WASHINGTON, March 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — For many, the journey to betterment stops dead in its tracks before even leaving the station, but whether the journey is one of self-improvement, business success, athletic accomplishments, or any other goal, success lies in making constant progress, no matter how small.
That’s the advice of executive IT thought leader and award-winning speaker David Hollingsworth, author of the book Get Out the Door!: How to Overcome Obstacles on the Road to High Performance (2021, Indie Books International).
“Success is rarely thrust upon you, and never happens without a decision to act, or first step into the unknown,” says Hollingsworth. “People avoid that first step like the plague, waiting for the ideal formula, perfect timing, or obvious opportunity—things that don’t exist in real life.”
Hollingsworth illustrates the advice in his book with his personal growth story, chronicling the journey from a motorcycle accident and spinal injury, going from a wheelchair to running the Marine Corps Marathon and becoming an award-winning speaker.
Hollingsworth’s candid account of his successes, and failures, frames his advice for approaching monumental life changes in small measurable ways, creating a mentality of constant growth. The most important aspect of any endeavor, according to Hollingsworth, is what you learn and take from the experience for your own growth, regardless of whether or not it technically or financially succeeds.
“If you learn something, anything, from the attempt, it’s a win. That’s how you move from ordinary to extraordinary,” says Hollingsworth. “I don’t think there’s a point in life where you can sit down and say, ‘I’m done. I’ve achieved everything I wanted to achieve.'”
Hollingsworth uses his journey to further illustrate how setbacks are temporary delays in a journey, rather than a dead end.
“The path to your goals is rarely a straight line,” explains Hollingsworth. “It’s full of obstacles, naysayers, left turns, and self-doubt. It’s hard to stay focused on the big goal when everyday life keeps throwing little things at you that try and knock you off-balance. No matter how consistent you are, sometimes life has other plans that will get in your way.”
A key component of Hollingsworth’s advice is a firm commitment to change, which doesn’t have to be huge, but needs to be consistent.
Here’s an excerpt from Get Out The Door! with tips on how to approach a commitment to change in ways that work for any stage of one’s growth journey.
You don’t have to hit rock bottom to turn things around. Many people have made major life changes when they had no alternatives left, but you don’t have to run out of choices to change direction. If you are dissatisfied with your current situation, you may not be able to fix it in one day, but you can at least take action to prevent it from getting worse.
You don’t have to fix everything. You did not get where you are overnight, and you won’t get where you want to go overnight, either. Change takes time, and lasting change takes effort. You can always make things better.
Do one thing. Then do the next thing. Choose one thing to change. Focus on it, and work on it. When that gets better, you’ll find you can accomplish more, and other things in your life can improve as well.
Start from where you are and go from there. I knew the road ahead was going to be difficult, but at least I had made the decision that I didn’t want to stay where I was. I didn’t know where the road would lead, but I was ready to get started. If you get started today and do something, I know it can lead to all sorts of wonderful and amazing changes.
Hollingsworth adds that frustration and setbacks are universal, but at the end of the journey, the roadblocks you’ve worked past only add to your accomplishment.
“Everybody has struggles and challenges in their life. While our individual challenges may differ, we all have places we want to go. We all have obstacles thrown in our way, and we all find ourselves frustrated with what life puts in front of us. True happiness comes from the struggle. Knowing you’ve accomplished something yourself can make all the hard work worthwhile.”