“Good things might come to those who wait, but they come a lot faster to those who hustle”

Perhaps one of the greatest myths floating out there is the belief that we should apply patience when it comes to manifesting the things we want. Like if we just sit back and wait we will eventually get everything we want, because anything worth having takes time.

This belief system could not be further from the truth!

In reality, every day all around us, goals are being accomplished, dreams are being fulfilled, businesses are being launched, and relationships are being repaired – and these things are happening FAST! Success has more to do with aligning yourself with great opportunities (or creating your own opportunities) and less to do with some obscure passage of time.

If you’re really serious about accomplishing your goals, here are five unconventional steps to follow:

1. Be impatient. Be uncomfortable with the status quo. Listen to the nagging voice in the back of your mind that says, “There’s more for me out there than this”. Don’t just listen to that whisper, play it in top volume! Let it get under your skin and keep you up at night until you get to the point that not taking action, not pursuing your goals, feels incredibly uncomfortable. The more uncomfortable you become with the way things are, the more likely you are to actually take action steps to improve your life.
2. Keep moving. Taking time to reflect is important, but many of us fall into the trap of “analysis paralysis” (where we spend so much time trying to figure out how to proceed that we actually don’t get anywhere). Just pick a path and go for it. If it turns out you went the wrong way, circle back and try something else, and keep trying something else until you land on the right path. Movement creates momentum. Stop waiting and pondering, and just go!
3. Fail Fast. When it comes to embarking on a new journey, there’s a pretty high likelihood that there will be a few missteps along the way. Like a baby learning how to walk, you might find yourself taking a few stumbles along the way. The secret is not to avoid failing (or falling). That would be a complete waste of your time, as failure is part of the process. Instead, your game plan should be to figure out how to recover quickly and get back in the action. Pay attention to what mistakes you make so you don’t make them again, and use every failure like valuable feedback pushing you towards greater success.
4. Seek out overnight success examples. There are lots of examples of people who worked at their goal for decades until finally getting a tiny little glimmer of success. You know what else is out there? Countless examples of people who were fast tracked. People who stumbled upon great success because they took a chance, or took advantage of amazing opportunities and aligned themselves with the right people. Seek out those stories. When you start believing that it can happen for you, and fast, you increase the likelihood of that actually happening. Change the narrative that success has to take time – adjust your expectations.
5. Set unrealistic time expectations that scare you a little. Let’s do away with playing it safe. Instead of giving yourself a year to write that book, why not give yourself a month or two? Sure it’s possible that you won’t make the new deadline, but there’s also a great chance that you’ll finish the book in less time that you originally anticipated. Take another look at the time constraints that you’re giving yourself to accomplish your goals. If you’re comfortable with it, you’re playing it too safe. Speed up the time line – be a little scared and let that energy push you forward.

This is your life, and your journey. Resist the urge to make excuses, take it slow, or play it safe. Take the leap and trust that you’ll find your wings along the way. When you truly believe that it’s possible, and you start expecting success, and taking consistent action to move you forward, you’ll be amazed at the incredible things you can accomplish.

A year from now you’ll wish you’d started today”

Right now, in this moment, there is probably something that you want to do with your life that you’re not doing. Just give yourself a moment to really think about it. Close your eyes, take a long deep cleansing breath, and allow yourself to go there. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a huge life-changing thing (although it could be). Perhaps you’ve always wanted to learn to play a musical instrument or speak a foreign language, or maybe you’ve had a dream of moving to a new city, launching a whole new career, or starting a business. Whatever it is, just take a moment and think about that thing.

Now I want you to do something else with that thing you just thought about – imagine if you’d taken the necessary steps and pursued it exactly a year ago today. What if, over the past 365 days, you had taken some action towards that goal. Where do you think you’d be right now?