How to [Fight Boredom and] Remain Focused While Working Towards Your Goals

Although everyone has goals and dreams they hold on to, sticking with them can be very difficult.

One major saying I hear from people on a regular basis is how they always start towards a goal with good intents but never seem to maintain their consistency to the very end. Sometimes they say things like “I have a constant struggle with mental focus and can’t seem to remain focused and follow through with whatever I start”.

You need not feel bad about that because you are not alone; I am just as guilty as everyone else.

Sometimes when I start a project, I lose focus after working on it for a while and try something else. Then I lose focus on my new goal and try another thing, and so the cycle continues. At the end of the day, I have started and stopped for so many times and have almost no progress to show.

Considering the fact that you’re reading this, I trust that you have found yourself in similar condition. This problem is a constant reminder of a lesson I learned during a workout some time ago…

The Myth of Passion and Motivation

There was this particular coach just so happen to be winningest coach in college football at the time, was watching a few athletes in the weight room on that fateful day. Just after completing my workout, I asked him “Coach Rob, what differentiates the best athletes from everyone else. What do these high achievers do that others don’t?”

Without wasting time, he mentioned the exact thing you might expect; talent, luck and genetics.

But he immediately added something I least expected. He explained how it all comes down at some point, to who could handle the boredom of having to do the same lifts and drills over and over again every single training day.

I was completely thrown off by his words as it was a completely different way of thinking about work principle. Many people always talk about getting excited and highly motivated, working towards their goals. Whether in sports, fitness or business, people always utter things like “everything boils down to having enough passion”.

For this reason, many people who lose motivation or focus tend to get depressed, thinking the successful ones possess some sort of unstoppable willpower which they lack. However, Coach Rob saying the exact opposite.

He implied that even the really successful people suffer the same lack of motivation and boredom felt by everyone else and do not have a magic pill that instills the feeling of readiness in them. The only difference is that people who remain focused to their set goals never let their actions be determined by their emotions.

Despite the inevitable, these top achievers still turn up, fight off the boredom and march towards their goal doing the required practice. According to him, the only difference between amateurs and professionals is the ability to get the job done when the going gets tough.

Working When It Gets Tough

Anybody can work when he or she is feeling motivated.

Long ago when I was the co-captain of my high school football team, going to practice after a big win was something I loved a lot. Who wouldn’t? The coach is excited, teammates are all pumped up and you are all feeling soar, yet unbeatable.

Being an entrepreneur, I enjoy working when things are going well and clients are rolling in. Achieving results is always a major boost. But what then happens when you get bored?

What happens when things get tough? What happens when you are not seeing the results you anticipated or when it feels like nobody cares?

Are you ready to push through 10 tough years of silence to get that contract, endorsement, or huge salary? The only thing that makes the difference is the ability to work and get stuff done (GSD) when the going gets tough.

It’s Not Always about the Event; It’s ALL about the Process

Frequently, we believe results determine our goals and imagine success as an event which can be achieved.

Below are some instances…

· Some people imagine health as an event; “I can only be in shape, if I can shed 20 pounds”

· Some people imagine business as an event; “I can only succeed if I can get my business featured in Forbes Magazine”

· Some people imagine writing as an event; “I can only have the credibility I desire, if my book becomes a New York Times Best Seller”

These instances are only a few of the numerous ways we classify success as an event.

But looking at these people who constantly accomplish their goals, you begin to understand that it is not always about the event or the results. It is only as a result of their dedication to the process. They have decided to be in love with the process and not the separate event.

The funny thing here is that this focus on the process is actually the only thing that will help you enjoy the results as they happen.

If you would like to be a successful writer, then of course, having a bestselling book is amazing. But falling in love with the process of writing is the only way to achieve such result.

If you would like that the world knows about your business, then of course, having it featured in Forbes magazine would be amazing. But falling in love with the process of marketing is the only way to achieve this result.

If you would like to be in the best shape of your life, then of course, losing 20 pounds may perhaps be essential. But falling in love with the process of consistent exercising and healthy eating is the only way to achieve such result.

If you would like to be exceedingly good in anything, your only option is falling in love with the entire process of doing it. You don’t have to just dream about the results you love to see, you have to be in love with creating the character of somebody who GSD.

To make a long story short….

Fall in love with the boredom. Fall in love with the repetition and the practice of getting better. Fall in love with the entire process of whatever you are doing and let the results reveal themselves.