So You Think Going Big Will Hurt You? Think Again
The Last Of The Six Lies That Stand Between You And Your Success
My father was a talented chef. He knew his way with the knives and spoons.
He was equally rewarded with promotions in the kitchen hierarchy for his excellent work.
But my father being the man he was (a story for another day), turned down those offers. And if he couldn't do that, he'd simply quit.
When my mother inquired why he would do so, one of his replies would be - "It would be too much responsibility and stress."
My father may have believed that going big would be a bad idea.
What he may not have realised was he had the wrong perception.
Big Is Bad Is A Lie.
This may not be the case for all, but many of us fear that if we are ambitious beyond our means, we'll gain stress and lose whatever precious time with family and friends.
Some of us fear that "big success brings crushing pressure and stress, and the pursuit of it robs them of not only the time with family and friends but eventually their health."
Then there is also the fear of going big and failing.
When such fears hamper your thinking, you start to go small. Staying within our comfort zones where we know we will not fail.
When we shrink ourselves, we inevitably do not live to our potential. That is where we fail.
It's Not About What You Achieve.
This is a lesson that I am finally wrapping my head around.
Whatever you do in your life, be it personal or professional, it's not about what you achieve.
Yes, the results are what we look forward to. The reason why we commit ourselves to a project or adventure. But if we solely focus on the results, we may be disappointed.
So what should we focus on?
We should focus on who we become.
You don't want to become a one-hit-wonder. You want to have sustained growth, which is proof of your success.
To do that, you must aim big. You must test your limits.
When you think of going big as to who you can become, you will be open to trying out new opportunities and seeing where it leads you.
Go Big, Dream Big
"Success requires action, and action requires thought."
The catch is - if you think small, you'll take small actions, and therefore have small success.
"Everyone has the same amount of time, and hard work is simply hard work. As a result, what you do in the time you works determines what you achieve. And since what you do is determined by what you think, how big you think becomes a launching pad for how high you achieve."
Let's say your aim is to have the best biceps in the city.
You started off with three or five kg dumbbells and were doing three sets of ten reps.
After a week or ten days, you'll notice that doing this dumbbell routine feels easy.
What do you do now?
Do you stop and say, "looks like I am done here"?
Or
Do you challenge yourself by trying a new set with heavier weights or keeping the weights the same but increasing the reps?
Of course, you'll challenge yourself because you know there's still potential to do more.
That is always the case with anything in human life. We always have potential. And it is we who, knowingly or unknowingly, limit ourselves.
When we think big and try to break out of our boxes, we will know there is no limit to what we can achieve.
"Achievement and abundance show up because they're the natural outcome of doing the right things with no limit attached."
(I recommend reading The One Thing by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan which inspired this article.)
You might also want to read -
The Six Lies That Stand Between You And Your Success
If You Think Everything Matters Equally, Think Again
So You Think You Can Multitask? Think Again.
So You Think You Can Have A Disciplined Life? Think Again
So You Think You Have Willpower On Speed-Dial? Think Again
So You Think You Can Have Balanced Life? Think Again