Faith, Focus and Follow-through (FFF)

As we bid goodbye to 2009 and fine-tune our goals for 2010, I want to share a few nuggets that will stand us in good stead in the coming year, as we seek to improve on our planned outcomes compared to the passing year.

We may have realized by now that wishes and prayers alone will not swing it. We need to roll up our sleeves, work hard and work smart if we expect a different result from what we have experienced so far.

To accomplish our goals or make our dreams come true, we need to have faith, focus, and follow through (FFF)

FAITH

We have to believe our goals are feasible, achievable, and possible. We have to believe that we have what it takes to go the whole distance. Without this faith and belief, you cannot give your best shot. When you decide something is impossible, it is natural to call off the chase. If you set the bar too high, you leave room for excuses. So first and foremost, you have to believe/have faith that you can achieve it. This faith must be in sufficient quantity to galvanize you to start the journey. Faith without action is useless.

FOCUS

After starting, you have to keep at it. Don’t flit from project to project. If you do, you will litter the landscape with abandoned projects. Start one, and take it to its logical conclusion, or to a level where it is self-sustaining, where you can take your hands off, and it is still running. For example, if you are starting a new business, keep at it until you have a team in place to run with it while you focus on other pursuits.

The secret of making your dream come true is to take a step towards it every single day. Do something each day to move you closer. What this means is that as the sun sets each day, you are moving closer to your dream, and moving farther away from where you started. Each step does not necessarily have to be a giant leap. A baby step each day will perform wonders in the long term. This is why a journey of a thousand miles is completed step by step. Keep on keeping on.

FOLLOW THROUGH

This flows from focus but has more to do with consistency, bulldog tenacity, holding on especially when progress is not apparent, and everyone around you is giving up. Quitters never win. Most business failures are linked to quitting when the going gets tough. It is very easy to give up when progress is not apparent, and the finish line is not in sight. A lot of people give up a few steps from their breakthrough. Make up your mind that you are not going to give up no matter what. Keep going, climb the hills, go around the mountains, traverse the valleys, walk, crawl, run, and by all means, keep moving. Follow through on the promise you made to yourself.

It is not over until you throw in the towel. You are the only one that can count yourself out. If you are determined to make it to the finish line, nothing can stop you, except you.

Yes, you have failed time and time again in budgeting and personal financial planning. Your attempts in starting a business have failed woefully. Nobody in your family has ever made it in business. I know. Nonetheless, make up your mind to go the distance. Records are broken when somebody decides to go where no one has ever been. When that happens, others follow suit. Nobody ever beat Mike Tyson until James “Buster” Douglas floored him and opened the floodgates for other boxers to step out and send Iron Mike to the canvass.

All that is required is the decision to do whatever it takes to cross the finish line. The moment your mind is made up, with faith, focus, and follow-through, you are ready to fly