Goals Don’t Operate in Isolation

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ~~Larry Elder~~

During a recent strategy session for a new business venture something wonderful occurred to me. Well, really several things were brought to my attention that made this “occurrence” sort of hit me in the head! Goals don’t operate in isolation!

Let’s assume for example’s sake that you have a desired outcome about something. You care enough about how this something is going to play out, so you write down your desired outcome. It becomes a goal. Achieving the goal should bring reward. Not achieving the goal will likely bring consequences. There likely exist some obstacles to achieving that goal, or you would have done it already. You need to identify at least those obstacles that you can see or predict. Then you need to determine several possible solutions to overcoming those obstacles. Once you actually identify both the obstacles and possible solutions, the obstacles themselves won’t seem so “obstacle-like.” Then you can take it even further. You can develop actual steps, tasks, to-do’s, whatever you want to call them that will help you reach the solutions, which will ultimately help you achieve your goals, get your desired outcomes and reap the rewards!

Goals are not the end. They are a means to an end. And, while that may seem obvious to you, breaking it down like this has really helped me to feel good about the choices I make about on what to focus and on which steps to take first in order to reach the end.

Where Priority Meets Focus

“I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the years'.” ~~Henry Moore~~

It’s not always easy to determine priorities. Sometimes you need to make tough decisions about what you’re NOT going to do. I was part of an interesting conversation recently about planning and focus that centered on people being prepared for the wrong thing or planning for something that never ended up happening. These were being presented as negative; as people wasting time or effort. I agreed to an extent at the time, but then I started to think about when it had happened to me. I’ve certainly had times that I prepared for something diligently that never came to pass. I’ve certainly experienced focusing a lot of energy and effort on what turned out to be less important than other things on which I could have focused. But each of those things helps make up who I am, what I know, and how I go into my next action. While I certainly could have been better served doing something else, I don’t believe that time was wasted. I believe there is a reason for everything even when we don’t know or see what that reason is.

On the other hand, when you make those tough decisions, when you examine your goals carefully and plan specific action steps to achieve those goals, and then focus intently on those action steps, you are certain to succeed. When you can focus on the positive and not allow self-doubt or negativity creep in; when you can focus on the priorities and not let yourself get sidetracked; when you can focus on what you’re doing right now and not on what you need to do later, you’ve got a winning combination.

On what will you choose to focus today?

Goals: Doing the Math

“When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target.” ~~George Fisher~~

The first quarter of this year is coming to a close today. I spent some time last night reviewing my goals for the year. I’m on track for most of them, but certainly not all. In fact, in an odd turn of events, most of the goals I set up for the first quarter itself have not been achieved, but I’m much further along on my mid-year goals than I thought I would be… And, some of the things I thought would happen by year-end are not even on my radar any longer. It’s time to adjust! My weekly to-do’s have been coming along nicely, and I’m certainly getting things done, so I really have to examine if my to-do’s are in fact in line with my goals. It’s an interesting exercise. If I do A, B and C, will they really help get me closer to where I want to be in a year? Or, should I try A, D, and F instead? Do things actually need to add up to what I had originally expected? Or, are my daily activities leading me down a different path? And, is that a path I could pursue?

I’m giving myself a performance evaluation. It’s been eye-opening so far, and also somewhat cathartic. I highly recommend you give it a try. There’s no better time than today.

“The human story does not always unfold like a mathematical calculation on the principle that two and two make four. Sometimes in life they make five or minus three; and sometimes the blackboard topples down in the middle of the sum and leaves the class in disorder and the pedagogue with a black eye.” ~~Winston Churchill~~

Focus: Clarity and Direction

"Clarity affords focus." ~~Thomas Leonard ~~

Have you ever noticed that when you’re introduced to something you had never noticed before, that you notice it all the time? (If not, you will now! ) In all seriousness… it happens to me a lot. I’ll not have ever heard of something, and then I’ll hear it referenced five or six times in relatively rapid succession. Or, I’ll never have seen something, and then all of a sudden it’s all around me… I feel like it’s a message. I choose to believe that when this happens, it’s happening for a reason, and it’s something I need to pay attention to. Well, the thing that has been coming up a lot for me lately is “clarity”. I wrote recently about clearing the clutter. A number of people told me I was making room for new things (figuratively speaking, of course… who needs more clutter???) And a surprisingly large number of people told me that I was “clearing” to get ready for “clarity”; to be completely clear on where I was going, why I was going there, and possibly even more importantly, on how I was going to get there. “Clarity”, as a term, was not one I had used often, and was not one I frankly had heard often until recently. Very shortly after my clearing clutter conversations, a colleague was talking to me about how they really needed clarity, and how they needed to understand on which direction they should focus. That felt familiar to me. I’ve been saying for no less than two years that I really needed to understand more about who my target audience was and how to market to them. The very next day a client was asking me about how to get clarity (and used the word!) in their job search and again, figure out who to target as a prospective employer. I found myself coaching around clarity. And I found I was pretty right on… It was kind of ironic... I was right back to my “physician, heal thyself” post. So I did. Thanks in part to my amazing accountability group, and thanks in part to a few other great listeners and advisors, I feel like I really got clarity. I have a renewed focus. I even redrafted my LinkedIn profile! (Check it out here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferscott) It was quite the accomplishment, and I feel really good about it! Then yesterday I had yet another conversation on getting clear on direction. This time it was with another entrepreneur who was working on choosing a line of business on which to direct her focus first… It could have been me talking. This time I could really give some great, step-by-step tips on getting clarity. And, I am so happy that I chose to focus on that! I am committed to listening to what the Universe is telling me. When these things come up, I will pay attention to them. I know I have lessons to learn, and I am once again excited by the possibilities!