Understanding Your Tendencies: Lesson III

At the end of each lesson in The Catalyst of Confidence there are short sections entitled “understanding your tendencies.” These sections are composed of a series of questions designed to help the reader understand and apply some of the information that was conveyed during the lesson. What follows is my commentary on these questions from Lesson III: Goals and Dreams.

1. Do you have goals and dreams?

This is pretty straight forward. Yes or no. You either do or you don't.

2. What are you currently working to accomplish?

What do you work to accomplish on a day-to-day basis? Anything specific? Do you just go to work and come home? Or is your activity focused on a definite objective?

3. Have you defined your goals and dreams in writing?

Again, this is pretty simple. You either have goals and dreams or you don't, and you either have them written down or you don't. If you have goals and dreams but haven't bothered writing them down read this.

4. Do you consistently focus on your defined goals?

It's one thing to have goals, and it's important to have them defined in a concrete way (on paper), but it makes little difference if you don't focus on them. Without consistent focus and concentrated effort, your written goals and dreams will likely become a “wish list" of things you wanted to do when you were younger.

5. Have you given your mind the necessary time to begin working out plans for your goals?

As explained in the book, it is not necessary to know “how” to accomplish something at the time you define it as a goal or dream. When you focus or concentrate on the object of your desire (your goal/dream) your mind will begin “working out” a method, in the form of ideas, that will aid you in determining “how” to accomplish it. These ideas provide a person with the “raw material” needed to develop a plan for the attainment of a given goal. Yet many times people become discouraged when “brilliant ideas” don't appear in their minds immediately. It is important to note that this process takes time. You shouldn't expect to figure it all out overnight, nor should you expect your initial plan to work flawlessly. Consistent concentration is necessary for problem solving and goal reaching, but so is time.

6. After you develop plans, how long do you wait before acting on them?

You shouldn't be waiting long. Immediately is preferable to “soon” or “someday.” Bottom line, if you have developed a plan, you should be acting on it. If you're not, your slowly but surely developing a habit of procrastination. People often postpone acting on their plans because they want to make sure their plans are perfect. After all, they don't want to make a fool out of themselves. Yet it is still better to get into action, even if you fail. The likely result of non-action, whatever its justification, is procrastination, paralysis and fear. When you act, at least you have something to work with, at least you have a ship to steer.

7. What does your ideal life look like?

To be honest, this question deserves a post of its own, perhaps soon. However, it should suffice to say that by defining an “ideal life,” a person provides oneself with a kind of “blueprint” or “standard” with which to evaluate and compare their current life circumstances. Of course a person shouldn't be depressed if every aspect of their so-called “ideal life” doesn't come to fruition. That, properly speaking, isn't the point of it. The concept of an “ideal life” is simply a useful tool that can be used as a means to making sound decisions. “Will this choice/action bring me closer to or further from my ideal life?”

8. If you could do anything, what would you do?

Few people will stop to actually consider such a question. Many will shrug it off or label it “impossible” or “impractical.” But if you could really do whatever it is that you would love to do—what would you do? And are your reasons for saying you “can't do it” really good reasons after all? Is it really impossible? Or would it just be extremely difficult? But perhaps more importantly, if you actually did it, would it be worth it?

9. Do you realize the mental process of bringing goals and dreams into reality can be used to solve personal problems?

See Running In Circles.