A few days ago, I had the privilege of attending the premiere of the film “To the Moon” with Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum in Berlin. They both attended the premiere as well. I wanted to see if Scarlett Johansson would be a good choice for my own film. In the movie itself (which I highly recommend), Channing Tatum plays the head of the Apollo rocket program, aiming to put a man on the moon. And at some point in the film, he says a beautiful sentence:

“Over 400,000 people worked on this program for over 10 years to keep one man’s promise.”

He refers to John F. Kennedy, who had the vision of putting a man on the moon. When the then-president asked Wernher von Braun, who was responsible for the program, what was needed to get a man safely to the moon and back, von Braun replied:

“The will to do it, Mr. President.”

What do these two statements have to do with you? What is your vision? What is your promise to yourself (and maybe to the world)? And do you have the will to keep this promise?

I often find that while the will is there, it quickly fades away. Whether it’s dieting, exercising more, drinking less alcohol, or whatever else. At the beginning, it works quite well, and then it slips away bit by bit. My guess is that your goal is too small. It doesn’t have a real pull. You’d like to achieve it, but you’re not willing to do everything for it.

“Over 400,000 people worked on this program for over 10 years to keep one man’s promise.”

If over 400,000 people worked for 10 years on a vision and stayed committed, could you also stay committed to your own vision, which at the end of the day, is for you? I’m not talking about 10 years. But simply a few weeks or months, instead of giving up right away?

“Norman, if only it were that easy…” Well, I have an idea. The video game industry is spoiling your brain for this long phase of perseverance. Because with all the games on your phone, your brain learns that there are always quick rewards. “My husband has to collect crystals every day,” a friend recently told me. In games, you get a bonus here and a next level there every few seconds. You don’t have to do much for it. It just happens easily and automatically. But in real life, you have to keep going without a reward around every corner. Are you ready for that? After all, it’s your dream. And yes, your brain gets bored if it doesn’t get an immediate reward. But what if you program yourself more and more to see the journey toward your goal as the reward itself? Because you want to reach the goal. Hence, the journey brings you there. Wouldn’t it be great to see the journey as the best thing you can do (on the way to your goal)? 

I wish you great joy on your journey and stay committed. Feel free to check out my AnkeR™ method again on how to do just that.