Have you wanted to accomplish something for a long time but have had trouble starting? Was it because you didn't know what to do? Or maybe you weren't "in the mood"? Or perhaps you told yourself, "not today, maybe tomorrow." Well, you're failing yourself and let me tell you why.

We all love to use excuses to justify our behavior. "I'm too tired...I'm busy...I don't have enough time," or the best of them all, "I just can't!" If we stood back and took a good look at ourselves then we'd understand the true barrier to beginning a new venture. Perhaps we're afraid of change or we're afraid to start something totally new or we're simply lazy.

"It isn't a goal unless you're willing to embrace it."

Embrace your goal. Make it a part of you. Every few hours remind yourself what all of your effort is for. Set your target outcome as your desktop background. Do something so that your objective is constantly visible and identifiable. If you don't understand your goal or don't think it's attainable, you won't start and won't be willing to put the effort necessary to achieve success. It isn't a goal unless you're willing to embrace it, so adjust your goal so that it motivates and excites you.

Push Yourself. Hard!

If you say: "I don't feel like it..." or "not now, I feel like watching TV instead" then you need to think hard about your behavior. You can't achieve your goals and become successful if you don't take the initiative and set the first step in the sand. You may need to make sacrifices and you'll definitely need a push every once and a while, but that shows the importance of taking your first step immediately. If you push yourself from day one, you'll be more likely to continue the effort in the future!

Take Your First Steps Immediately

Start now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now. Take the first leap immediately to begin your project. Whether that project be the formidable task of losing weight, starting a business, or simply meeting with friends that you haven't seen in a while. Take action now. Begin exercising and eating less now or set an appointment with your Doctor to discuss a weight loss plan. Do research for your new business or commit to a daily log of business ideas for future ventures. Call your friends to set a time and date to meet. Whatever your ultimate goal is, take action while it's still fresh in your mind.

Once you get started on a task, it's harder and harder to drop it -- even if it's small baby steps! If you reach stumbling blocks, run through possible solutions immediately. If you can't figure out a reasonable solution, book time with someone who can help. Waiting days or weeks to resolve a technical issue doesn't provide you with the momentum nor the mindset to accomplish your goal.

It's much easier to stop than start up again. If you never come to a complete stop, you'll never quite lose momentum. You'll always be moving.

So the question is, what have you done today to get closer to your goal? What are you doing now to begin, or restart a project that's close to your heart? Work out the kinks as you go. Whatever you do, Start now!

© Copyright 2003, Ronnie Nijmeh, ACQYR.com. Reprinted with permission of ACQYR.com. For more information and exciting, fresh motivational articles, visit:http://www.acqyr.com. Live. Learn. ACQYR.