I think the cause of a lot of people (including myself) not succeeding in a given endeavor is due to a lack of vision and the correct amount of discipline to maintain that vision. In their book Conquer the Chaos, Clate Mask and Scott Martineau talk about the importance of defining what success means for you or your business. They mention that, “It’s amazing to us how many people don’t do this. They’re toiling away, day after day, without really knowing what they’re working toward.”
If you don’t know what it is you want to achieve to make you happy, then how will you ever know when to rejoice? It may seem silly, but it’s true. I meet a lot of people who simply say that they just aren’t happy. However, deep down inside, most of them have never really taken a chance to sincerely ponder about what it is they think will make them happy.
By taking a few moments to think about what you’re after, you will be amazed at the progress you can make. I like to set goals for almost everything I do. Once I define an achievement, I write it down and then review it daily. When I was in high school I wrote down my goals on a piece of paper and taped it above my light switch. That way, it was the first thing I saw when I woke up and the last thing I saw before I went to bed.
It is often said that nothing can withstand human persistence. I believe that the persistence we need comes as a result of having a clearly defined goal to reach our own idea of success.