What kind of commitment is required to move a mountain?
Let’s take Joe. He’s committed to moving the sucker, so he wakes up, checks his email, rolls up his sleeves, moves a few rocks, hops online to check the news, moves a few more rocks, has lunch and reads a couple of articles on solar power and politics while he eats, moves a few more rocks, heads to his 5:30 cooking class, etc…..
Then there’s Joanne. She wakes up and attacks the mountain. She moves rocks until she has to stop for lunch. While she’s eating she runs through the move in her head, playing out all the possible problems she might encounter and sketching out solutions. After her meal she gets right back to moving the rocks and doesn’t stop until well after dark. At dinner she opens her laptop and reads up on the latest rock-moving technology, takes some notes for the next day, then collapses into bed.
Who are you going to put your money on?
Joanne’s focus is going to get her to the finish line first. Her social life is going to suck and she’s not going to be very well-versed on anything other than mountain-moving, but she will reach her goal long before Joe does, if he even gets there at all.
To do something big and audacious you must focus on that thing and nothing else. Every day, every thought must be about your task. No hobbies, no outside entertainment, nothing. Distractions will slow you down.
If you’re shaking your head and thinking, “That’s a crappy way to live life,” you’re right. No one can be happy living that way their entire life.
But it’s certainly something you can do for a couple of weeks. Or months. Or a year.
How long can you work on your goal as if nothing else exists? How long can you shut out distractions and keep plunging ahead like your hair is on fire?
Then take a break, take some time to appreciate your accomplishment or evaluate your failure for future success, and begin again.
Time is short. What will you use it for?