365 Days With Self-Discipline: 365 Life-Altering Thoughts on Self-Control, Mental Resilience, and Success

—Harry Browne

 

363

One  dangerous  pitfall  to  be  aware  of  when  setting  goals  is  to  avoid

tying them to the performance or willingness of other people.

For  example,  I  believe  that  the  best  business  partner  is  yourself  and

nobody else. If you have a goal to build a successful business so you can

eventually  dedicate  yourself  to  your  children  and  your  business  partner

doesn’t have such a strong motivation, it will be a source of conflict forever.

You’ll need his or her approval for any business decision, and 50% of the

success  of  your  business  will  depend  on  the  other  person.  Losing  full

control over the decision-making process means lowering your chances of

success.

In exercise, you might feel tempted to wait before you buy a gym pass

until  you  persuade  your  friend  to  start  exercising  with  you.  Yes,  working

out with a partner is more effective, but if you’re relying on this person to

establish a positive change in your life, you’ve already failed. And what if

your friend drops out? Will you drop out, too ?

Don’t wait for another person to change your life. You can hope that

their desires will be in line with yours, but it’s a better strategy to rely on

yourself by choosing alternatives that require your decision alone.

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