How to keep on going?

Every year in NYC is challenging for me. I thought it would get easier, but it is not, because I get more and more ambitious. It’s not NY fault; it’s my choice.

I could have a comfortable life, a steady job, and peace of mind if I wanted to, but… I don’t want to. I can’t blame anyone for that but me. I just can’t sit on my ass and be satisfied with what I’ve accomplished. I am proud of myself, of course, because I also think it’s crucial to acknowledge yourself for your success. When I achieve a goal, I stop and pad myself on a shoulder, say that I’m proud of myself and that I did a great job. I inhale my achievement and bask in it. But shortly after, I set a new goal for myself, because I love improving.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t make my life easier. I’ve struggled a lot this year because the stakes are going higher. The bigger the goal, the more struggle you encounter. I was asking myself, what keeps me going? And there are three essential elements.

The first one is this strong desire to achieve my goal. And my goal is more significant than me. It’s not that much about me; it’s about others. I know that if I succeed, others will too. And if I stop doing what I’m doing, I would take something away from others. That gives me the strength to carry on. When something is bigger than your ego and your comfort, you somehow get more courage and more fire in your belly to fight for it.

The second element, I always knew what kind of lifestyle I wanted to have. To get there, I do have to achieve those smaller goals along the way. If I don’t, it won’t happen. I can’t skip them, I can’t jump over them, can’t get from here to my biggest vision. It doesn’t work like that. You have to make a plan and execute it — step by step.

The third one is my friends and people who root for me. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to do it. As I’ve said a few times already – surround yourself with people who have your back and who believe in you. You can’t do it by yourself. Trust me – you can’t. The farther you go, and the more ambitious your goal is, the more you need this emotional support. I’m powerful, but I assure you that I need a lot of support too.

I did this exercise that I recommend you do. Take a piece of paper and write on top of it the goal you go after. Once you know what it is, write what’s the step before this goal, a line below. And a line below – a step before that. And continue doing so until you get to the bottom of your paper. The last point is the next step that you have to take now. It’s an excellent exercise for those who don’t know what they should do now. We’re overwhelmed with how big our goal is, so instead of doing something; we’re paralyzed and end up doing nothing. Take one step at a time. To know which one, you have to make a plan.

The most important thing is that you have to have this strong WHY you do it. For me knowing that I improve someone’s lives by opening their eyes for new possibilities, is everything. Find your WHY that will help you push forward when it gets challenging (and trust me – it will get.) If it’s not there, you most likely won’t get to the finish line.