Do I have what it takes?

Ever noticed how some things are set up to fail from the start?

Asking myself “Do I have what it takes?” is often one of those things. It’s as if, by asking, I’m implying the answer is: I don’t.

Follow this with me for a minute.

How am I supposed to know “what it takes”?

The only thing I know is who I am and what I’ve done. But why am I asking at all? If I’ve performed well, I wouldn’t need to ask. I’d already know.

So here’s why this question is set up to fail.

When I look at what I’ve done, I’m looking at the past. But when I ask “Do I have what it takes?” I’m making a decision about the future.

Every single Olympic record, without exception, was created by doing better than the past. The past might be a good starting point, but it’s definitely not the same thing as the future.

The question I’m learning to ask myself is: “Will I do what it takes?”

When I ask that, I’m no longer looking back, stuck on my failures. Now, I’m action-focused. My mind already starts organizing the steps needed to get to work.

And that’s when things begin to happen.

 

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This is post is part of a series on Success Habits.