If You Don't Go After What You Want, You'll Never Have It

Often when I’m talking about life goals or bucket list items or whatever it is you want to call them, people always invaribly say something like, “I’ve always wanted to do (fill in the blanks).”

So the first question I’ll ask them is: “What have you done to try and achieve that goal.”

Usually the answer is, “Nothing.”

I’ll then ask why and I’m offered a myriad of excuses.

Truth of the matter people, things don’t usually just happen to you.

Almost everything you go through in life is a consequence of things you’ve done somewhere along the way. Yes, there are things that are out of your control, like interactions with others and what I like to call “acts of God” that there are just no planning for.

But if there’s something you’ve always wanted to do with your life, whether it’s a career choice or just an experience, it’s not going to happen without you taking that first step forward. Even if it’s just a baby step, without that initial inertia you won’t have any energy to accomplish what you want to do in life.

Yes, it’s easy to let self-doubt and a fear of failure stop you from trying.

I understand this all too well. But there’s nothing I’ve accomplished in my life that has just happened. It all started with me exhaling and taking that first step.

Yes, I have failed at things.

I’m no different from anybody else. But if I hadn’t at least tried, it would’ve been an automatic failure. At least when I do attempt to achieve a goal, I stand a chance of success.

So, next time you want to achieve a goal, don’t psych yourself out of doing it. Just take a deep breath and give it a try.

If you don’t, you’ve already failed.

[photo courtesy of Mattox]

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About zengrrl

I'm Michelle Snow, the writer and creator of Zengrrl. I write about travel, entertainment, women's issues, health, body positivity, and more, both for this blog and freelance. I have also authored/co-authored four guidebooks on Orlando and Florida. If you aren't already following me, the links are below, as well as on the top right of this page. Thanks!