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We must not allow ourselves to become like the system we oppose.
-- Bishop Desmond Tutu
 

 

The MONTHLY Motivator - March 2011

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The will to achieve

Do you have the will to achieve? Just the fact that you’re alive and aware, able to think and take action, gives you sufficient capability to achieve whatever you choose. What ultimately distinguishes those who achieve from those who don’t achieve, is the will to achieve.

Achievement is not easy. That’s what makes it achievement. If it were easy, if it required no effort, it would be something other than achievement. Achievement is not easy, and yet it is also not out of reach. In fact, you are built for achievement. It’s something that, although it can be very difficult, comes naturally to you. Surviving and thriving in a world full of challenges is itself an impressive achievement, and you’ve done that your whole life. Achievement for you is something that occurs on a daily basis, so often you don’t even realize you’re doing it most of the time. You’ve become accustomed to the normal efforts necessary for the vitally important achievement of maintaining your life.

But what about the more extraordinary achievements that go beyond coping with your day-to-day existence? Are those things within your reach? Yes, of course they are. The same strategies you use to successfully survive can also be put to use in moving your life to as high a level as you wish to go. The achievement machine that is you, can be effectively directed toward any objective.

It’s true that certain achievements will require efforts that are far beyond anything you’re doing now, perhaps beyond anything you’ve ever done. But that’s no reason to consider those achievements out of reach. When viewed objectively, the efforts you’re already making in the normal, everyday course of your life are truly amazing. The thing is, you don’t view them objectively. You’re so familiar with them you don’t even realize how much you’re achieving. In the same way, you can become accustomed to just about any level of effort and effectiveness.

Think about the implications of that for a moment. What if you could achieve ten times as much as you’re achieving now, or even a hundred times (measured in whatever way is meaningful to you)? And, what if you could get to the point where it doesn’t feel like any more effort than you’re making now? The amazing thing is, you can.

Yes, achievement is difficult and requires effort. But not only do you have the ability to achieve, you also have the ability to adapt your perspective to higher and higher levels of achievement. So even though there’s a great deal of effort involved, it can feel virtually effortless. That sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? It is.


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--Ralph Marston

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