Have you worked so hard at achieving something only to end up with nothing show for it in the end? Have you considered there are more ways than one to achieve your goal? Confidence is a shy companion. No matter how much confidence you build up he can seep gradually into the background if you keep getting knock-backs in your life. A person bubbling over with confidence can be a dribbling wreck – a shell of a person if everything they tried their hands on in one year has gone to mush. Like we said, confidence is a shy creature.
even in a maze, there are more ways than one to get to the goal
I live on a busy street in a small village. About 5 minutes away from us, there’s a huge housing estate and everyone who lives there has to travel on my road to get to the city centre for work during the morning rush hour. In addition, I live a stone’s throw away from a large secondary school. Each morning the traffic outside our house is manic as parents try to drop off their kids to school, driving slowly so as not to hit any of the hundreds of kids who amble on the pavement (side walk) on their way to school. The only thing that makes the morning rush bearable is the beautiful line of large trees which stand on the side of the road opposite our house.
This morning I stood at my window and watched as a tiny squirrel tried to make his way down this road (not across the road, just along the road). For some reason he felt he had to make this journey during the rush hour. He obviously couldn’t compete with the cars and cycles on the road itself, and with the kids taking over the pavement, a seemingly insignificant creature like our squirrel wouldn’t dare share this space with them. Who knows what they would try to do to him.
The little squirrel tested branch after branch on the first tree, (which lined the side of the road) and when he thought he’d found a sturdy one, leapt from tree 1 to tree 2. He did the same from tree 2 to tree 3, then continued through the line of trees until he was out of my sight.
So when you’ve tried something to death and you’re not getting any results, the problem in the equation may not be you. After all, you’ve worked hard and have given it all you have. You’re not stupid. You do have the skill and the dedication. It should all fall into place, but it isn’t happening. It’s so bad you’re beginning to lose your self-confidence. The only answer is, your method must not be right! There’s obviously another way you should be taking to get on that road to success.
Use the same energy and dedication you’ve put into your work, only this time, actually try a way that works. Follow the little squirrel and try hopping through the trees if the road you’re trying to travel on is totally jammed up.
If you liked More Ways Than One, please share it on your favourite networking sites or with someone who could use it. What about you? Have you recently stepped out of your comfort zone to try something in a different way? How did it work out for you?
Lots of people get frustrated when they run up against a locked door. They get all bent out of shape trying to break the door down or pick the lock. Sometimes the best solution is to take a step back, walk away and find a completely different door on a completely different building that’s unlocked.
John Robie recently posted..How Does Being An “Alpha Male” Really NOT Impress Girls?
I couldn’t have said it better, John. Sometimes too, we keep knocking on a door just because we think we want what’s inside, not because we really want to get in.
Self service can be a big downfall when it comes to finding our way in life. Serving the greater good always works out better and more fulfilling in the end.
Anne recently posted..Spicing Up Dull Wardrobes
Thanks, a good reminder. It’s interesting as I build my confidence I more want to do things my own way and i’m learning to balance that with trying other ways and being open to learning from others who have more experience how to do what i’m trying to achieve.
But I also believe in following my intuiton, but having a balance with both is good. 🙂
-Ben
Ben recently posted..LETTING GO OF YOUR RESISTANCE AND FEARS TO MAKE EVEN MORE POWERFUL AND CONSISTENT CHANGES!
Thanks for your input, Ben. I always say that if you can’t fit into someone else’s box you should build one of your own. That way you get to measure the dimensions before you jump in. 🙂
Anne recently posted..Choosing And Applying Paint
One thing I do when facing any challenge and after any kind of major event is a self evaluation. In the evaluation, I write down everything that went right FIRST to set myself into a more positive vibe. Then I go through and list what went wrong, and what if anything I could have done differently to change the outcome. Sometimes I can’t have done anything differently, but sometimes I could have.
I don’t do this to reproach myself though, which is why I go through the positives first. I do this to evaluate, see what I could do differently, and identify any issues that contributed to the outcome that were outside my ability to influence or control. Then, I remind myself of the postive outcomes and work on a plan to do anything I could have changed better the next time around.
doing this evaluation has helped me become more confident, learn from my own mistakes, and learn how to identify the issues that I have some control over and the ones that I don’t. However, it also takes some self honesty. sometimes I don’t want to admit that I messed up, but if it is going to work, you have to take complete responsibility for your own actions, or lack of them.
James Pruitt recently posted..How to Become More Confident And Stop Spending Every Night Alone
Thanks for your positive addition to the post, James. Your approach is vital if we are to really learn from our mistakes. It’s clear that we all make mistakes. There’s not denying this. The important thing is that we learn from them so we don’t stupidly commit them again.
Your approach is the way to go. As you said, it’s not about self reproach. It’s about assessment and evaluation – a sensible choice.
Welcome to the blog, James. I hope you can visit again and share your thoughts with us.
Anne recently posted..Notice Board For Kids Bedroom
This was a great read right here. There are more ways than one to achieve your goals. Its very comfortable for some of us to stay in our comfort zone I suppose. This brings us to a situation of staying idle in many times of our days and nights. I couldn’t agree with you more staying positive and open minded will take us further than we could possibly imagine.