Goal-Attainment Principle — Pay the Price

The price you have to pay for your success has to be paid in full and has to be paid in advance, so it is important to identify and pay the price. The problem is many people do not take time to identify the price they have to pay to achieve the goals they set for themselves. As a result they end up not getting what they want. 

To solve this problem, first ensure that all your goals are written down on paper. By doing this it makes it easier for you to crystallize your thinking on paper. Then, take one goal at a time and identify the price you have to pay to get it. I’ve found that different goals have different prices we have to pay but generally we have to make sacrifices whether it is in the form of pleasure time, or learning new skills. 

Sometimes the price we have to pay to reach our goals is to change— our thoughts, the negative voices in our minds, bad habits, and negative attitudes. Most people are unwilling to pay the immediate price of change; therefore, they do not change and pay the ultimate price. The truth is change is uncomfortable and sometimes we become so afraid of it that we may be willing to continue doing things the way we do, thinking and acting the way we do even if it is leading us away from achieving our goals, dreams, and visions. To overcome the fear of change is simple, although challenging to apply, and I love the way Mark Twain puts it. He said:

"Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain."

A basic fear of the unknown causes a natural resistance to change and the result is that although we have the desire to have, we do not have the desire to become. We have to become before we can have. For example, many people want to succeed but they are unwilling to become disciplined with themselves. It is the becoming that creates the initial fear as your self-concept will strive to remain consistent with what it is familiar with. This comfort zone throws up all kinds of resistance against change.

Furthermore, many people don't dare to dream about being successful because of the fear of paying the price. As it is easier to be more negative at the planning stage, the thought of having to pay a price of any kind is so daunting that the enthusiasm for achieving ambitions or goals can be diminished. 

To solve this problem, calculate what the cost is to you, compare it to the major benefits you'll receive from achieving your goal and you will see just how small the price is. :)

Gerard Ndzebir