indispensable factors that one needs to be adequately equipped in facing the new undertaking. These key factors are the following:
- Faith. As an ardent believer of God, I put my trust in Him that when my heart and mind are drawn to an idea, He’s the one responsible for putting that in me. Therefore, I strengthen my resolve to pursue whatever I believe I am called to do. Without faith, we would quickly feel defeated when we fail. We would easily be confused as to what our purpose or mission is.
- Passion. Have you noticed how easy it is to do a task that you find exciting or love? More often than not, the results you obtain in performing such tasks are satisfactory, aren’t they? Compare those results with the ones that come out from performing tasks that you weren’t enthusiastic about at all. There is indeed a vast difference, and that is passion. An intense desire is needed to fuel you through any venture you wish to put yourself through. Without passion, you may easily give it up when you face challenging situations.
- Self-discipline. Not everything you do will be easy to accomplish. Despite this fact, giving up should not be the solution. To overcome any challenges, you need the ability to handle yourself when you feel disappointed or frustrated when things don’t work the way you want them to work. You need to help yourself to keep going even when you feel weak and tired. You need to be consistent.
- Positive Attitude. Do you know that you attract what you think or say? Like when you say the day would be bad, it would eventually be bad. I believe it has something to do with your emotions. When you keep a pessimistic attitude when faced with challenges, there would be a higher tendency for you to think of adverse outcomes rather than come up with solutions. Therefore, you need to keep a positive attitude despite any problematic situations you may encounter.
- Supporter. Regardless of the many pessimistic people, you may know who could influence your decision, you will more likely strengthen your determination when you have even one person who supports you. You don’t need everyone to believe in what you are capable of doing, but you will need someone who will cheer you on when you feel a little uncertain with your steps.
With these elements, I achieved most of my dreams and lived my mission in life. Was I perfectly capable of making those goals happen? Absolutely not. For instance, when I felt that I am inclined to become a sales trainer, I did not have all the knowledge and skills to become one. I only felt the pull in that direction. Therefore, I took the next step of equipping myself through education with faith, passion, self-discipline, a positive attitude, and the support of some loved ones. As Lao Tzu said, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
(Photo by Archie Binamira from Pexels)
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