Thursday Rewind | Is That Your Carrot Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Image courtesy of peterastn

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.