Is That Your Carrot Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?
Posted on August 26, 2008 by Eric Hamm |
Photo Courtesy of migi328
If you’ve read most of my posts thus far you’ve most certainly come across my referring to the whole carrot and the stick analogy. I feel it is very important that we all have things that we can place in the forefront of our minds to help us maintain the drive we need to meet our goals. But just having that carrot dangling in front of us is often times not enough. I have found that it is equally important that we let the World know about our carrots so we will feel THAT much more driven to pursue them.
Think about it. If you have a dream to do something that no one knows about and then one day you decide to just let it go, who’s going to question you? Will anybody even know that you HAD that dream? Will anybody care that you are letting it go? But if you had told others that this was something you were pursuing, you will inevitably get the occasional question about these pursuits. Depending on how many people know about it, you may be asked to give an update on these pursuits on a regular basis. I know that when I get excited about a new goal and make that known to those around me, I find that the next time I see them they are excited to find out how it’s going.
Here are some reasons why this is so important.
-The more people that know about your carrots, the harder it will be to stop pursuing them. Knowing that others will be asking about your progress will put extra pressure on you to make that progress. Without any outside force pushing you to move forward, it will be that much easier to just quit when things get tough.
-Talking about something is a great way to make it more real to you. The more you express, often times in detail, those things that you passionately seek, you will find that they become more clear in your mind and even more effective as a way to fuel your drive.
-The more you express these interests the better chance of finding others with the same or similar desires. Having like minded people to cheer you on is always more effective than getting encouragement from those that just don’t understand. These kinds of people are a great asset to helping you reach your goals and never give up.
-The more you talk about your passions and those things that drive you to better your life, the more you will encourage others and give them a reason to do the same. It’s a great thing to finally reach a goal, but to encourage others in the process makes it even better.
In light of this post I wanted to be the first to share one of those carrots that I pursue. It’s freedom. Freedom to live my life the way I feel is best for myself and my family. The freedom to work when I choose and the flexibility to have total control over my schedule. I want to be able to a take trip when we want to take a trip and not just when the rest of the World says it’s OK. My pursuit is for a lifestyle that encourages the imagination and the growth of a healthy spirit.
Over the last couple of years I have been making changes in my life to move closer to these goals. As I still have a ways to go, I am encouraged by my clear picture of what it is that I desire. So I’d like to encourage you to clarify those things for yourself and share them with the World. Make these dreams known and you will strengthen your resolve to acquire them.
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Jennifer Hoyt
August 26th, 2008 6:44 amI can vouch for this being true in my own life. Long story short, about a year ago I started voicing my desire to go back to school. If my friends didn’t know about my carrot, I never would have heard their affirmations, support and encouragement. Yesterday was my first day of graduate school, and life just keeps getting better. Thanks for a good post!
Eric Hamm
August 26th, 2008 7:00 am@Jennifer Hoyt: Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this! This is the kind of stuff that get’s me excited about life. Good for you!
Isn’t life so much more satisfying when you are living it according to your potential and your dreams?
Matt R.
August 26th, 2008 10:11 amFreedom to make my own schedule and challenge myself is my carrot and my blog is my megaphone. My blog is not only letting others follow me on my journey, but it’s also helping me focus my efforts more by allowing me to get all my thoughts out in a clear and concise manner. I definitely think it’s important to express your desired goals to others for motivation and encouragement.
Eric Hamm
August 27th, 2008 4:22 am@Matt R.: Well said and it’s good to see you drop by.
Matt C
August 27th, 2008 6:04 amCoincidental that I should read this post today; following your article on getting less, but better sleep, and a particularly bad nights sleep I’ve decided it’s about time to do something about it, and my lifestyle in general. I figured the best way was to tell people and maybe even keep an online journal of progress. Minutes later I find I am having this idea reinforced… Thanks!
Eric Hamm
August 27th, 2008 6:09 am@Matt C: Thanks for dropping by. I am glad that my writing was a reinforcement to what you already new was right. I hope that you become a regular part of this community because we need people like you. It sounds like you are ready to make some changes and start living a healthier, happier life. Check out my post NOT Just Another Productivity Blog so you will be ready to start making those changes with the rest of this wonderful, growing community.
Peggie Arvidson
August 27th, 2008 8:39 amGreat — Was thinking essentially the same thing this morning on my walk and during my meditation/planning. It’s time to be bolder and bigger about pursuing the dream of improving the world. Thanks to your headline and problogger for bringing the post to my attention!
Peggie
Eric Hamm
August 27th, 2008 9:21 am@Peggie: Thanks for giving it a look. I’m glad it was helpful. Great blog by the way. I like the fact that it has a very specific focus but can be helpful for everyone. Hope you continue to stop by; we are working on making real changes in our lives! Eric.
Bryan
August 27th, 2008 10:40 amGreat post. My carrot is losing weight and blogging about my bicycling is my tool to keep myself honest. I journal my experiences riding, try and provide good content to readers about bicycling, and at the same time keep myself honest because my goals are out there in front of my readers.
Eric Hamm
August 27th, 2008 10:52 am@Bryan: That’s a great carrot and one that I hope you will keep striving for. I checked out your blog and it’s really good. I ride myself and find it to be a great way to not only stay in shape and keep up your motivation but I just love the riding itself. There’s nothing more freeing, to me, than going on a long ride on a beautiful day.
Welcome and I hope you continue to pop by.
By the way, you guys should check out his blog. Well done.
Bryan
August 27th, 2008 1:45 pm@Eric: Thanks for the kind comments. I put a lot of work into my blog to try and make sure it’s functional, pleasing to the eye, and has half-way decent content. It also lets me tinker in photoshop to make the graphics. That said, I really appreciate the comments.
I will continue to stop by. I also subscribed to your feed.
Sandy Naidu
August 27th, 2008 2:55 pmI totally agree…Sharing your dream/goals/carrots with others will definitely motivate you. It will also give you that ‘extra’ accountability as well. I do think though that we just need to be careful and only share our goals with our ’supportive’ friends and not everyone. However sharing a goal on a blog post works wonders for me…There you go I kind of contradicted myself - about sharing with ‘everyone’.
Eric Hamm
August 27th, 2008 4:56 pm@Bryan: Don’t you just love playing around with all the graphics and design and stuff? I love it! I have to keep myself on task when I work on my blog so I don’t spend all my time tweaking a specific shade of color or blend of pixels, etc…
I’m glad you’ll be regularly reading. I’ll have to keep an eye on your posts as I get back on my bike.
@Sandy Naidu: I agree that sharing these things with the wrong person could be a bad thing. But I think you had it at the end; letting the World know can be a great way to stay motivated to meet your goals.
Loring Parks
August 28th, 2008 2:32 amI’m with you only so far on the showing your carrot idea, then have to pull back. I’ve been burned one too many times by trolls who make it their life mission to make sure my carrots go - er uneaten? lol ok so the analogies start to fall apart, but I’m sure you get my meaning.
Great post tho - thanks!
Loring Parks at More fun than a silk teddy
Ava Semerau
August 28th, 2008 2:38 amAs a Christian success coach and author, my perspective might be a little different, in that I truly believe all those “carrots” should be shared with God - all the internal motivation in the world won’t change anything unless we’re on board with Him!
Hopefully this doesn’t sound like a blatant pitch, but you might be interested in my latest book, And God Was Pleased: Biblical Principles for Creating Christian Success.
Thanks and I’m enjoying your perspective.
Ava Semerau
Eric Hamm
August 28th, 2008 4:06 am@Loring Parks: I completely understand. Thanks for sharing and I appreciate you taking the time to read the post and I hope you continue to give my blog a read.
@Ava Semerau: Thanks for stopping by and participating in the discussion.
I am a Christian myself and completely agree with you. I believe that all gifts are from God and that we should never hold onto them as if they were more precious than the giver Himself. But I don’t think this changes the premise of the post. Whether we are Christians or not, I believe we are always better off making the most of everyday, doing the best we can and pursuing the positive goals we have set before us.
jackie sheeler
August 28th, 2008 4:07 ami really enjoyed this post and am happy to have discovered your blog. (the title is hilarious, by the way!) thank you for encouraging us to pursue our dreams and providing a simple, useful tool to use along the way.
Eric Hamm
August 28th, 2008 4:49 am@jackie sheeler: I’m glad you appreciate the post and the blog. I appreciate you taking the time to read it.
By the way, I think the cute picture of the bunny is was seals the deal.
Glynis Smy
August 28th, 2008 7:30 amI love it!
) when we found our dream, I thought of another, shared it and with support published my poetry book as a 50th pressie for myself, now thanks to finding blogs and writing places I am being encouraged to nibble away at my new carrot, the support from strangers this time is amazing. I found this title on problogger and just had to read ,good luck.
We had a carrot ,sorry dream to leave the UK and shared that dream with others, it is amazng who supported us (thought of a free holiday maybe helped
Eric Hamm
August 28th, 2008 7:37 am@Glynis Smy: I’m glad you were able to stop by. It’s always encouraging to hear about others and their success in reaching their goals. Please feel free to stop by anytime.
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