I remember coaching an outstanding young associate who soon thereafter became a partner in her firm.

On thing she wanted to focus on was preparing a plan for the year that would work for her. So as we got started I asked for her to share her goals  with me.

She started with a goal of bringing in a certain amount of business from her own clients. I then asked how she had estimated the amount of business. She replied she had based the estimate on what she had in the pipeline for her one big client.

I then asked is she felt she was limiting herself by setting a goal she was pretty certain she would reach. I told her she might be focused on not failing rather than focused in succeeding.

Are you like the lawyer I coached ? Are you limiting yourself to what you feel confident you can achieve?

When I practiced law I can’t tell you exactly why but I started setting financial goals that other lawyers said I would not be able to achieve. I wanted to push myself. I wanted to be able to visualize something really big.

 

Have you ever heard of James Allen, an English author in the late 1800s? I bet most of of you haven’t.  He was a self-help guru when self-help gurus weren’t cool.

Here are just a few of his quotes on self-motivation.

“You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration.”
“To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve.”
“For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?”
“All that you accomplish or fail to accomplish with your life is the direct result of your thoughts.”
If you want to learn more about self motivation, I recommend reading: Self-Motivation Explained + 100 Ways To Motivate Yourself. In the meantime, don’t limit yourself. Think about your own definition of success and then ask: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?