Years ago a Real Estate magnate buys a beautiful ten story building in the center of Manhattan. A few days after the purchase the demolition crew moves in and they begin to rip down the building. After the demolition is complete, giant excavators come in and begin digging deep into the ground. On this particular day that the excavation begins, a resident of the city walks buy and stands before the site in shock. He remembers growing up on this street and the beautiful building that used to be there. He goes to speak the the magnate.
“Why did you destroy this beautiful building?” he asks.
The magnate tells him that he wishes to build a new building that will be 100 stories high.
“Why couldn’t you just add 90 stories on top of the old one?”
The magnate explains that the old building would not support the new floors and the foundation was only designed to support ten stories. To build a 100 story building the foundation must be very deep and strong.
Lastly the man asks “Why could you not build outside the city where there is plenty of space, why did you have to build right in the middle of the city?”
The magnate explains that if he would build outside the city it would take many years for him to see a return on his investment, but by building in the heart of the city he will be able to realize a great profit in a few short years.
The taller the building the deeper and more solid the foundation needs to be.
So too with our personal development – the greater the goal, the higher the purpose- the deeper and stronger the foundation needs to be.
Whether in relationships, health or business, I you wish to acheive greatness, you must start from a solid foundation.
If your current foundation is one of doing things is sloppily, last minute, and only as a result of frustration, your outcomes will always be substandard.
Whatever your desired goal may be, try to imagine what habits a person who has already accomplished these goals might have. Once you have that information, slowly but diligently begin to work on the habits and the rest will start falling in to place.
