Right around this time each year, people stop to write their goals and to resolve to make changes in their lives. Most of the time the goals aren’t achieved or the resolutions kept. The reason we fail is because, outside of some greater context, goals and resolutions are impotent.
Not Enough Focus at 50,000 Feet
We spend too much time in the here and now, and not enough time working on what will give our lives meaning, our vision of ourselves, our values, our mission, and our contribution. If you want to reach your goals and keep your resolutions, you have to spend time here, at 50,000 ft.
- How is your goal or resolution tied to the person you are striving to become?
- How does your goal align with your values? Which values?
- What mission is your goal or resolution going to help you to achieve?
- In what way does your goal or resolution help you to make the contribution you are here to make?
There isn’t any reason to work on all the things on your To Do list unless those things are concretely tied to what gives your life meaning. But once you can answer these questions, you need to get to the concrete.
Not Enough Focus at 10,000 ft.
A goal or a resolution needs a plan. Without a concrete, written action plan and accountability, your goals or resolutions are simply good intentions. Spending time at 50,000 feet can help compel you with a burning reason “why.” Spending time at 10,000 feet can provide you with the “what,” the “how,” and the “when.”
- In order to reach your goal, what do you have to do right now?
- What actions do you have to take, and when do you have to take them
- What resources do you have available to help you achieve your goal and keep your resolution?
- How are you going to hold yourself accountable?
Without a big, compelling reason “why,” your goals and resolutions are impotent. Without an action plan to commit to and personal accountability, your goals and resolutions are nothing more than good intentions.
You breathe life into your goals and resolutions by doing the work to tie them to your mission and what gives meaning to your life.
