What's Your Goal?
Almost anything you can name that you want to accomplish can be achieved in on-going, repetitive, small, present moments of decision-making.
Any goal has the potential to change your entire life -- that's a huge, perhaps even overwhelming, prospect. Even if it's positive, that kind of change can be intimidating.
The goals may feel big, but the choices, the actions, the steps that get you to fulfilling them are usually (nearly always) relatively tiny.
And those little pieces are incredibly doable!
What are the Pieces?
- Can you break down your goal into its smallest basic component action?
- What's the common denominator action that shows up as a requirement every time you work on (toward) your goal?
- If you engage your goal every week, what do you need to make happen each week?
- If you work on your goal daily, what's the action you will find yourself doing every day?
Let's consider a few common examples (goals that many of us share):
If your goal is to write a book, the smallest basic component action may be writing a page. Doesn't matter if you write a novel or a memoir or a blog post; doesn't matter if you write every day or every week -- there's some part of this series of small, repetitive actions that looks the same every time.
Let's define an action as something that a hidden camera can capture you doing.
There you are, sitting down in front of your computer, typing something every day. There you are, sitting at your favorite cafe every Saturday morning with your notebook on your lap, scribbling something.
If your goal or intention is to get in shape, lose ten pounds, build lean muscle tone [insert any kind of body/ fitness goal here] the smallest basic constituent actions are food choices and exercise. It amazes me that this part of the self-improvement market appears so seemingly diverse and crowded, when almost all these goals share such really obvious basic parts.... Of course there are an unbelievable number of variables you can mix and match as part of your personal program to Make This Happen, but
There you are, taking a brisk thirty minute walk around the neighborhood each evening. There you are, at the gym on the treadmill each morning before work. There you are, taking an aerobics class three times a week.
The schedule, the frequency, and the duration of the action can be customized and will vary from one person to the next, but it can always be broken down to: you, moving something (your ass) somewhere, over and over again.
What if your goal doesn't break down? What if your goal does not seem to have one lowest common denominator or constituent action? Like, maybe your goal has a lot of working parts, that require a group of diverse activities.
The first example that comes to mind is starting your own business -- this is a goal where you need to wear a lot of different hats, and each "hat" has an entirely different set of activities associated with it.
When this is the case, your goal needs to be broken down into smaller, more manageable goals -- and you need to approach them individually. Within each smaller goal you can find those basic, simple, repetitive requirements.
What about your goal? A blog post attempts to speak to thousands of people, so the wisdom gets a bit watered-down.... You don't see your goal here among these scant few examples?
This is why people call me and work with me over the phone -- I really dig working with:
- creative people who are good at too many things
- who can't decide where to focus first
- who are overwhelmed and paralyzed by their own vision
Creative entrepreneurs looking for the formula to blend who they Are with what they Do in the world.
I need to blow my own horn a bit more around here about the results of my sessions with creative clients, entrepreneurs, and artists of all stripes. A live conversation with me turns your project into our shared priority, and you come away with clarity, purpose, and most importantly -- a plan that totally makes sense and seems too simple for you NOT to follow.
In other words, a session with me is a brainstorm embedded with working parts -- your goal, broken down into pieces, prioritized, simplified, and scheduled. An hour on the phone = the next 3 to 6 months of your creative life with instructions. Seriously -- why not just get me to help you reel in your future?
The Best Process is always about deconstruction first -- as part of the planning stage.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Accomplishment rarely hinges on "ability" or "talent."
The real "issues" are perseverance and patience -- the repetitive forms of attitude.
If you don't have a clue where to begin, that's easy -- start by showing up once.
If you're having a hard time creating momentum see: What's Your Motivation Momentum Before Inspiration Do It Again
Image credit Wally Gobetz via Creative Commons on Flickr