In Ask Coach Tony, you can put my Operation Melt coaching to the test by asking me questions about how to achieve your goals.
Because a question asked by one is often a question had by many, I am regularly sharing these answers via the Operation Melt blog.
Are you ready for a dad joke?
I offer you this "dad joke" as a light "amuse-bouche" to entertain your mind before we get serious. My dad joke may be groan-worthy, but it's worth every penny you paid for it, right?
A man tells the waiter he's not sure what to order. The waiter says, "How about the duck?" The duck replies, "I'll have the lasagna."
Success Secrets: How To Get The Right Permission
Have you ever found yourself stopping to ask permission to do something? Of course, you have.
Would I get in trouble if I started a blog?
Is it ok if I write this book?
Can I call myself a “writer,” “leader,” “coach,” or “athlete”?
Could I sign up to run my first half marathon, even if I have to walk a portion of it?
Would it be wrong if I started this business?
Is it ok to apply for a job when I am not one hundred percent qualified?
We often stop to look for external validation that it is ok to take that next step. This is how we are taught to behave from a young age, especially in school. From speaking to going to the bathroom, we must ask somebody for permission to take that next step.
As we mature, we keep waiting for permission, believing we need to check whether the masters of the universe will approve of our idea.
Unfortunately, pausing to ask for permission can interrupt our momentum and cause us to second-guess ourselves. This might cause us to pull the plug on a goal that would have become a big success.
Asking permission can prevent us from getting started and cause our goals to die of loneliness.
The Only Rule of Goal Success
Do you know the most important rule about pursuing your goals?
There are no rules!
You make your own rules as long as you aren’t breaking the law or being unethical.
Here is a personal example of how quickly asking for permission can turn into giving up our goals.
I once paused to ask if I was allowed to call myself a “writer.”
I had written a weekly blog for almost two years and had published a book. But was I really allowed to call myself a writer or an author?
Asking this question triggered me to start discounting my achievements in my quest to seek permission.
- My first book (and my second) was just self-published.
- I had only sold a small number of copies, not thousands.
- My blog wasn’t being read by that many people each week.
- Writing isn’t my day job, and I don’t have any formal training or experience as a writer.
The list of ways I told myself that I wasn’t good enough goes on and on.
My internal conversation about calling myself a writer needed to pivot a bit. Here’s my upgraded internal conversation.
Me: Can I call myself a writer?
Also Me: Do I do the work? Do I write?
Still Me: Hell yes, I am a writer!
Best of all, I am getting better at the craft every day. The quality of my writing in Seasons of Transformation is light years ahead of my early blogs.
There are no rules that tell me that I can’t call myself a writer!
You Don’t Need Permission
So, whose permission will you need to chase your big goal? Yours!
The only permission that matters is your own. The only rules that matter are your rules.
If you have an idea, passion, or calling, give it a try.
If it is important to you and you are willing to put in the work to do it, who has the right to tell you no? You don’t need anyone else’s permission to pursue and crush your goals… to be who you want to be… to live your best life.
Give yourself permission and get out there and do the work.
Your goals and dreams are just a couple of choices away.
Are you looking for a permission slip to live the life of your dreams? Grab a pen and paper and commit to your SMART goal (my Goal Success Quick Start Guide can help). That’s your permission slip. If you want some help getting there, I am a certified master life coach and would be honored to be your partner. Let’s work together to make it happen.
I believe in you; let me help YOU believe in you!
Meet Coach Tony
My name is Coach Tony, and I am a coach, author and project manager on a mission. I am working to build a world where no goal ever dies of loneliness.
I almost allowed one of my biggest life goals to die without ever being attempted for forty years. My goal almost died, not of failure but of loneliness. But, I took a risk and leveraged a simple, logical process that helped me wildly exceed my goal.
I transformed my life, and you can do the same with the help of Operation Melt.
Operation Melt provides engaging, practical content and hands-on coaching to inspire, motivate and equip project managers and other left-brained high-achievers to pursue and accomplish their biggest goals.
Breathe new life into your goals
Download my free ebook to learn how to create goals that actually work and get the jump-start you need in life!
