May 13, 2024
Personal Journey
Here is a simple framework that helps me.
I think of goals in two ways—big and small. Profound, right? Not really, but it works for me. I start with visionary goals, which are attainable but challenging to reach. Visionary goals stretch me and are the most rewarding when achieved. Next, I set smaller goals that advance me toward the visionary goal. I think of these as action steps. These small goals are important because they reward me along the way. I feel a sense of accomplishment each time I hit another goal. If I only have one big goal that will take a lot of effort and time to reach, I risk getting discouraged, feeling less energetic, or losing interest altogether.
I’ll give you a personal example. Recently, I decided to run an ultra marathon before I turned 50. I also set smaller goals to keep myself motivated over the next two years. I set a pace goal for a half-marathon this year. I also want to run one full marathon this year and one next year before attempting the ultra marathon. Each time I finish a race, I feel a sense of accomplishment and a little more confident that I can finish an ultra.
Next, I don’t set rigid goals. Goals should be flexible and malleable. I don’t know the future. If it's a business goal, I don’t know what the markets will look like or what sales will be. Simply put, I can’t tell exactly how things will shake out. So, I strive towards my goals but keep an open mind about tweaking them along the way.
In the context of my company, as we grow and move toward the goals we set, we learn as we go. At times, we realize our goals don’t make sense anymore. Or your goals might not be big enough. So, we set visionary goals but regularly review them and adjust as needed. Companies, especially startups, can get into trouble if they are too tenacious about their goals. Don’t get me wrong, tenacity is good. However, when it comes to goals, you need to know when to stick to them and when to rethink the vision. There should be a balance between the disciplined rigger of striving after a goal and the humility and wisdom to adjust goals as needed. There’s a difference between adjusting goals because they are too difficult and adjusting goals because it’s wise to realize new goals will set you up for success.
The last principle I try to remember when setting goals is to talk about them sparingly. There are two schools of thought here. On the one hand, talking about goals can help solidify them. It is OK to talk about goals if it enables you to process your thoughts or holds you accountable for finishing them. On the other hand, talking too much about goals runs the risk of failure. This weird thing happens when we talk about our plans. The feeling we get when we complete a goal can be mimicked by discussing it, leaving us with a false sense of accomplishment. We can get so excited about the prospect of a goal that we lose interest in doing the work to achieve it.
This framework is not profound, but I hope it will help you achieve your goals, at least a little better.
