Finding new inspiration is a crucial component of the journey to success. Success means different things to different people. Some want to earn a lot of money, some want to be famous, some want to raise their children to be good people, some want to help others, and some want to be very knowledgeable.

However, even though the form of success varies from person to person, the core essence of success remains the same.

Earl Nightingale, a self-development guru from the 1970s, defined success as the successful completion of a goal set by one’s own will. Simply put, achieving a goal set for oneself is success.

If someone decides to become a millionaire through business and achieves it, they are a successful person. If someone’s goal is to be a good teacher whose students become ideal individuals, and they can accomplish that, then they are successful. If someone aims to be a good wife and mother and achieves it, then they are successful.

Any success requires hard work. Achieving a goal demands sacrifice. Many things that are difficult at the moment must be done. But those difficult tasks must be undertaken with a smile to achieve the goal—and this is why many people fail to achieve their goals.

Sometimes, despite having no lack of desire and effort to achieve a goal, many people still do not succeed. This is because they do not understand what they should actually do. As a result, many lose their inspiration.

People face more trouble with big goals. You might want to be a successful entrepreneur and see opportunities to start a business. But for some reasons, you are ultimately unable to get started. You might feel that the market will worsen as soon as you enter the business (which is always a possibility). Or you might feel that you are not yet skilled enough to enter the field. These kinds of thoughts only cause unnecessary delays.

Due to these negative thoughts, many people choose a normal life instead of taking risks to fulfill their big goals. But they secretly regret it, which never allows them to be at peace.

If you find yourself in such a situation on the path to achieving your goals, never give up. Instead, ask yourself these four questions to find your lost path. If you can properly reflect on these questions, you will be able to move towards your goals again. Your desire to achieve your goals will become stronger within you.

Four Questions to Find New Inspiration

01. Where do you want to see yourself at the end of the year?

We often lose our way when pursuing big goals because we mostly think about what will happen in 5-10 years. But the first condition for achieving any big or long-term goal is to break it down into smaller parts.

If your goal is to be something in 5 years, break that goal down into the smallest possible parts.

If you lose your way while working towards your goal, meaning you don’t understand where you are going or what you are doing, then ask yourself: Have you sufficiently broken down your long-term goal into small parts?

If not, first divide the goal of several years into year-by-year segments. Then divide those years into six-month, three-month, and one-month goals.

Doing this will prevent you from feeling frustrated. With the completion of each small goal, you will gain new confidence and move towards the next small goal. In this way, slowly, without losing your way, you will eventually achieve your goal.

It is best to arrange these goals in written form, one after another. Goals that are written down have a much higher chance of success than those held in mind or spoken aloud.

02. How much have you utilized your strengths and opportunities?

A major reason why goals are not achieved is the failure to fully utilize one’s skills and strengths. Instead of getting frustrated when a goal is not met on time, ask yourself, have I really applied my full skills, strength, and time to achieving this goal?

This question is very important. Many times, we ourselves do not understand how much of our own capabilities we have actually utilized.

Suppose a runner wants to increase their continuous running capacity within one month. They might have been able to run 1 kilometer in 30 minutes. Then they decided that they would achieve the ability to run 1.5 kilometers within one month. But when they couldn’t do it within a month, they became frustrated. However, it turned out that they practiced 2 hours every day, whereas they could have practiced 3 hours.

Truly utilizing one’s full potential makes achieving goals much easier. As I said before, achieving goals requires some sacrifice. If a student sets 3 months to finish their syllabus but cannot do so, instead of feeling frustrated and thinking they are less intelligent, they should ask themselves: Could they have studied more hours than they did? If they had used even 2 of the 4 hours they spent watching movies each week for studying, they might have finished the syllabus.

In every such case, if we ask ourselves, we will find that we have not utilized our full potential or opportunities. Of course, there is no need to be frustrated about this. Instead, it is wise to use this extra opportunity to find new motivation to start anew. Regret will only waste more time or opportunities.

03. How much time is really needed to achieve the goal?

This point is somewhat related to the previous one, but a separate discussion about time is necessary, hence this point has been added.

We often set a timeline for goals without thinking much about them. But if the goal is not met or even close to being met within that time, we get frustrated. It feels like this goal is impossible for me to achieve.

But it could also be that the time you have allotted is simply not realistic. You might not have calculated correctly.

If you ever feel that your goal is not being met on time, and you feel frustrated because of it, do not give up. Instead, do some research. Is it actually possible to achieve the goal you have set within this timeframe? No matter how talented you are, it is not possible to fully learn a new language in just one year, or master a subject like medicine or engineering in just one year. Or it is not possible to turn a new business into a big brand in just 1-2 years, unless there is support from another big investor or company.

These are just examples. But we often set deadlines for goals without properly researching their realistic timelines. And if we cannot achieve the goal within that time, we get frustrated.

In this case, there is actually no need to be frustrated. If you ask yourself, “How much time is realistically needed to achieve my goal? And did I actually calculate the timeline correctly?” then you will see that many things become clear to you.

Again, maybe you set a deadline of 1 year, and that was correct. But instead of working 10 hours a day, you worked 6 hours. For this reason too, goals are often not met on time.

Paying attention to these things will bring many unintentional mistakes to your notice. You can easily correct them. You will see that the matter is not as complicated as it seemed. As a result, instead of being frustrated, you will be able to work towards your goals with new inspiration.

04. Why did the plan fail?

As I mentioned earlier, many people often give up when they see big risks. They abandon working on their goals. This usually happens when people face temporary setbacks. Many people back off from their goals if a plan fails.

But a failed plan is an opportunity to get to know yourself anew. It is an opportunity to find your mistakes, correct them, and make yourself more skilled.

So in this case, instead of giving up, ask yourself, why did the plan fail? Think about it. Talk to trusted friends or seniors. You will see your mistakes¹ emerge. Don’t blame others or the situation; look at yourself. Think about your mistakes. But don’t punish yourself.

Instead, prepare yourself so that the mistakes are not repeated. Working this way will give you new inspiration to move towards your goals.

Conclusion

We often become disoriented because we cannot think clearly or free ourselves from mental confinement. This actually creates frustration and despair. There is no such thing as a “dead end” when it comes to achieving goals. There is always a way; one just needs to think clearly. Thinking clearly with a cool head can unravel many knots. Simple solutions to complex problems emerge, which gives people new inspiration.