You’ve no doubt witnessed a fly beating its head against a window trying desperately to get to freedom.
It’s a life-or-death futile attempt to fly through the glass. You can tell by the sound that in its mind it’s thinking “I must try harder.” But it’s just not working!
We both know that the fly will never break through the glass and is doomed to die. We also know with just a few seconds of flying in the right direction, just a three feet away, is an open window and it could be free from its self-imposed trap…and with only a fraction of the effort. Yet it continues to beat its head against the glass until it dies. Without a doubt this approach makes sense to the fly – otherwise it would stop!
The point is that trying harder is not the solution to achieving more.
They say that “practice makes perfect” but that’s not altogether true if you are trying harder practicing the wrong thing. Only “prefect practice makes perfect.”
How would you rate your performance? Are you achieving the results you want with the effort you are expending? It’s impossible to know what you don’t know. It’s impossible to make improvements until you know what needs to change. And it’s impossible to change if you don’t do something in a different way.
The problem is that people most often go with the obvious.
We rely on the same thinking, habits and behaviors we’ve used in the past, productive or not, because it’s what we know. In fact, most of us are like the fly on the window, trying harder and harder, doing more of the same and getting nowhere fast. We resist new approaches because they make us feel more at risk…more uncomfortable.
If you want rich rewards, rapidly, there are two important things you must have…”Vision” and “Passion.” Passion lifts your spirit, energizes your heart and mind and provides the fuel to keep moving forward when you hit obstacles or when you face uncertainty. And only deep passion for what you want can generate the internal heat needed to stay on target no matter what happens.
This means that you have to let go of the limits you have set on yourself.
Decide what you are worth and feed the feelings that fuel your passion. Then give yourself permission to go after what you want most. Give yourself permission to be successful. Let your deepest desires direct you. Set your sites high enough so that you challenge yourself to live fully. Otherwise, a part of you remains asleep, your talents remain hidden and your performance becomes that of a constant state of struggle.
Make sure that you have a burning desire, an internal heat hot enough to move you past just wishful thinking. Let your dream for a better future consume you and drive your actions. Only your vision and your passion hold the power to allow you to go the distance. Let your mind(vision)direct your actions and let your heart(passion) take charge of your move forward!
