Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

In It For The Long Haul

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Whether it’s a relationship, a work endeavor, or some new interest you’re pursuing the firm decision from the start to be in it for the long haul will surely play a huge role in a successful outcome because perception plays such a huge role in life. You view setbacks and failures much differently when you’re thinking long-term, you think of them as blips on the radar rather than insurmountable obstacles.

It’s sort of like when you embark upon a long road trip. You know the destination is really far away and that lets you just settle in, you relax and enjoy the scenery, you’re not too concerned about how soon you’re going to arrive because you’re well aware of how far you have to go. You just put that sucker in cruise control and get to work on steadily gobbling up those miles. Much different than encountering traffic on your way across town, where you quickly become riled up and anxious, frustrated that you’re losing those precious minutes.

Whatever it is you’ve decided to pursue, what’s the use of doing it at all if you’re not fully committed to being in it for the long haul? Time is the most precious commodity, but the reality is that anything worthwhile takes a lot of time to accomplish. The idea of changing your perception in order to think long-term from the beginning is especially relevant if your life path is littered with interests and pursuits that started out red hot but quickly flamed out to be replaced by something else.

The only way to achieve mastery at anything is to stick with it, and that means throwing the gauntlet down, telling yourself from the start that regardless of your flagging motivation levels or obstacles you encounter along the way you’re going to stay dedicated and keep at it no matter what. Remind yourself that it’s a long process, it can’t all happen in a day, and that if it were that quick and easy everyone would have already accomplished what you have set out to do.