"I respect the man who knows distinctly what he wishes. The greater part of all mischief in the world arises from the fact that men do not sufficiently understand their own aims. They have undertaken to build a tower, and spend no more labor on the foundation than would be necessary to erect a hut." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) - German writer, scientist, master of poetry, drama and novel Recently, I attended a course which was aimed mainly at people who want to start their own business, or in my case, who want to make sure that they have done everything correctly when setting up their business. The attendees ranged from those whose business was just an idea and they were there to find out what they need to do to get it up and running, to those who were further advanced and nearly ready to go. What has become apparent to me is that it doesnt matter what your idea is and how advanced you are in your plans and arrangements, if you havent done the groundwork your business will be on very shaky foundations. This relates to so many things we aim to achieve in life. The groundwork may be quite tedious and laborious, but without it, the rest will either never be constructed, or if it is, it will come tumbling down around your ears very dramatically! What foundations do you need to put in place to give you a firm start? What are your challenges? What do you need to face up to? Who do you need to talk to, to seek advice or assistance from? Are there courses being offered in your area that could help you build strong and stable foundations for your future? Take action to get those first blocks in place to move you forward. So many times I hear I know what I should be doing. If that is really the case, why not make this the day to start doing it? Stop putting it off. And if you really dont believe that you need to do it, forget about it. If you are not convinced that it is something that you need to be doing, then you are never going to put in the effort to do it properly, if at all. And if it really needs to be done, either do it yourself as best you can and get it out of the way, or find someone else who is willing to do it for you. What are your dreams? Have you really thought them through? What can you do today that will bring you closer to those dreams? You may have to break down from there to now in smaller steps, but if you plan it correctly those steps will be steady and sure and will lead you to achieve your goals. Get going! Putting the groundwork in and then following through requires you to be fit for the job. Have you looked at the people on a building site, especially those who are involved in the first stages of getting the foundations in correctly? Have you ever seen one who was unfit and not able to do their share? It is a very physical job and those who arent up to it soon fall by the wayside. Get fit for your future by putting the effort in now and sticking to it. Starting something new takes commitment. Have a really good think about what you are doing and whether you really want to be doing it. If you are, then do it to the best of your ability if not better! This is for you, so go for it! Even if you are past the foundation stages of what you are doing, it never hurts to add something fresh to your thinking and actions. Is there something new that you could introduce to add value to what you are doing? Is there someone whose ideas or expertise you think would help to move things along? Dont get stuck in the mindset of this is the way its always been done. Sometimes the way it has always been done is fine, but often we should re-examine our practices and processes and see if they need a little adjustment. What do you think needs tweaking for you? Sometimes we need to approach challenges and problems by thinking out of the box. Its time to use your creativity. Use your vision and instincts, as well as your experience and skills to construct new ways of doing things. Often it seems that doing the groundwork can appear a thankless task. It is often boring and time-consuming, but time and time again those people who have skipped over that bit have had their project and dreams collapse around them. Dont let that be you. Put the foundations in as best as you can and the rest of the construction will rise accordingly strong, stable and secure. |
