The Fire Within

How badly do you want to achieve your goal? How much are you prepared to sacrifice along the way?
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With the start of the new year, all of us have a new focus -- a new burning desire to achieve our dreams, to make our 'maybe I cans' turn into 'yes I did its'.

The truth of the matter though, is this:

You can have all of the determination and drive in the world - all of the passion, the vision and purpose imaginable - but unless you are able to answer the following question with honesty (and the correct response), then that 'yes I did it' is not going to materialize.

How hungry are you?

How badly do you want to achieve your goal? How much are you prepared to sacrifice along the way?

How hungry are you?

How many people do you know who have said 'I really want X or Y' and have set themselves out plans, roadmaps, vision boards - and four years later those plans are sitting untouched and forgotten, because they weren't prepared to give their absolute heart and soul to the getting of X or Y? This doesn't make them bad people, or bad leaders, or bad entrepreneurs. It makes them like 99% of us, who don't have that singular inner heat, that fire in the belly which sets aside the extraordinary people who are willing to say 'I am starving' when asked the metaphorical hunger question.

If you have that fire, you:

  • take risks and accept the consequences of those risks
  • zig where others zag
  • put hours in outside of the 9-5 without fuss and without complaint
  • not only think outside the box, but redesign the box, rebrand the box and relaunch the box as a great place to visit
  • accept (and seek out) constructive criticism from mentors
  • look for outside influences and network actively across sectors and industries
  • make the most of every opportunity presented to you and seek out chances to improve your business knowledge

2015 is a great year to be looking to a business future. There are a myriad of opportunities for those willing to seek them out and grab them by the throat. It's also scary as hell, because the future is, as I am very fond of saying, extremely uncertain and fast-paced. If you have that fire within, use this period at the start of the year while everyone is still feeling sluggish to really clarify where you want to be sitting at the start of 2016 - and then seize the day, the month, the year.

Otherwise, what are all your amazing dreams but forgotten New Year's resolutions?

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