Am I allowed to do that? We have all been conditioned since childhood to ask this question. Many of us still stop to ask this question before we pursue the life of our dreams. Guess what? There is only one person whose permission matters to you.
Do you know the only rule of goal success? Find out in this week’s Goal Success by Choice.
Amuse Bouche
Before we get to today’s post, I offer you this light “amuse-bouche” to entertain your mind before we get down to business. Like any other amuse-bouche, you may hate my “dad joke,” but it is worth every penny that you paid for it, right?
A bear walks into a bar and tells the bartender, “I’d like a whisky and………… coke”
The bartender asks the bear, “why the long pause?”
The bear says, “I don’t know. I was just born with ’em.”
Goal Success by Choice
Do you have dreams that you are trying to make come true? Do you have a goal that you are trying to crush? Success doesn’t happen by chance. Success is a series of choices that can make you unstoppable. Goal Success by Choice helps you make these choices to move you closer to your goals.
Are you ready to help build a world where no goal dies of loneliness?
Whose permission will you need to chase your big goal?
The only permission, the only validation, and the only opinion that matters in your quest for greatness is our own.
Steve Maraboli
A friend of mine (let’s call him Dave) had a fire burning inside him.
Dave had a passion-project developing and had a great idea. He couldn’t wait to pursue his passion, and he was ready to get started. Since he was just getting started, this project would be a side hustle, meaning he would keep his day job. He was very excited and making all the right moves to set himself up for success.
When it came time for Dave to incorporate his business around this side hustle, he paused. He almost didn’t move forward. Dave was concerned and said, “am I allowed to have a business if I am still working in my day job.”
Dave almost lost his nerve to pursue this passion because he didn’t think he had permission to do it.
Asking Permission
Have you ever found yourself stopping to ask permission to do something? Of course, you have.
Would I get in trouble if I started a blog?
Is it ok if I write this book?
Can I call myself a writer? A leader? A coach? An athlete?
Could I sign up to run my first half marathon?
Would it be wrong if I started this business?
Would it be ok if I applied for that job even if I am not one hundred percent qualified?
We often stop to look for external validation that it is ok to take that next step. This is how we are taught to behave from a young age, especially in school. From speaking to going to the bathroom, we have to ask somebody for permission to take that next step. As we mature, we extend this permission seeking to other aspects of life. We believe we need to check whether or not the masters of the universe will approve of our idea.
Unfortunately, pausing to ask for permission can interrupt our momentum and cause us to second-guess ourselves. This might cause us to pull the plug on a goal that would have become a big success.
Asking permission can prevent us from even getting started and cause our goals to die of loneliness.
The Only Rule of Goal Success
I have learned one important rule about pursuing goals: there are no rules.
Yes, there are laws that you can’t break. But, outside of that, you make your own rules.
Here is a personal example of how quickly asking for permission can turn into giving up our goals.
I once paused to ask if I was allowed to call myself a writer. I had written a weekly blog for almost two years and had self-published a book. But was I really allowed to call myself a writer or an author?
Asking this question triggered me to start discounting my achievements in my quest to seek permission. My first book (and my second) was just self-published. I haven’t sold thousands of copies of the book yet. My blog wasn’t being read by that many people each week, writing isn’t my day job, and I don’t have any formal training or experience as a writer.
The list of ways I told myself that I wasn’t good enough goes on and on.
My internal conversation about calling myself a writer needed to pivot a bit.
Should I call myself a writer?
Do I do the work? Do I write?
Yep.
Then, hell yes, I am a writer! And I am getting better at the craft every day.
There is no rule that tells me that I can’t call myself a writer!
You Don’t Need Permission
So, whose permission will you need to chase your big goal? Yours!
The only permission that matters is your own. The only rules that matter are your rules.
If you have an idea, a passion, a calling, give it a try. If it is important to you and you are willing to put in the work to do it, who has the right to tell you no? You don’t need anyone else’s permission to pursue and crush your goals… to be who you want to be… to live your best life.
Give yourself permission and get out there and do the work. Your goals and dreams are just a couple of choices away.
So What?
Am I allowed to do that? We have all been conditioned since childhood to ask this question. Many of us still stop to ask this question before we pursue the life of our dreams. Guess what? There is only one person whose permission matters to you. Do you know the only rule of goal success?
Are you looking for a permission slip to live the life of your dreams? I’ve got one for you!
Click Here to learn more about my Operation Melt coaching services.
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