Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Keep going strong

When you’re discouraged by a lack of progress, too often that can serve as an excuse to slack off. After all, if you’re not getting anywhere, what’s the point of making the effort?

What’s surprising, though, is that a resounding victory can also provide a reason to scale back your efforts. When a goal becomes an accomplishment, it loses its power to motivate.

In both scenarios, you can benefit from a clever flip in your perspective. Instead of assuming that your goal is the reason for your effort, see your effort as the reason for the goal.

In other words, let yourself be motivated by the act of achieving rather than by the achievement itself. That way, whether the goal has been reached or appears out of reach, your desire to move forward remains intact.

When your purpose is to achieve, to make a positive difference, goals become fungible. If one goal no longer serves your purpose, another worthwhile one will do just fine.

Just because the goal isn’t working out, is no reason for you to stop working. Find an objective that enables you to sustain a high level of achievement, and keep going strong.

— Ralph Marston

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