Achieving Your Vision
What's Your Why?

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On 12th November 2014, ESA (European Space Agency) landed a probe on a comet billions of kilometres from earth. The probe began it’s journey into deep space on 2nd March 2004. It travelled 6.4 billion kilometres through the solar system before arriving at the comet on 6th August 2014, and successfully landed around three months later on an object travelling 34,000 mph. Mind. Blown. But for what reason? “Rosetta is trying to answer the very big questions about the history of our Solar System. What were the conditions like at its infancy and how did it evolve? What role did comets play in this evolution? How do comets work?” said Matt Taylor, ESA Rosetta project scientist.

Personally, I think that’s an incredible achievement. Unbelievable, in fact. 10 years! 10 years it’s taken to get to the main focal point of the mission, and it shows exactly what is possible with a motivational driver, planning, patience, and a mindset that anything is possible.

Look back into your past. 10 years into your past. When the space probe began it’s journey. Look at the resolutions you’ve made. I’m guessing the majority of them are health, or work related. Now ask yourself how many of those have you achieved. We stand on the edge of a brand new year, and for most, their chance to start over. You will be promising yourself that this will be your best year yet, and you will succeed. You will be saying to yourself that this year is going to be different. We don’t need to start again. We just need to begin right now, and make a new ending. In order to do that we are going to need several things. The exact things that allowed the ESA to write their name in the history of space exploration.

Those things? Some are stated above. Motivation. Planning. Patience. Consistency. Positivity. Accountability.

The reason ESA landed a probe on a comet is stated earlier in this blog. That was their motivation. That was their reason. You have to figure out what it is that is going to make you look back in another ten years, and what it was that made 2015 the year when you really did leave the bullshit excuses behind. It has to be something powerful, something of substance thats stirs your emotions. You need to find a desire that makes you never want to give up. Find your reason why, and find your ‘must’. You need a ‘want’ that is going to inspire you to take steps forward each and every day, and each and every week.

ESA had a plan. Without such, they never would have achieved something that not even NASA have. This may well be the key reason why you have never quite achieved what you’ve set out to accomplish. Without a plan, your vision or goal is really just a wish. There is no timeline, structure, or realism. Now you have figured out what it is that you want, you need to draw timeline for completion. A timeline to meet targets, that are both realistic, and attainable. A timeline that has order, and structure in equal measure.

No one person was responsible for mission success at ESA. Each and every member of their team was accountable. To each other. Arguably, to the human race. These are the things that ended our world as it was, after all. They couldn’t have achieved what they have, if they set out with one man. The each provided support, motivation, inspiration, and encouragement to their team members. There is no way that they worked for ten years without meeting with adversity on the way. But when they did, they had someone to pick up the pieces, to act as inspiration, or to offer support. You will need your own network that is going to do the same for you, when you meet adversity, obstacles, or life just generally tries to throw you off course. You answer to them, and they answer to you. 

Little by little one travels far. A JRR Tolkien quote. ESA were met by many obstacles on their mission to be the first people to land a space probe on a comet. The didn’t let those obstacles stop them. They were persistent. Trying to make history meant they were going places that no one had gone before. They were out of their comfort zone. But they persisted. If you are to succeed this year, and every year from here on in, then you need persistence. It beats resistance. Every time. It’s likely that you will be creating new habits, whilst overcoming bad habits. They will take time to establish, and to become comfortable with. You need to lose the mentality that you can always begin next week. Or the week after. That is why you are stood here right now. You cannot give up. You cannot throw the towel in. If you get knocked down, then get back up. You need to be consistent. Consistency is king. The mission was successful because of persistence, consistency, re-assessment, and re-evaluation. Never rest on your laurels.

The road to success is long. Personally, or professionally. You need to be in it for the long haul. You need to learn from ESA. Their struggles. Their courage in adversity. Their celebration in achievement. The persistence they have shown in achieving something that took ten years to achieve. What it is that you want will not come easy. It will take time. But know this. You can do it. You can. If you’re willing to persist. To take time to plan. To re-assess. To ask for help when you need it. You will do it.

It may not take ten years to achieve your vision, but it will show you that you are capable, if you really put your mind to it, and you really want it. 

I’ll leave you with a statement from Fred Jansen, ESA mission manager, after ten years of work was finally realised “ It’s been an extremely long and hard journey to reach today’s once-in-a-lifetime event, but it was absolutely worthwhile”.

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