What to Do?
Now is the time we look toward next year and begin formulating New Year’s resolutions or goals.
Too often, we do not engage in the prerequisite thinking needed for effective goal-setting, and our goals are inconsistent, inadequate, or fail to account for our predispositions. If you are not a goal-setter, I can only say, “In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia” (author unknown).
The Past
Without becoming mired in past triumphs and tragedies, take an inventory and learn from what worked and what did not. Did you achieve your sales quota, lose twenty pounds, or learn Spanish? Why? Did you plan to succeed? Were you disciplined? Was the target unreasonable? Did you change your mind about your desire?
The answers to these questions will guide your thinking concerning a crucial factor in accomplishing your goals – proper selection. A great process behind the wrong goal takes you to the wrong destination.
That Thing
In a statement of the obvious, our aspirations should align with our values, objectives, and desires, terms I will use interchangeably. Unfortunately, we frequently fail to connect with our desires accurately.
You can find the connection by asking which activities give you energy and which ones drain it. Some leap out of bed on Monday morning to go to work; others become nauseous on Sunday night. The latter reaction reveals a desire to change the job or what the job does to you.
Others effortlessly spend hours tinkering with their equipment and speaking with people around the globe on their Ham Radios (voice-only WhatsApp before the internet). Energy-producing activities may not be the activities that pay your bills, but you find a way to make more space for them.
Another method to evaluate energy is determining if you can live without it. Several years ago, I wrote thirty essays relating my experiences attending services at 35 houses of worship of different faiths. One evening, I discovered two writings had vanished from my computer.
I became more panic-stricken than when I lost my children at the grocery store 25 years ago. Despite the late hour, I contacted my now-adult children and cousin, hoping they had saved them. My cousin assured me he would find and send the missing messages. After a fitful night of sleep, they arrived in my inbox, and I was more relieved than when the grocery store manager came around the corner with my toddlers in tow.
Shortly afterward, I related this story to a close friend as part of a conversation about my uncertain plans; he short-circuited the discussion by exclaiming, “Is there any question about what you should be doing more of?”
Alignment
Our goals should be designed to accomplish our objectives, but a frequent knee-jerk reaction is declaring we will run a marathon to get rid of our beer belly. However, you can (i) train for a marathon without losing a pound or (ii) cross the finish line and return to the recliner with your belly recovering everything lost since New Year’s Day.
A more beneficial ambition is better wellness supported by “habits” that can include a marathon. Likewise, lower weight or blood pressure are not goals but more favorable wellness measurements that are products of proper consumption and movement habits.
Most salespeople instinctively shout, “More sales!” as their number one mission. Greater performance or job satisfaction likely are superior ambitions. If so, converting/eliminating unprofitable customers to improve gross profit or taking a leadership class that qualifies you for a management position more readily accomplish these objectives.
Sometimes, we pick the wrong plan to meet the right purpose. I wanted to feel good strutting around in my Speedo, so I adopted a plant-based diet and stepped up my workout program. After a few months, I realized my “true” aspiration required improving my self-image, not my figure. Rather than more lettuce and runs, I needed to stand naked in front of the mirror and proclaim, “I am good-looking and sexy.”
______________________________________________________
Begin with the things you desire revealed through their energy contribution or that you cannot live without, and then ensure your goals fulfill your true desires.
