I love quotes. You probably figured that out by now if you follow me on social media. I’m continually sharing what other people have said. Quotes inspire me.
Recently there has been a quote that keeps following me around. It keeps coming to me and pushing me. I put it on a sticky note on my computer, but I feel like I need to do more and share it with you. Here it is:
“We are kept from our goals not by obstacles but by a clear path to lesser goals.”
Robert Brault
Have you ever done this? Settled? Been afraid to make the big leap for your real goal because it was easier to go for a smaller one?
I have.
I’ve been doing it for years.
This quote is haunting me and pushing me to be more and to go for my big goals.
But the thought comes to me why now? With the economy like it is, you need to be more cautious. It would be stupid to take risks right now. And you don’t know enough, haven’t done enough. You can’t do it, so why try?
Do you have the same thoughts that torment you when you are thinking about going for your goals?
How do we get them to shut up?
Well, I’m not sure they will ever be completely silent, but for now, I’ve got them down to a low rumble in the back of my head. I’m trying to ignore them. When they get too loud, I take the time to write down all the reasons they are wrong. I also use the voices to fine-tune what I am doing to overcome the problems before I get to them.
And the best defense is I have a group of people who encourage me. They are willing to be the voice that counteracts the negative one if I don’t have to energy to do it for myself.
Why is this quote so important to me? I see all around me how people have chosen the easier path and stifled their genius. I see it in myself as well. I know how the lesser goals have helped lead me and prepare me for the greater ones, but I’ve also felt the pull of not continuing to my bigger goals. It is almost like being pulled into quicksand.
I remember one time in particular that I felt this. I had just finished a year of teaching at a private school. It was a dream teaching job in that they let me teach the way I wanted. It was almost like homeschooling in a classroom. The administration wanted me to come back the next year. I loved the kids and had fun doing it, but I knew it wasn’t where I wanted to be. It was a lesser goal. I could feel myself getting stuck there. It wouldn’t have been a horrible place to get stuck in, but it would have kept me from bigger goals.
This quote also gets me because we often push our kids into those “lesser goals.” We let them do what is easy because we don’t want them to fail. Or we encourage them to get a college degree that will make them money, even if they don’t like what they are doing.
I’ve tried to encourage my boys to take the more challenging routes to help them get to their bigger goals. Time will tell. The biggest thing I can do for them is be the voice that encourages them and supports them, counteracting the negative one in their head.