Have you ever had a Dream? Maybe you wanted to achieve a new level or rank in a business, or get that great promotion. Maybe it was to get married and raise a bunch of great kids. Maybe it was to feed 1000 people, help start a church, or raise $100,000 for your favorite charity.
If you have, I bet you proceeded to set some Goals. You took the big Dream, broke it down into manageable Goals, and then began to do the daily Tasks necessary to arrive at your Dream.
So many people have gone down this path. Some have made it all the way, and if you are one who has, then Congratulations.
Unfortunately, many more people have had a Dream, gone through the process above…and did not accomplish their Dream. Why? I believe that many times it was because they did not truly think about …
The Monotonous Middle.
You see, having a Dream is great, and so is accomplishing it. In a minute I will discuss the Middle. First, let’s talk a bit about either side of the Middle.
THE START
You had a Dream. You got excited. You thought something, saw something, or spoke to someone about an idea that resonated with you. You had a great and mighty level of expectation. Adrenaline rushed through your body. Endorphins flowed freely. You were downright giddy. Thus you began the process of Goal setting and creating an Action Plan with Tasks.
THE END
You did it! Fantastic! The crowd went wild. The wedding was amazing. Your coworkers said they were all proud of you for becoming the Head of your department. You earned that bonus, that company car, that trip. All was great in your world.
THE MIDDLE
Everyone can relate to The Start. As I said earlier, some can relate to The End that I described above. Now let’s talk about The Middle – The MONOTONOUS MIDDLE.
Success does not happen because you have a Dream.
Success does not happen because you arrived at your Dream
Success is truly created in between the Start and the End.
The Middle of any process many times is boring. It is full of tedious tasks that you do every single day. It is making those calls – and then more calls – and then more calls. Day after day.
It is counting calories, measuring your portions of food, and walking more miles than you really want to. And then doing it again the next day – and the next day – and the next day.
My wife of almost 18 years put it this way: “Getting pregnant all 3 times was fun. (I absolutely agree with her assessment.) Giving birth was exciting and glorious. It was just those months in between that were uncomfortable, sometimes painful, and seemed to last forever.”
The same can be said of any process. The beginning is full of hope and excitement, and the accomplishment of any worthwhile goal is amazing. If we could just learn how to handle the Middle…
Here is an idea that might help you with the Middles of your life:
MAKE THEM FUN.
That’s right, make them fun. I do not mean that you have to spend a lot of money or time in the Middle, but do something to lighten the mood. People say they cannot wait until Friday, or the Weekend. Try this: plan a Wednesday lunch with a friend. Maybe make Wednesday night Board Game night with your family. Plan the last 15 minutes of your Wednesday lunch break to call a long-distance friend with whom you have not spoken in years.
Many people get excited about Year End. They cannot wait for all the parties, the college football bowl games, and the buying (and receiving) of gifts. New Year’s Eve is celebrated around the world like there will never be another party.
Try this: plan now to create your own Mid-Year’s Eve Party. Celebrate the beginning of the second half of the year that starts on July 1. I mean, why not? It is YOUR LIFE. You choose when to celebrate. You do not have to wait until the rest of the world tells you when you can.
The Middle exists in every process in life. It is up to YOU to choose whether to make them the Monotonous Middles, or the Marvelous Middles.
I know you will make the wise choice.
