Thank Goodness It's Monday #438

UNTANGLING THE “NOTS”

THAT KEEP US FROM OUR GOALS

 

It’s that time of the year – again. Seems every December we remember to dig out our “resolutions” made nearly 12 months ago and evaluate our success. 

 

Ooops. Got some shortfalls there?

Me, too. But that’s doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the year is the end of the world. 

• If you’ve been able to check off a significant portion of your 2013 list, kudos.
• If, however, it appears you can create your 2014 goals/resolutions list simply by changing the date atop 2013’s, we need to talk further.

All too often we erect mental barriers that weaken our goals and turn them into mere wishes. Or we make wishes, but never begin the deliberate process that transforms these ethereal dreams into reality.

 

The biggest mental barriers take the form of “nots” – negative attitudes that keep us from even trying.

Here are some of the toughest “nots” and some effective ways to slice right through them, starting with the biggest:

Not Enough Time

Suppose your company’s expanding its business in Germany and having a full blown command of German would be a great boon for you.  When you consider a goal like this, is your first thought, “I have no time to master another language”?  Or maybe you phrase it as a frantic, “I already have too much to do!”

Not having enough time is a universal complaint, especially if you’re juggling the trifecta of job, community and family responsibilities.

So what’s the goal-achieving solution to this “not”?

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Make time. 

This isn’t meant to be flippant. Sure, achieving a worthwhile goal takes time. But so does BS-ing … grousing about the difficult client, unreasonable boss or cantankerous coworker … churning through social media … playing Candy Crunch.  At home nothing takes as much time as watching TV.

Even if none of these apply to you, you can probably think of your own private time wasters. Any one of them is stealing time you need to work on significant goals instead, nicht wahr?

You’re not wasting a second, you say? Then maybe you do have too much to do. In that case –

Delegate.  Surely not every one of your time-consuming tasks is as important as certain big-deal goals you’d like to achieve. Delegate the less important jobs. Do it at the office. Do it at home. Do it in your community, verstehen Sie?

Another way to find time for your big, significant goal is to make it the first priority of every day – not let it bump along until you can squeeze it in. Treat goals like afterthoughts and they’ll remain inconsequential.

 

Not The Right Goal 

Sometimes we direct our efforts in the wrong direction.

• If you want to be the head of your own operation next year, starting from your current position as one of many in the sales force, your goal is probably too big.
• If you’re spending hours and hours fretting over and re-designing your new business card, your “goal” is probably too small.

And if you’re not sure whether your goals are too big or too small –

Check this: Do you change goals frequently before completing them? Then they may not be the right goals at all.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: The way to untangle this “not” is with a deliberate thought.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION #1: Reflect on past goals to discover why you abandon them. What happened that made you switch goals?

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION #2: Now choose your next goal carefully. Is it significant? Doable? Can you accomplish it within a set period of time? Does it make sense in terms of your current responsibilities? Then press on.

Not Enough Courage

What often prevents many of us from even attempting to meet our goals is plain old fear.

Of course we seldom come out and say aloud, “I’m too afraid to try this.” 

 

Instead we say, “I’m too old,” “I’m too young,” “I don’t have enough education,” “I’m comfortable with how things are now.”

No doubt it’s true: There ARE many things to be afraid of. “What if I fail?” “What if I succeed?” “Won’t things be different after I try?” Fair considerations all.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Acknowledging fear is often the best first step in overcoming it. It also helps to realize that most other people have the same fears too – even those who go on to succeed.

So clearly, just having the fear doesn’t mean failure –

But not doing anything does. 

So, in addition to courageously acknowledging your fear factor, another way to work through the “notty” situation is to construct a worst-case scenario – 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Ask and objectively answer the question: “What’s the worst that thing that could happen if I try?”

Case in point: Suppose you’re convinced the company would benefit by having a Chief Technology Officer (a post you believe you’re qualified to fill). Imagine then you pitch the idea to the top brass and your idea’s turned down flat or, after due consideration, someone new is brought in to fill the position. 

Now what? You still have your job. Plus your reasonable, even profitable, suggestion shows you’re company-minded and ambitious. Pretty good accomplishments for “failure.”

Not Enough Willpower 

“I know all about goals,” you may say. “There was a time I started to create a whole new system for the company. And the time I started to teach myself C++.  And the time I started the MBA course so I can better handle executive level responsibilities. I just never finish anything.”

That certainly resonates.  Good intentions often crumble when you’re faced with the actual work. It doesn’t mean you’re lazy or not capable. You simply need a few concrete tools to help see a job through from start to finish.

These tools are useful for everyone—no matter what your specific goal-completion problem.

1. Set realistic deadlines.  Set a deadline for the goal itself. Also set deadlines to mark each step or series of steps. Meeting these interim deadlines provides you with tangible proof of your progress. They’re also good points to reward yourself for ongoing work.

2. Tell your mentor about your goal. If you don’t have a mentor, tell a friend or trusted co-worker. You’ll be less likely to “let yourself off the hook” if someone is watching what you do. Just be certain you don’t tell someone who will blab to everyone or in some way disparage your efforts.

3. Use a written plan.  It’s been said ad nauseam that the key difference between a wish and a goal is that a goal is written down. A goal somehow becomes more serious when it’s in writing and reflects a deeper commitment on your part. A written plan will also help you break the goal down into its separate, more easily achievable steps.

4. Visualize success. Imagination can help you succeed.  Studies of athletes show that visualizing playing and winning a game can increase performance as much as actual practice. Imagine, in detail, the job complete, the project in full running order. Imagine enjoying the results – as well as all the recognition and respect you’ll get.

Which “not” has you tangled up?  Use the above strategies to start working on your 2014 goals today.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com 

 

P.S. “Perfection of means and confusion of goals seem – in my opinion – to characterize our age. If we desire sincerely and passionately the safety, the welfare, and the free development of the talents of all men, we shall not be in want to the means to approach such a state. Even if only a small part of mankind strives for such goals, their superiority will prove itself in the long run.” The brilliant goal-achiever Albert Einstein (1879-1955) shared that thought on the moral obligation of a scientist with his peers in 1941.