You’ll want to read this one the whole way through! One question that a lot of people ask me is this: What was the game changer for you? What’s the most important thing you did to finally achieve success?
I used to say “Well, I decided what I wanted and I worked my butt off to get it.” But I realized that there was a deeper answer there, and it is this:
My number one, most important secret to success was finally eliminating my Plan B!
All my life, no matter what I was going after, I knew in the back of my head that if it didn’t work out, I could simply go back to __________ (fill in the blanks with whatever mindless, unfulfilling default setting you normally revert to.) And guess what? That’s usually where I ended up! Really think for a minute what kind of message that sends to the universe. Having a back-up plan says “I don’t really HAVE to succeed.” Plan B gives you an out. Plan B gives you the option to fail because within Plan B lies your comfort zone.
Having one big vision, your plan A, and declaring it as a non-negotiable destination sets you up for success. Plan B says “if,” Plan A says “when.” When there is only one plan in your head, your energy is focused. When you refuse to entertain the thought that your big vision might not work you send a message that says, “I am doing this. No matter what. So help me out Universe.” And the amazing thing is, it does.
Is it risky? A little. But most things worth having are. Love is risky, but we fall into it anyway because the pay-off outweighs the risk of failure. The same is true for the life you want to lead. The risk is minuscule compared to the reward of living a life you’ve magically created yourself. Now I’m not saying to quit your job tomorrow. But perhaps you shift to an understanding that your current job is simply there to finance your Plan A?
That was the shift for me. I decided that this was it. And when a roadblock popped up, just like on my GPS, I didn’t change my destination, I just recalculated my course. Every time. Because when there’s nothing to fall back on, you stay standing.
Don’t waste any more time living in limbo. Life is meant to be savored, not full of frustration. Whatever your dream is, your big beautiful Plan A, we can make it happen.