How do you eat an elephant?
I don't know about you, my biggest problem since joining WA has been to work out what is the most effective way to allocate my time so that I am able to complete the tasks set in each of the training modules.
I also need to ensure I participate in the social aspects of our great community whenever I am able to.
This is purely due to shortage of time at my disposal. I have a very demanding job and family responsibilities to take care of. By the time I get home in the evening I am so exhausted yet I know I MUST put in some extra work so that I am able to progress with the training and build my online business.
I have a shift in the office during the day and a shift at home which usually begins around 11 pm sometimes till the early hours, after which I get few hours’ sleep then get ready to repeat the cycle again for the second day.
I know this is not good for my health in the long run. As the body needs to rest and recover. I can manage it for few days but not for the whole week because the body has a way of telling me when I am not at my best the next day at the office or during the weekend when I pass out because I need to catch up with lost sleep.
To say it has not been easy is an understatement. At times I feel so over whelmed with everything due to the sheer amount of material I need to consume and put in to practise. I know it is for my own good. The more I put in, the more I get out of it and also because I can clearly see the progress I am making, I am more than determined to keep going and do whatever it takes to succeed.
I am a firm believer in hard work and committing to the process. In life you don't get what you what but you get what you are. To achieve greatness and true success some kind of sacrifices have to be made along the way. But I guess it is better to achieve it without harming yourself in the process.
So how do we overcome these obstacles? The answer is by
Striking the Balance
It occurs to me I need to find a balance which will offer me 2 things:
- Continue to produce the work I need to complete the training and grow the business steadily.
- As well as getting adequate rest whenever I can.
Eat an Elephant Piece by Piece at a time
One of the ways we can achieve the balance is also by adopting the analogy of "eating an elephant piece by piece at a time" as opposed to try to eat of all of it at once which is impossible. Setting realistic attainable goals on a daily, weekly and monthly basis I find it to be the way forward. Finish one task then move on to the next one. Before you know you would have completed all required tasks.
We can focus on setting GOALS to:
- Work on building our website(s).
- Work on WA social engagement stuff.
- Work on building our business.
- Work on marketing strategies.
- Generate revenues.
- Build on our brand and establish ourselves as an authority.
- Scaling our business
- Etc.
This is to some extent has already been made easier by the WA training itself since you can't move to the next task until you finish the previous one. It just the matter of applying the stuff in the right way.
Do More Work for Less Time
The other thing we can look at which I still struggle with is doing more quality work for less time as opposed to spending so much time for less work. This principal is derived from a concept called the Pareto Law also known as 80/20 rule.
I am still working on this one on myself, I will see how I far I get with it as times goes by.
Focus
By laser focusing on the target at hand has been helping me a lot. Just concentrating on one thing until I finish. I find this to be particularly important especially when I am writing content for my blog or WA stuff, once I move focus to something else I lose my train of thoughts and the momentum fades away very quickly.
Avoid All distractions and shiny objects
We can all do with less distractions especially the smart phone, emails and pop up messages from various social media channels. They all have a place and importance in our businesses but there are times when it is best to take a break from them for a while.
For related info on these topic, please read more on:
- 9 Fatal Entrepreneurial Mistakes To Avoid On Starting a Business
- 7 Steps To Overcome The Fear Of Failure In Life In Business
Recent Comments
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You are quite right Rabia. It is one thing that new WA members must face when they discover everything that is on offer and have to do. They first seem to believe that they have to do it all in order to succeed (that's what I thought at least). But it is not the case. So I hope that many new WAers find your post and get themselves organised, and before the know it, they will have consumed the complete elephant.
Thanks for sharing!
Best wishes from the south of France!
John ツ
P.S. the picture below made me laugh as it shows new members trying to figure out how to get started, but in reality, it shouldn't be like that if they follow your advice, and the training.
Hi John
Thank you so much for stopping by and for your valuable contribution on this topic.
I really like your photo, it captures exactly the scenery on how the newbies including myself are trying to get a piece of the action, tumbling down as we try to find our way around the training material.
Do we eat the whole elephant at once or just bit by bit? Time will tell.
I hope my fellow newbies will also come to realisation as I did, that to succeed they:
have to put in the work
and as you rightly said organise themelves
focus on one thing at time
tick off the checklist as they finish one task
move on to the next item in the list
rinse and repeat
There are no short cuts to success. We just have to do the work and deliver the results.
Hope you are having a great time in South of France. I don't know if it is much colder over there at this time of year than the UK.
Best wishes.
Rabia
Thanks for your response Rabia. For a newbie, you don't sound like one. You have the right idea of what WA is. The main problem newbies have, and that was me not too long ago, although I am still a newbie here, is that they get frightened by the big elephant they see in front of them. If only they could get passed that thought, like you did, look around to see which bite they will start with, like those little guys in the picture, and focus on one piece and go for it all the way, they will get to eat the whole elephant in a reasonable amount of time.
South of France is generally warmer (and much sunnier) than the UK. We have many Brits down here with properties who are rather unhappy about the Brexit. My wife is English (I'm French) and we are applying for French citizenship for her. It takes quite a long time, but we will get it.
I wish you the very best with your WA project Rabia and I am watching on your progress.
Best wishes,
John ツ
Hi John
Thank you for your latest reply. Gosh, I tell you, eating the elephant proves to be a bit of a challenge.
I get so busy at times, I don't get a chance to respond to my WA posts or emails as often as I would like.
Rome was not built in a day. Will get there slowly but surely.
The Brexit issue is controversial as it divides the population. There are people who are for it and those who are against it.
What has happened has happened. Is doing whatever is best for the country that matters now.
I hope your wife will get her citizenship soon. South of France sounds a fab place to live. Would love to visit there one day.
Take care and all the best. Will keep in touch.
Rabia
Hi, Rabia.
Paul here, from Canada.
You eat an elephant "one piece at a time."
That is a very long post, but looks good through scrolling.
Is this post on your blog or site?
If so, how is it accessible or shared?
Few more emails and comments to respond to and will be done for the Tuesday night.
Paul.
Hi Paul
Thank you for stopping by. I hope things are going well with you.
I have written this post primarily as part of my WA blog but will consider re-writing some of the content for my main site in the near future as I feel it can offer valuable insight to my readers.
This is something we can all relate to.
Take care.
Rabia
Listen.
I have a growing list of people that have been taken in by 'Shiny Objects.'
Africa has been worst hit so far.
Even after I explain it to them, they just go back and...
fall into the 'Confidence Game again.
"How many people you got, 900?"
You can email or text me.
Somebody just came to mind. Raymond Donnelley
or Ray Donnely.
Completely tied into the scam over at D9Clube.
regards,
Paul.
You have worked it all out in your mind, it is now a matter of balancing it and implementing it. I enjoyed the Pareto law.
FOCUS - Follow One Course Until Successful - from Edmund Loh's-
book Crushing It.
Hi Tania
Glad to hear you enjoy the Pareto law. Are you able to practise it consistently when you work on your business ?
I agree about focusing and following one course. Doing multiple things at the same time does not always produce the desired results. I now focus mostly on doing one thing at a time then move on to the next. It is the best and quicker to achieve results.
Thank you for stopping by.
Best wishes.
Rabia
This is a awesome post. Patience and consistency are key. Distractions are everywhere. Our power lies in where we place our attention.
Onward and upward,
Steven
Hey Steven
Thank you.
Truly appreciate your contribution on this thread.
I sure have to practise what I preach, avoid the distractions and pay attention. It is amazing how much we can achieve when we do that.
To our success.
Best wishes.
Rabia
That's one of my favorite sayings! I use it all the time to help people realize that even if something seems like a Herculean task, by breaking it into bite size pieces they'll get there.
Do make sure you get the rest you need, or you won't do your best on anything - your job, your family or your studies. This doesn't have to be a race - there are no deadlines on learning the WA material. Fit in the bite size pieces where you can, and in a couple of months I bet you'll be surprised at just how much you have indeed learned.
Hi Jeannine
Thank you for your words encouragements and and kindness. I will do my out most to make sure I get enough rest.
You are right,, It is not a race and the world will not come to an end If I don't complete a particular task by a certain date/time.
I just need to be more sensible and do things accordingly bit by bit.
Best wishes
Rabia
Rabia,
Very good insight for finding balance and I will give this one more thought.
There is something here about self expectation that grasps my attention... When we set higher expectations to our progress, to who's standard are we comparing? If by our own, than the model is subjective and may be creating unnecessary stress, therefore must be re-evaluated if "unrealistic".
The model I apply to expectation, is that of "Urgency vs. Emergency" Urgency, is one that would not immediately cause
heightened stress levels and necessitate sleepless nights yet would provide a clear and distinct plan for action and its proper progress with perspective report
In all, I think you have already come to your conclusion and satisfied the dilemma by your proverb. It was just fun for me to
center a viewpoint around it.
Always finding the humor in life...your friend respectfully,
David
Hey David
Thank you for your views. You raised an important point about self expectation.
In my case I was not comparing my self to any one other than myself.
You see because I desperately want to succeed and know there are no short cuts to success other than to put in the work so to speak. I push my self thinking this will give me the kind of results I am after.
I realised that, the work needed to be done does not change but it is how I deliver it that matters in a more realistic and effective way that count. All to do with managing expectations I suppose.
Interesting view point. I learn something every day and truly appreciate all my fellow members here at WA.
What a wonderful community we have.
Thank you for livening up the discussion.
Best wishes.
Rabia
By your words, Rabia, there's ample evidence of balanced thinking. I wish for you the best because I know you are a capable person who's reward will be shared with others...in this I trust.
Keep moving forward... I am excited to follow your progress
I tell you a story Rizq!
“Do you ever get that when you’re half way through eating a elephant and you think to yourself, ‘I’m not as hungry as I thought I was?'”
There is lots to digest when we get to WA! I’ve consumed lots!
I do intend to manage my time better, I am conscious of this.
Smaller portions for me!
Wayne
I can totally relate to you Wayne... I guess we just need to keep eating that elephant bit by bit until we consume all of it.
I don't know how long it takes to complete all of WA training, as there is a lot of material to cover. Still is all good as we get value for our investment. The time and money spent is justified by the outcome we receive.
What I liked most about WA is seeing the progress not just in terms of things we have accomplished such as building the website and gaining knowledge in topics such as SEO but fundamentally I would say is what we are becoming.
The real value is within our selves, we become the asset that most people are after and in so doing there is no ending to what we can all accomplish so long as we are prepared to do the work and by eating the elephant piece by piece ...
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I believe it's the tendency to become overwhelmed that makes the process seem as big as an elephant in our minds.
I try to maintain a KISS approach. I don't even want to think about the elephant in the room ... the huge learning curve we need to climb.
K&C have done a great job in organizing the lessens. If we stay focused on them at a pace that fits into our lives in a healthy way we can avoid thinking about the elephant in the room.
When I start worrying about the pace of my learning I remind myself that the learning process is a journey and as long as I am moving forward I am moving towards journey completion.
Hey NWTDennis
Thank you for your contribution to the discussion. It seems a lot of folks are affected by "the eating the elephant syndrome".
It has been a journey of discovery for my self whilst going through the training. I have learnt what works best for me and what doesn't.
The end goal is clear, getting there is the challenge but like you I realised that the learning bit is a process that has a beginning and an end.
So long as we do the work a bit a time, keep up the momentum, we subsequently can get a lot of work done and maintain our progress.
I set my goals for the day or week, work on what I need to do, check off the tasks have just completed and moved on to the next one.
I very much like the approach you are taking by keeping things simple and reminding yourself that the learning you are doing is a journey and as long you move forward you will reach your destination.
Best wishes
Rabia