To climb steep hills
Requires slow pace at first.

If you think of your goal as a steep hill, imagine how ridiculous it would be to stop midway just because you’re slowly scrambling up instead of sprinting all the way to the top. That’s precisely what many people do when they start working on a new goal and realize that the journey will take longer than they expected.

What difference does it make that reaching a goal takes you longer than you planned? If you want to climb a steep hill, will you stop climbing it because you can’t climb it in two hours, but can in three? Will you retreat to the bottom of the hill and forever stare at its peak, frustrated by the dissatisfying pace of the climb?

Another mistake is the assumption that if something is slow in the beginning, it will stay that way.

When I started my career as a self-published author, I tried several different genres. Things were going slow at the beginning because I needed to figure out which genre and style fitted me best. Once I established the proper direction, I released my first bestseller, then the second, and soon there was a snowball effect. How wise would it have been to give up during the first several months, frustrated by the slow pace?

We often limit ourselves because we don’t think we can achieve something. Today it may be hard for you to imagine that you can live without dessert or that you can live below your means. It doesn’t mean it’s impossible, though; it’s only your subjective opinion, not a fact of life.

Moreover, thinking that you’re unlikely to win means that you’ll put in less effort than you could. Why would you work your fingers to the bone if you were uncertain of success?

Rock climbing has made it particularly clear to me. When you approach the route thinking that it’s beyond your abilities, you won’t do your best. After all, why try your best if you know that you aren’t going to climb it anyway?

You’ll most likely give up when you encounter the first obstacle, while a person thinking they can climb it will fight as hard as they can to keep climbing. In the end, the person that doesn’t believe in their abilities will give up along the way while the person that is certain of their abilities will reach the top.

Periodically try things that you think are outside of your ability with a positive attitude and the belief that you can succeed. Chances are you’ll get a positive surprise and achieve something you thought was beyond your reach.