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unrealistic expectations

Ambition Can Make You Feel Like a Loser (even when you’re winning)

June 1, 2015 by Mary Cravets

The other day I was moping about because I wasn’t making a million dollars a day, or some other such “realistic” expectation. I moved on to kicking myself for all the things I hadn’t accomplished yet, and all of the things I haven’t perfected.

Isn’t it frustrating how being an ambitious big thinker can make you feel like you’re a loser? This is a common hazard for entrepreneurs. We always see that next goal, that next accomplishment – and even as we’re achieving our goals, we are simultaneously aware of how we are falling short.

June 4 article imageThen a memory popped into my mind that helped me put things into perspective.

Several years ago I made my first significantly-priced offer to an audience. I was completely terrified, and ended up with a brutal migraine that lasted three days. I was close to swearing off speaking engagements entirely after that experience, thinking I just wasn’t cut out for it.

That memory made me reflect on how far I’d come. These days, I make that same “significantly-priced offer” without batting an eye, make really good money… and never get a migraine.

So if you’re feeling frustrated looking up at a seemingly unreachable top of the mountain, this is my suggestion: take stock of how far you’ve come. There are things you’re doing today that in the past would have terrified for you. Instead of kicking yourself, look at what you’ve overcome, what you’ve learned, and appreciate even the small steps you’ve made.

Use this appreciation as validation of your abilities, and the fuel in your tank to rocket you to that next big goal.

What accomplishment can you use as motivation today?

Filed Under: Mindset Tagged With: entrepreneurship, frustration, making offers, motivation, progress, realistic expectations, speaking, speaking engagements, unrealistic expectations

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