Motivation
*** The Devil Is In The Details
By Keith A. Shaw, President, Mind Body Spirit Central.com and SelfGrowth.com Official Guide To Motivation
Jan 11, 2008

Thoughts are powerful things. As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the potential to master your own thoughts, you hold the key to every situation, and contain within you transforming and regenerative energy and the ability to take action. From this you can achieve what you desire to do.

And as I have always said, “Every action you take, no matter how big or how small, defines EVERYTHING that you achieve in life.”

I recently read an article that said in order to get what you want in life, you do not have to know how it will come into your life. Just trust that it will. The article went on to say that, for example if you want a shiny, new red sports car, just by cleaning out your garage and preparing for it to arrive, voila, a new automobile will be yours. So, does that mean if I want a new Ferrari, Bentley or Rolls-Royce that’s all I have to do??? Hmmm…

There’s nothing wrong with wanting a full, rich life, love, better health, a successful career – or a shiny, new car.

But, many people just “wish and hope” that something good will happen to them. Yes, some people do just that, wish and hope. Then, when they do not get what they wish for, they point fingers and blame others for their current situation, circumstances and the reason for all their misfortune. They justify it by telling themselves it was not meant to be. As a result, self esteem and confidence suffers. And, they then develop the habit of counterproductive, negative thinking which will always lead them to a lack of motivation and further disappointment.

It’s no secret that wishing and hoping, is not a solid, productive, positive strategy. Just wanting a new car or to lose 25 pounds or to graduate from college or university is not enough.

In order to truly succeed in anything that you desire to do, you must have a detailed plan. You must attend to the “devil in the details”, the smaller details and milestones within your plan that if not included, or overlooked, can cause serious problems later on. Just like the problems experienced by those people in our example above.

For example, in our new car scenario, just saying “I want a new, red sports car” and cleaning out the garage is only the first of many steps. You must take the time to develop a detailed plan that is broken down into realistic details and achievable timelines on how you will get it. These plans will act as a roadmap that will guide you to the things you want.

The most success businesses and sports teams do not start their business year or game without a detailed plan that addresses not only the final outcome, step by step, but also plans for unforeseen circumstances along the way. You must do the same.

Do continue to dream big. Build the habit of positive thinking to get what you want.

When you are pragmatic, instead of wishing and hoping, and take the time to tend to the “devil in the details”, you will accomplish far more, than those that wish and hope.

As a result your confidence and self esteem will soar, leading you on to greater triumphs and victories.

Copyright 2008 by Keith A. Shaw and Mind Body Spirit Central.com, LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, audio or video recording or otherwise – without the written permission of the author and publisher.