Have you ever set a goal for yourself and committed to “start on Monday” or as soon as the New Year comes around? I’ve yet to meet a person who tells me about a goal and follows it up with, “I’m starting in five minutes.”
Why do we set significant, life-changing goals and then wait for a little more life to pass before we start working on them?
I’ll tell you why: It’s the damn ducks.
We’re waiting for our “ducks to be in a row,” in whatever form that looks like. But here’s the kicker: For every duck that falls in line, another duck in your life is wandering around, quacking to the beat of its own drum and refusing to follow your dreams.
We pretend to be disappointed that the ducks just aren’t in a row yet but on a more subconscious level, each duck is either an excuse that you’ve convinced yourself is true, or it’s allowing you to stay right where you are because in some way you believe you’re benefitting from staying right there.
Because “right there” is comfortable. You’re familiar with “right there.”
“Right there” is your comfort zone. Every inspirational image on Google will support the fact that it’s the exact location where nothing magical happens. It’s also where the ducks roam free and you get to keep eating cake for breakfast and putting off that life-changing goal that you’ll get to on Monday or the New Year.
Once upon a time, I was a Beachbody coach and we offered a three-day cleanse product that would help you “break the cycle” of bad eating habits, in preparation for your new goal of eating clean. A client once came to me and told me she had wasted three months waiting for three “perfect” days in a row that she could start the refresh. Sounds absurd, right? You spent 90 days of your life not eating clean because you were waiting for three days to help you start eating clean?
DUCKS. What the duck. But this is us every day.
Think of that big-ass goal you’ve been dreaming about. Now think about your timeline for starting it. And NOW… ask yourself why you’ve chosen that starting date. This should start bringing your ducks to the surface.
Here’s an exercise: Make a list of your ducks. Each duck represents a part of your life that either contributes to, or is standing in the way of, your big goal. Truly look each duck in the eye and even though it might be tough to admit that that duck exists for a reason, it will help you move closer to discovering and overcoming your personal obstacles.
Once you can see your group of ducks, you’ll be able to determine two things: First, is it necessary for each duck to keep existing in your life? If not, get rid of it. (Note: No actual ducks should be harmed in this exercise. I don’t need PETA emails.) Second, if the duck is a real and true obstacle, what is your plan to overcome it?
You may find that the biggest, scariest duck is actually not nearly as ducking difficult as you thought.
And no matter what, accept the fact that no matter how many ducks you decipher, you’ll never get them all to line up. Let them wander and get started right now.