You‘re Hoping
Though this may sound similar to dreaming, hoping is a distinct problem that causes many to fail. Where dreaming is out of touch with reality, hoping is a mild desire to have something someday. If that sounds pretty vague, that‘s exactly my point.
Before I go on, let me clarify that I am not talking about faith. You must have faith, and the hope that goes with it, if you are to succeed at anything. Faith is often described as the belief in something unseen and you will constantly need that to move through life.
There is a contrast between a faith like that - a belief - and simply hoping. When asked if they think they will attain such and such in their life (fill in the blank with whatever you want) most people will answer "I hope so". To me, that‘s a milk toasty answer that basically means "I dunno". It‘s not the most powerful statement to build a life around, is it?
I have found that successful people, don‘t talk like that. They speak in absolutes. They can clearly state their goals and the path that they are taking to reach those goals. They do not hope to succeed, they are moving towards success. They are positive about who they are, what they can do, and how they will get to their goal.
Do they have all the answers?
No.
Does everything they touch work?
No.
Do they know exactly what they want?
Yes.
One of the main symptoms of hoping is what a friend of mine calls "fuzzy dream syndrome" This occurs when people aren‘t really sure WHAT they want to do, how they want to do it or for how long. They will use terms like the following:
"I want to be a success"
"All I want to do is work"
"If I get this gig, everything will be great"
"I don‘t know what I want to do, as long as it involves music"
These are not goals, they are just hopes. Read back over them and ask yourself how these people will know they‘ve succeeded. They won‘t, because the "goals" are vague and empty.
How ‘bout these instead?
"My goal is to write a Grammy winning song"
"Within 5 years, I will play guitar with a million-selling artist"
"I‘ll take this gig because it will give me the experience and exposure I need to get the attention of _____________"
"I‘ve decided to be a local recording, or live engineer because I don‘t want to travel"
Which statements are more effective? Which group of people do you believe is likely to reach their goals and be happy? Make sure you‘re in the second group.
One last thought. Make sure you‘re goals are SMART goals:
Specific -- know what you‘re working towards
Measurable -- know you‘re progress
Attainable -- know the goal is reachable
Realistic -- know you can reach that goal
Tangible -- know it when you reach it (then set a higher goal)
Oh, and don‘t think You‘re a Star!
