Execution Delivers Success

We have reached the last letter in the word change. We've talked about commitment, help, action, no negative, get excited, and now we're down to execution. It's good that execution is the last focus in this study because in many ways it anchors all the others. All those other words and letters won't deliver success without execution.
Frankly, this is where many efforts at goal achievement fail. Why? Because there's one nasty little secret about achieving worthwhile goals, they require that little four-letter word. They require work!
Let's think about a person who has set a goal to learn to play golf. This guy has friends who play golf, friends he really enjoys spending time with.
Playing golf with them would provide that. Maybe this person has often looked at golf
courses and thought about how nice it would be to spend time in that environment, plus, he really enjoys overcoming a challenge.
So, our prospective golfer sets a goal and commits to learn the game. He seeks out a professional instructor who will work with beginners. The instructor lays out a plan of how many lessons will be needed, how much practice time (at the driving range) will be needed between the lessons, and so on. Our guy has friends who really want him to join him on the course, and they offer plenty of assurances and encouragement to our golfer. Our guy is excited!
So, our beginner takes his first lesson. He goes to the driving range the first time and practices. It's OK, but more difficult than he had expected.
The next night he skips time on the driving range to see a favorite TV show. He goes back to practice off and on, goes to the next two lessons, and is not seeing a lot of progress. He forgets the next lesson.
Do you think our "golfer" is going to reach his goal? Regretfully, no. Why not? He had the plan, the encouragers, the commitment (he thought), and the excitement. What happened? That word: Execution. Actually, to be more accurate, what happened was lack of execution.
As you set out on your journey, you may run into some of the same challenges. Even when you're executing, the progress may be slower than you want or expect. Stay with your plan; or, if your mentor advises, you might adjust your plan. The reason your plan includes progress measurements, or checkpoints, along the way is to make sure the plan is working for you. The plan may need adjustment, but you will never know unless you are truly executing what the plan calls for. You may report results to your mentor that you think are discouraging and your mentor responds with "Great! Just keep doing what you're doing." You were hoping for a new plan, maybe something easier or faster!
Remember, achieving a worthwhile goal requires effort and discipline. That's why this last word is so important. Stay with it, stay focused on your goal, maintain your enthusiasm, and execute!
You will reach your goal, you will succeed!