“Where are we going?”
Without fail, my wife will ask me this question the moment we get in the car together.
She normally already knows the answer. Boring as it sounds, we hardly ever get in the car together without already knowing where we’re going.
She asks the question because she’s setting me up for the next one.
“Do you know how to get there?”
This is the question she is really wanting to know the answer to. If I don’t have an answer, or my answer doesn’t inspire confidence, she commandeers the navigation system.
Our goals serve the same purpose.
So many people move through life without any clarity and direction. They live day to day, week to week, year to year.
The by-product of not having clarity and direction is fear, anxiety, worry and self-doubt.
It’s like driving out of your driveway at home without an answer to my wife’s first question.
Sure, it’s quite fun and liberating to leave home for a drive without a destination in mind.
But it gets old pretty quick. After that, the anxiety and self-doubt sets in.
I’d prefer to leave home knowing I am on my way to see family and friends, have a new experience, or earn a buck.
Do you have goals?
If you do, you should be able to write them down on one page. If you do, someone else in your life – someone you trust – should know about them.
Some people say they have a goal but haven’t written it down or told anyone about it. If you can’t describe your goal in words, or explain it to another person, then I don’t think you have a goal.
Imagine me telling my wife “we are going somewhere nice.” You don’t even have to know my wife to know she’d want a clearer answer than that (if you do know my wife, you’d know she would demand a better answer than that!).
We also need a plan and process for achieving our goals.
They serve as our navigation system.
Unless I can name a few roads and landmarks or, better yet, have the directions loaded into the navigation system, my wife demands better.
In this respect, writing down our plan and process for achieving our goals is vital. Even better is sharing the plan and process with someone we trust.
I love to try and “wing it” when it comes to navigating our way to a destination. It drives my wife insane. As fun as it can be, it almost always doesn’t work out well. We are often late or worse, arrive at the wrong destination, without a sound navigation plan.
Have you got a plan to accompany your goals?
If not, find someone who can help you do that. Start with a mentor, failing that try and talk through it with someone you trust. They will be honest with you if your plan and process doesn’t inspire confidence.
My goals book might be a good first step for you to get started.
Where do you want to be come the end of 2024? What about the end of this decade on New Years Eve 2029?
