Before the Great Depression of the 1930s, we had already experienced a Great Depression.
It was in the late 1800s and we actually called it the Great Depression until the 1930s rolled around and everyone was like – Oh wow. This definitely feels greater than that other depression. Let’s change the names.1
Between the late 1800s and early 1900s (prior to the 1930s depression), the United States went through even more tumult; some for better, some for worse.
In the span of a few decades, the people experienced World War One, electricity in their homes, the women’s suffrage movement, the introduction and mainstream adoption of cars, and planes, and movies, and phones. There was prohibition, factory-wide machinery, and the use of epidurals.2
Are we any different?
Picture living during that time. You go out, grab the paper, and see what new, history-altering headlines have sprung up overnight.
It’s not that hard to imagine though, right? Because our lives are just as chaotic as theirs.
We still have war and disease. Civil unrest and natural disasters. New technology and major economic swings. And yet, you exist. You are here, reading this right now. Worrying about the same things that previous generations too worried about.
- Is there enough money?
- Do we have enough food?
- Are the children safe?
- Is my job safe?
*Note: Stop worrying and start achieving your goals with my goal success course! Learn more here.
The moments after
Look around. You are here. Breathing in, breathing out. Which can only mean that, despite their worries, your ancestors made it through to some degree. They may not have done as much or made as much as they would have liked, but they still managed to press on. They created the next generation who, in turn, came to have their own “unique” worries.
And they too survived. And so on and so forth until they got to you. To this moment. And every moment thereafter.
Because there will be moments thereafter.
They may not be the kind you hoped for or predicted, they may be better or worse than what you planned for, but they will arrive nonetheless. There has always been chaos. There has always been, and there will always be, ups and downs.
It’s part of the game that we’re born into; we try and control as much as we can and when a wave comes and knocks us down, we have to figure out how to get back to the surface.
You have a choice
Knowing this full well, you have two options. You can:
- Succumb
- Or persevere
You can recognize that the world is chaotic, resign from trying, and wait for whatever wave is next to hit. Or you can do your best, continue to push, and refuse to let uncertainty win.
Now, considering you’ve read this far, and seeing as how, in general, only driven, determined, persistent individuals (like you), read my work, I’d say you’re the type to preserve. So congrats! You have what it takes.
But how does any of this relate to goal setting?
Will you swim?
Just like with having kids, there is never a right time to pursue your goals. Because, well, it takes work. And you don’t always get the outcome you wanted.
But is that a reason not to create a better life for yourself?
Nope.
You will always be confronted with challenges. Always. But if you stop what you’re doing every time you lose a client or a mass pandemic threatens your entire means of existence, you’ll never attain the fulfillment you’re after.
You’ll drown under the constant force of wave after wave.
That’s not to say that you may not face very real tribulations, because those do happen. But often, the major obstacles you encounter are simply just walls that you can climb over.
Go forth with your goals
Humanity will always face hardships.
But when you understand that time is still moving, you’ll realize that no matter the roadblock, the clock is counting down and you need to make the most of it. Because if you don’t, you’ll be in the same spot you are now, you’ll just be older and have less time.
So if you want to make a change in your life, if you want to achieve your goals, get up and start working.
If you’ve tabled reading until you “have more motivation,” go pick up a book. If you’ve put off sending cold emails for your business until “things get back to normal,” go do it right now.
Does goal setting make sense at this present moment? You better believe it. So in the immortal words of Nike: “Arby’s, We Have The Meats.” Wait. No that’s not right… How’s it go? “Do Something”? “Get After It”? I can’t remember.
Anyways, just do it. 😉
*Note: If you’re ready to start achieving your goals, enroll in my goal success course here.
Tell me: What’s a goal you’ve been holding off on until things “get better?”
Tweet at me, leave a comment below, or send me an email. I want to hear from you!
Footnotes
- I came across this fun fact while reading the biography of John D. Rockefeller Sr. Written by Ron Chernow, the book is entitled, Titan.
- I stumbled upon this mindblowing list of rapid change in the novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith.
