I hope, by now, that you have come to realize that outside of project posts, most of what we’re writing about in our blog is information that will help propel your business or organization forward. Today’s is no different. What I hope you find in this article is one of the most powerful tools you can have in your arsenal when it comes to keeping your business moving forward: lining up with your goals.
We all know (at least intellectually) the importance of setting goals. We also know the importance of writing them down. The problem with some goals, however, is we write them down and aren’t sure how to make them actionable. The other problem is figuring out what to change to make those goals happen.
Sure, some things are easily identified and acted upon. But, what about the things that aren’t?
As you may know, by now, I’m a huge fan of the Harmon Brothers. With that, I’ve found a lot of value in their podcast, When the Ice Cream Hits the Fan.
What I’m about to go into, I heard on their podcast. It’s definitely not my original idea (it’s probably not their either), but, it’s something actionable to make sure you are aligning yourself with your goals to give yourself a greater chance of success, and find your way to fulfillment.
One thing you can actively do all the time, when it comes to your goals is ask yourself this question: is what I’m doing now going to help me reach my goal(s)?
The question can take on many different forms, but, the meaning doesn’t change. If your goal is to lose weight, does eating fried chicken, all the time, help you do that? (I’m guilty of this one)
At the beginning of this year, Jacob and I put a large piece of paper on the wall with our goals and obstacles on it. There was a specific situation, yesterday, that made me ask, “is this behavior going to help us reach our goals?”
Generally, it’s a simple “yes” or “no.” In the case of yesterday, it was definitely a hard “no.”
Then, the question comes in, “what if I don’t know?”
Let me put your mind at ease. If you’re being proactive, the answer is always “yes.”
But, what if you fail? The answer is still “YES!!!!”
In the book Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull talks, in depth about failure. We have adopted his position on it and feel like the benefits will be huge. Basically, his stance is, don’t avoid failure and learn to fail early.
First off, by trying to avoid failure, your are spending energy, time, and resources that could better serve reaching greater success once it’s reached.
Secondly, by failing early on in a project, you sooner learn what won’t work and what will.
It sounds counter-intuitive, but, it puts you so much farther ahead of the curve that you will become unstoppable.
What is your takeaway? I hope it’s to learn to stop and ask yourself if what you are doing now is going to get you where you want to go. It’s an easy exercise and it’s potential is huge!
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