During the past year as I have been developing my new coaching and speaking business, there have been times when I have been intimidated. Comparing myself to already successful coaches has been daunting as there is so much to learn.
Don’t Compare Yourself
When we have big goals in life, it is easy to become discouraged when the goal seems far away. We compare ourselves to others who are already successful, and it seems like we will never be there.
What follows is often a loss of motivation, overwhelm, confusion, and inaction. We may want to give up.
It is important to remember that every big goal takes many baby steps over an extended period of time. The people who are already where you want to be did not wave a magic wand. They just started before you did. They too had to start from nothing.
My Tulips
Today as I was walking up my driveway, I noticed my beautiful, brand-new stand of tulips. They just opened in the past couple of days for the first time and I was surprised by the variety of pretty colors.
Every spring for many years, I have watched with admiration as daffodils and tulips pop up in other people’s yards. I would wish I had some, and envied those that do.
Then I realized that I am never going to have early spring flowers if I don’t take the time in the fall to plant the bulbs. Those people had already done that. So last spring I set a fall date in my calendar to remind myself and I proceeded to plant a bunch of bulbs.
It has been amazing in the past several weeks as I have watched four locations of various bulbs erupt with beautiful flowers. This set of tulips was the last to open.
Today, my tulips reminded me that the fruits of our labor are not always immediate. We must take action with the trust that there will be amazing blossoms for us in the future.
What major goal or project would you like to achieve? Can you see where you are stopped by comparing yourself to others who are already successful?
What baby steps are you committed to starting today?
