“Help, help…”
Without question, the man jumps into the river and saves the person.
But no sooner had he arrived than he heard yet another cry for help…
After doing this several times, he decides to go upstream to see what’s happening.
He discovers a man throwing people who can’t swim into the river.
He stops him and solves the problem.
Photo by matthew Feeney on Unsplash
Why am I telling you this on a subject related to achieving your ambitions?
Because often, despite our best intentions :
- We start an important project, but we don’t finish it.
- We’re very busy, but we’re not dealing with the essential issues.
Most of the time, we try to remedy this by prioritizing and reprioritizing our daily tasks.
But, like the man trying to save the villagers in the river, it’s an eternal restart.
Why doesn’t it work?
We treat the problem, not the source.
Either we’ve established the big picture (a good intention), but without realizing it, our daily tasks become uncorrelated as the project progresses. We’re off course.
Or we’ve never taken the time to work on the big picture, in which case we just don’t have a backbone and run around without ever really moving forward.
3 questions and tools to realize what’s important.
1/ What I focus on is the source of the problem.
Whether you call it your life plan, your mission, your big picture is not important. What matters is to have taken the time to do it.
Most people agree with the idea but don’t put it in practice.
There’s a kind of paralysis when it comes to reflecting.
“You will complete your mission in life when you figure out what your mission in life is. Your purpose is to discover your purpose. This is not a paradox. This is the way.” – Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly
If there’s one place where perfection doesn’t exist, it’s here.
Our ideal is in motion, a bit like the horizon when we walk. We never reach it; we’re constantly improving.
A tool to get you started on the first version of your big picture
“If you take the time to figure out your purpose in life, I promise that you will look back on it as the most important thing you will have ever learned.”-How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen
The simplest I’ve found to help you get started is the The triple-A Marshall Goldsmith
The triple-A Marshall Goldsmith (read chapter 3 of this blog )
If you’re willing to invest more time (one day), I suggest this alternative plan. I’ve been doing it since 2016 and I don’t regret a single session. 🙂
2/ How do I focus on my projects?
It’s a tiny distinction, but it makes a huge difference.
I like the way Dan Sullivan represents it.
The Gap And The Gain.
Once we’ve reached the end of a period, whether it’s a decade, a year, a quarter or a day, we measure our achievement.
But beware, you can either create frustration and (sometimes) give up, or create energy and the desire to attack the next period even harder.
If I asked you what you prefer? 80% would say energy without hesitation.
But in practice, 80% of us are still practicing the frustration model.
Why such an assertion?
We measure our achievement against the goal rather than our starting point.
The goal highlights the GAP. I haven’t managed to win 10 new customers. I haven’t managed to lose 12 kg.
The starting point highlights the GAIN. I won 7 customers. I lost 8 kg.
A tool for practical application.
At the end of your day, write down the three things you gained from your day. 2 min (Daily earnings: a simple exercise for ambitious people who want to enjoy life and achieve their goals)
3/ When do I review my priorities?
Now that I have my aspiration, my ambitions, and my actions aligned with the big picture, I have to set up a system that transforms my intentions into actions.
That’s where frequency comes in. Before opening up to the outside world (my emails, news, social networks, yesterday’s statistics…), I devote a few minutes to this ritual.
Every morning:
- Life plan: I reread it every morning. 1 min. It allows me to refocus. To remind myself of who I want to become. To modify and adapt a word to constantly improve it.
- My ambitions: I go through the projects I’m working on. 1 min. What motivates me and why?
- My activities: I prioritize the 3 actions (which will become my gains in the evening) that I want to achieve during the day. 3 min. (The one thing that makes or kills your day.)
Every week :
I recap my week and plan my roles in my diary for the next two weeks. => 15 min (see how in this blog)
Every quarter :
I measure my gains over the quarter and plan my next ambitions (linked to my aspiration) over the next quarter.
A tool to help you go further.
For those who want to anchor their new behaviors further, I suggest you use the principle of active questions.
You turn your life plan and some of your ambitions into active questions.
And at the end of the day, you rate yourself from 0 to 10 on each question. Estimated time 5 min. An exercise to help you turn your intentions into actions.
To find out more: read chapter two of this blog post and download the file to get started .
Conclusion.
“Intelligence is the ability to make finer distinctions.”-Robert Kiyosaki
And we’ve reviewed several today that make a big difference:
- It’s not how busy I am, but what I’m concentrating on.
- It’s not my result, but what I’m comparing it to. (Gain, or Gap)
- It’s not how much time I spend on my goals, but how often I review them.
A few minutes a day is all it takes to focus on the essentials and make our dreams come true.
What has emerged for you? What do you want to do with it in the next few days?
Thank you.
Dror
PS : If you liked this article, you’ll probably like my newsletter. Join a community of ambitious readers who want to succeed in their careers while enjoying their lives. Sign up here and receive it every Wednesday morning directly in your mailbox.
In the same series :
- 10 principles that helped me achieve my dreams…(And that could help you achieve yours). Part 1
- Part Two
- First principle: Take 100% responsibility: the first principle to succeed in your wildest projects
- Second principe : Clarity: Focus On The Horizon, Not Our Shoes. The second principle to succeed in your wildest projects
- Third principle: Courage: Dare To Commit To Your Dreams Without Knowing How To Achieve Them..
- Fourth principle: We Have All The Time We Need To Make Our Dreams Come True.
- Fifth principle: How To Gain Confidence And Take Action: 9 Ideas To Make Our Dreams Come True
- Sixth principle: 4 Ideas To Develop Your Concentration And Find Pleasure In The Practice
- Principle seven: The secret to achieving your ambitions: choose the right measure and review it frequently.
PS: Whenever you’re ready, here are 2 more ways I can help you accelerate your growth through coaching:
- You’re ambitious. You’ve already achieved a lot. But this time, you want to continue while enjoying every moment of your life. Curious? Let’s connect for a free call and see if we can work together.
- You lead a team. You know that a slight improvement in your leadership can significantly impact the results and your career. I was trained and certified by the world’s first executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith. I accompany you in your project and guarantee the result. You only pay if you succeed. Curious? Let’s connect for a free call and see if we can work together
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