Many people give up on their sporting, business or other dreams and goals before they have even started. They run into two obstacles which put them off before they have taken the first step on the road to their dreams.
One big obstacle to starting is other people who think they know best. Critics abound who will tell you that you are too young or too old or too clever or too stupid or too big or too small etc.
In the early hours of April 25th 2007, the legendary English footballer, Alan Ball, who was born in 1945, died of a heart attack at the age of 61 whilst trying to put out a bonfire in his garden. The bonfire had spread to a fence.
Ball's small size - five foot six inches - might well have stopped him playing football. He was told early in his career by the Bolton manager that he was too small to be a footballer. The manager suggested he become a jockey instead!
How wrong the manager was. In 1966 Alan was regarded by many as the best player on the field when England beat Germany to win the Football World Cup. He was only 21.
His energy and enthusiasm easily made up for whatever he lacked in size. He played 72 times for his country and was eventually awarded an MBE for his services to football.
His funeral was held in Winchester Cathedral on Thursday May 3rd 2007. He is the second of the 1966 World Cup winning team to die. The first was Bobby Moore who died in 1993 of colon cancer aged only 51.
At his funeral, one tribute was given by Frank McLintock who had been Alan's captain at Arsenal. Frank finished his talk with a modified quote from an eulogy about an American star.
"Dying is no big deal. Even the least of us can manage that. Living is the trick and I think that Bally managed to do that. Alan lived his life to the full and I should like to say thanks for the memory and thanks for his contribution to our lives. God Bless."
Jimmy Ball, Alan's only son, quoted from Rudyard Kipling's famous poem - If. The quote ended:
"If you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run, yours is the earth and everything that is in it and which is more you'll be a man my son. Well, he was a man - probably the best I ever met."
People both inside and outside Winchester Cathedral cheered as Alan Ball's coffin passed by. It was covered with the union jack and on top was the flat Lancashire cap that he often wore when, as a manager, he trained his players.
Many of the audience were football fans wearing the colors of the clubs where Alan had played or managed.
Mick Shannon, a close friend of Alan, spoke to an interviewer outside: "He was a small man but he could intimidate sides just by his presence."
Such a great footballing life would have been lost if Alan had been put off by the opinions of those who thought he was too small to be a footballer.
Both Alan and Bobby Moore died young. There is not enough time to try out the kind of life that other people want you to live before you live the life that you want to live. Listen to other people, but follow your own path.
Recently I read a great training module by the multimillionaire business man, Andrew Reynolds. It was a liberating read because it had the ring of truth. He spoke about a second big obstacle that can prevent people starting to achieve their dreams.
He made a point which I had thought about before but it was good to have it confirmed by a man of his experience. Many potential millionaires are put off starting their businesses by the thought that setting up a business is too complicated or boring or both.
They hear about sole trading and limited liability companies and VAT and tax forms and business plans and marketing plans etc. These things all sound very complicated and very boring.
Reynolds makes two key points. Much of this paperwork is not necessary. He has never filled in a business plan in his entire career and he makes far more money than the bank managers who seem to love business plans.
His business plan is simply to sell valuable products to those who want to buy them. In any case, most business plans are never actually followed. Reality gets in the way!
In the film 'Waterloo', Wellington is asked by his second in command what his plan is for the battle. Wellington replied with four words: "To beat the French!"
Reynolds also suggests delegating much of the boring stuff to someone else as soon as you can afford to pay them to do it. Then you can concentrate on the work that you enjoy.
He also suggests that you visualize the rewards of your business i.e. the freedom you will have to live wherever you want and spend your time however you want.
Once you have these benefits in your sights, you will not worry too much about the paperwork necessary to achieve your millions.
Don't, then, be put off by the opinion of others. One of Alan Ball's favourite songs, which was played at his funeral, was Frank Sinatra's 'My Way'. Do things your way. It is your life and not the life of your advisers or critics. Life is too short to do it their way.
Don't be put off by what seems a mountain of boring work. The mountain may not be as high as you think it is and you can always get help from others.
If you can't pay your helpers, don't ask too much of them. One internet entrepreneur used to ring up experts who normally charged huge sums for copywriting advice.
She asked them to tell her just one thing about how she could improve her copywriting. She gained much valuable information for free and is now successful and making money on the internet.
There is always a way over or around the obstacles in the way of starting to achieve your dreams and goals. You may of course have to fight to be allowed to do things your way and you may have to face up to some boring work until you can pay others to do it but the results will make it all worthwhile.
Whatever happens, you will have the satisfaction, at the end of your life, of knowing that you lived life your way and that you did not allow the thought of how boring something might be to prevent you from, at least, trying to achieve your dreams.
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