To give an example of what I mean, several years ago I was invited by one of my students to visit a town called Thurso, in the North of Scotland. If you haven't heard of Thurso look it up on the map, its twenty-five miles from the most northerly point on the British mainland and 700miles from my home.
I decided that the most effective way to travel this journey was by train. I collected together specific maps and timetables that I would need for the trip and set about plotting my course.I soon discovered that the quickest and easiest route to travel north was to go to Norwich first, then from Norwich to Peterborough, Peterborough onto Edinburgh, Edinburgh to Inverness, finally ending up at my final destination in Thurso.
When I started my journey from my home in Suffolk, what location was I thinking about most? – Of course, I had to make it to Norwich first and on time, otherwise there was a good chance I would miss all my connections thereafter.
After reaching Norwich and successfully boarding the train, Peterborough became my next goal and so on until reaching my final destination - Thurso fourteen hours later.
I have noticed that a lot of people who try to reach their own goals, many often fall by the wayside. It seems that the error of their ways is that they're planning either so far ahead that they're missing all the connections in between, or there are just those certain individuals who are so busy planning they never leave home at all.
You see it’s a good idea to plot your course in a progressive order, step by step, and then take appropriate action. (Similar to following the belt system in the martial arts.)
To complete my story, at a certain point on my train journey north I was faced with a problem, I had to be re-routed. A railway bridge had collapsed due to torrential rain at Inverness. Just because I had planned my course carefully didn't mean to say that I wasn't going to be faced with challenges or difficulties along the way. If I had fallen asleep or not paid attention to the information available, who knows where I might have ended up?
So from my own personal experience I believe that it’s essential to remain totally focused on the next step ahead, while keeping one eye on your final destination.
I’ve also come to conclusion that I didn’t need to rely too much upon anyone else. I’ve become totally responsible for my own actions and of course, I’ve tried not to blame others when things don’t work out. Finally if something’s not going according to plan – I change it.
So there you have it, a few essential ingredients to maybe help you out on your own personal journey. Of course I recognise there are many other factors necessary in order to become successful (depending upon your own definition of success) but I’ve listed a few fundamental ‘keys’ below.
1. Decide what it is that you want to achieve
2. Plot your course and take appropriate action
3. Focus on each individual step along the way
4. Pay attention and change your course if necessary
5. Don't lose sight of your overall goal
6. Enjoy the journey
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