Reach for the Sky—Tomorrow May Never Come

It’s a line from a song I like by Social Distortion, “Reach for the sky, because tomorrow may never come.” I don’t live my life by songs, but this is a one of the adages I do try to follow. How many people do you know, maybe even you, that say the word “tomorrow” way too much?

Perfect Moments Need Not Apply

This is a sign I’d hand outside of my store if I had one. The difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn’t is usually pretty striking. Take a look at these two examples:

1. The unsuccessful person is unsure and afraid. He or she will wait for the stars to line up before taking action. Example: “As soon as I get some time, I will . . .”
2. The successful person is confident (perhaps cocky—not good by the way) and bold. Sure, he or she knows mistakes and setbacks happen, but that’s not going to stop anything. This person figures out what he or she wants and starts taking action toward it. Example: I wanted to write a book about some tactics I use in business. Rather than waiting for the perfect moment or getting bogged down by all the possible items to cover in the book, I just sat down in the middle of the day and started writing the first chapter. By the way, that book is now complete.

The Excuse of Tomorrow Will Kill You

Ask yourself this: when you say you’ll do something later or “start tomorrow,” why do you do it? Many time it’s laziness.

Sure, there are times when you can’t start something today. For example, I want to run 5k today. However, I hurt my leg two days ago and I need one more rest day to recoup and get back out there.

The difference is, that’s a valid reason. I can’t do anything about it except run anyway. And if I do that, I’ll get injured further and have more downtime, which is stupid.

Next time you find yourself saying “tomorrow” or “later,” ask yourself why you’re waiting. Is there REALLY a valid reason or are you just being lazy?

By the way, I’m not picking on you. We all get lazy from time to time—I know I do. The key here is to limit it as much as possible.

How to Fail, Guaranteed

The easiest way to fail is to be a “tomorrow” person. These people will put off business so they can watch the latest reality show, go out to a party, play video games or do anything else, but work & succeed.

Look, you can have a blast—I sure do. But unless you’re living the life you want, have a sense of urgency and priority.

How to Reach for the Sky

• Take action.
• Don’t put things off unless there’s a valid reason (like not running because you’re injured).
• Break goals down and start moving forward. Example: don’t put off writing a book, because you’re thinking about writing the whole thing and how much work is involved. Instead, sit down and write a chapter or the outline or a couple pages—anything.
• Be bold. Mistakes happen. You don’t need to be perfect to accomplish your realistic goals. I can make money in the stock or currency market even when I get things wrong. I just need to be right a percentage of the time. You can do it!
• Network! Connect with other people. You might find other business opportunities. Networking is also great for connecting with others like you. You’ll feed off their energy and it can really get you going.

No Daydreaming Allowed

Reaching for the sky isn’t about having your head in the clouds with unrealistic goals. Yeah, I’d like to be the next Warren Buffett, but come on, that’s unlikely.

You need to have realistic, obtainable goals. Yes, it’s okay to make bigger goals as long as you have ways to take action on them.

See what’s wrong with the Warren Buffett goal? It’s too vague and not tangible. There’s no real path to follow. Focus on goals you can achieve, like:

• Writing a book
• Putting up a website
• Scoring a specific client or clients in a specific industry
• Learning something, like how to write an iPad app
• Writing X articles this year
• and so on

Make today count!

Got another idea about how to reach for the sky? Have you recently made a change in your life to make things better? Want to inspire someone? I’d love to hear from you. Post your comment below!