Navigating the Beginning: Goal Achievement
It hurts before it gets better.
If you don’t have the humility to be real bad, then you’ll never get that good. ~ Brian Johnson
It is easy to say you are going to change, to embark on a new journey. We all have good intentions when we are riding the thrill of thinking about becoming a new person or starting a new project. The truth is that it is very difficult to acquire a new skill or to become adept at a certain procedure. The hard part is going through that deliberate practice and learning curve to get to where you want to be. It is so tempting to quit when you feel embarrassed that you got something wrong, or someone realized that your skills and knowledge were not quite where they needed to be. Don’t stop.
No one becomes an expert overnight. There is no shortcut, there is only the long way. The long way is tiled with hard work and persistence. When you feel yourself becoming let down, scared, or frustrated – that is where the growth lies. The beginning is always exciting. Everyone is a warrior at the onset. When the difficult days, the drudgery, the failures, and the setbacks arrive, this is where the majority of people quit. Not You.
Use the butterflies in your stomach, the embarrassing moments, and the tedium as positive indicators for growth and learning. With enough time and repetition, anyone can be good at anything. Don’t quit your passion project, new job role, or skill acquisition process just to save face. Everyone has to crawl, walk, THEN run and you are no exception. Don’t compare the beginning of your journey to the end of someone else’s. It hurts before it gets better. Embrace it and keep going.