I have been successful at a lot of things. Yes, I have quit things I should not have started when I realized it. But everything I have been successful at was difficult at some point – or maybe the whole way. So difficulty alone is not a sign you should quit.
There are lots of paradoxes – something that is true (in some situations) but not true (in others). Here is one.
In an age of so many choices and ways to use our time, and causes to commit to, pick a mission or a goal and stick to it. The greater the goal the more difficult it will be and the longer it will take. In that time, you will see so many other things you could be doing and be tempted to jump off this mission for another. This job for that one. This profession for another.
Stick to one thing until you get there.
By sticking to one thing you learn a lot and get better. You pile one successful step on another and reach new heights. If you go long, you can go far.
Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there.
I like this postage stamp analogy for staying focused and working on one thing at at a time. I would add to that my Ant Analogy: An ant come move a ton a soil over time, but he can’t do all at once. He has to move that soil one grain at a time, little by little, and in that way a little ant can accomplish big results.
I absolutely needed this, I stretch myself too thin way too much and I know I’ll be better off in many aspects if I can just be the stamp. I’m going to try to be more mindful of this going forward and when I start losing control and jumping around, I can hopefully stop and remind myself to “be the stamp.”
Thank you for looking out for us, Larry!