I Didn't Come This Far Just To Come This Far

As someone who is dedicated to being the best version of yourself, pouring energy into their work, family, and health, it is vital that you persevere to reap the benefits of your effort. Oftentimes we are so close to the payoff and quit just before we get it, and the reality is we never know if we’re just one more day, one more experiment, one more idea, or one more attempt away from it all starting to click.

In order to have what it takes to keep on going, despite the setbacks, challenges, and obstacles trying to slow you down, you can start reciting this mantra: “I didn’t come this far just to come this far.”

What this mantra does is it gives meaning to your work. It reminds you of your larger goal so that you can get yourself to do the things you need to do right now.

For example, you’ve been eating healthy and exercising consistently for a few weeks but you still don’t see the weight on the scale change. I didn’t come this far just to come this far. Or if you’ve put your heart and soul into a new project that isn’t quite materializing yet, and you’re feeling discouraged about keeping on with it. I didn’t come this far just to come this far.

In my life, I’m practicing my keynote speech every single night and haven’t gotten the tangible, observable results to always feel motivated about doing it. But I didn’t come this far just to come this far, and I’ll keep going with faith that it’s all leading to something remarkable.

This mantra helps you tap into a gritty, tenacious, resourceful, determined state of mind and in doing so, keep digging to uncover the treasure that’s only another few feet under you.

However, let me call out something important that relates to this called "sunk cost bias". Hardwired into our minds is a bias that we overvalue the work we’ve already put into something, and since we’ve invested so much already we fail to see the task in front of us clearly. So be sure that you aren’t just taking action because it keeps you busy. Make sure that it connects to your goals and is a high-leverage way of making progress toward something you genuinely want.

With all of that in mind, bring to mind something that you’re currently persistently working on, and prepare yourself to use this mantra - I didn’t come this far just to come this far - the next time you feel stalled with it.

If you find this helpful, let’s work together for 21 days before this new year starts to permanently shift your lifestyle and the ceiling of what you’re capable of.