Most people work hard. Whatever they do, they want to do well. Sometimes that means putting in long hours.
The reality is such effort gets you nowhere if you don’t know where you want to go. You need a destination to stay on course. What does this look like in practice?
Describe What You Want to Achieve
Those of us (like me) who go whole hog in pursuit of git ‘er done often don’t take the time to look to the future. We are so busy being busy that we make decisions based on points of reference we often aren’t conscious of. These decisions, consequently, fail to adequately create continuous progress toward the life we want for ourselves and those we love.
So do this: Set aside an hour a week for getting clear about where you want to get to. Lay out what exactly you want to achieve so that you can have the life you want when you are successful.
Keep it simple. How much wealth do you want to build? What do you not want to do in your company? How many days away from your company do you want to have? What experiences do you want to have with your family?
Whatever you create will change over time. That is normal, and it’s not a reason for skipping this work.
Use Your Goal(s) When Making Decisions Now
Every day you have lots of choices to make. Where do you put your focus? What about this situation that just popped up? How to respond?
With a clear destination in mind you can make better choices about the present.
For example, you might like jumping in and being the savior when a crisis happens. However, doing so is inconsistent with helping your key employees learn how to become less dependent on you. And that will leave you less likely to achieve the goal you have laid out for yourself.
Catch yourself not doing what comes naturally to you. Put your efforts into teaching others how to be more effective. Notice when an employee grows into being who you knew they wanted to be.
Appreciate Your Progress
The journey to success is a long one. Stop and pay attention to the progress you have made.
Taking that one hour a week to focus on where you want to go and how your journey has been going will help you stay focused.
The busy-ness we find addictive can be overcome by this practice so you can make better choices in the long run. Getting clear about where you are doing makes it likely you will get there.
Enjoy the journey. Stay on course. Keep the destination in mind while appreciating what you have accomplished.
It is only your life. What do you want from it?