Have you ever thought about doing something or accomplishing something for a while and some amount of time passes only to find you are not closer to, possibly even further from, where you want to be?  Why is that?

There are a lot of reasons and explanations people can come up with, but I think of it very simply.  

 We live in a world where millions of American have great dreams and great ambitions, but far too often they go unrealized as time passes.  Once you have identified WHAT YOU WANT you must realize it lies upstream and the current of the world is constantly trying to take us downstream from it.

There are so many forces at work in our daily lives that try to cause us to drift away from our purpose and our goals.  The number one cause behind people drifting downstream further from their goals is distraction.  We live in a society of instant gratification.  So many things constantly compete for our attention and we are constantly sold lies through the media that there are short cuts to where we want to be.  The lottery sells a short cut to financial freedom.  Drug companies sell short cuts to happiness.  Plastic surgeons sell short cuts to weight loss.  By and large these are all lies.  

Once we understand what we want lies ahead upstream from us and once we realize every force in our daily life is trying to keep us from getting there we must decide to relentlessly pursue our goals, passions, and callings in life.  If you are headed upstream in a row boat and stop rowing you will eventually begin to drift downstream along with everyone else.  This is exactly what happens to us if we stop taking consistent, positive, daily action steps towards our goals.  

You can gain some great insights into how to better swim upstream and achieve your goals by reading The Slight Edge and Relentless: The Power You Need to Never Give Up .  What it boils down to in every decision we are faced with is deciding to take steps towards what we want most instead of what we want now.

Question: What is one action step you can commit to relentlessly executing every day to move you closer towards your goals?