Approaching New Goals

With the New Year here, I wanted to share some thoughts on how to approach new goals.

Pick two things. Pick two things you want to be really good at, not 10 things you are doing okay with or are “filling your time” with. Instead, choose two key things you want to focus on and achieve a high standard.

Limit the amount of “stuff” you have to manage. For example, say you have two cars and a boat, but you really only use one car. You still have to upkeep the others even though you don’t use them. Make a list of all the things you have to upkeep or manage that take your time that you really don’t use. Then get rid of them. This frees up space, time, and money to use on the key areas you are focusing on.

Less talk and more action! We often talk about the things we need to do, should do, want to do. Set clear targets, a timeline and a schedule with deadlines to take action. Then stop talking and get after it!

Always continue to be a student. I always hear people say they are experts — I personally hate that word. As soon as someone says they are an expert, they are announcing they have closed the door to learning and that they know it all. To me that is a sure sign they are limiting how much they will continue to grow in their fields. Always be a student, not an expert.

Work hard for a long time. Another word I don’t particularly like is talent. This word means nothing if you don’t do anything with it. Some of the most talented people are sitting on a couch doing nothing. Work ward over a long period of time. That is real “talent.”

“Busy” is overused. It’s common to ask someone how they are and they respond with, “busy.” Then if you were a fly on their shoulder for the day you’d see how much time is actually wasted. Set out a clear schedule each day. Note how much of your time you are spending feeling busy versus actually being productive. Set up your day to be proactive and structured so when you have free time you really can relax and eliminate the false business.