Key to Success - Part II
Oftentimes, there is a tendency to simply think too small when it comes to our goals. No matter how seemingly straightforward what you want to achieve is, there is a greater purpose to it. Failing to identify that purpose prevents you from arming yourself against the negative influence of fear, doubt, obstacles, even failures that you will more than likely encounter along the way.
Think of the goal journey as a building project. And I’m talking from scratch. If you bought a piece of land and planned to build a house on it, would you start by framing the walls? I hope not. There are many things that have to be considered and done before you even begin to acquire the materials you will eventually need. You have to create a plan, get permits, build a foundation, etc. etc.
I’m certainly not a building expert, but I am well-versed in the art of building foundations for achieving goals. This is why the first key is faith - you have to believe in your ability before you can take on such a large project. And yes, I use this approach on every goal I have, even if the “project” seems small. Trust me, it comes in handy.
Purpose is your goal’s solid foundation. Without it, you may well get that house built, but it could be on shaky ground and unable to withstand the test of time (or the slew of other tests that can come your way). This is where people tend to get uncomfortable. It’s all too easy to think small when we are chasing after a goal. A symptom of that is thinking, “this goal is so simple, it seems pointless to tie it to some big, meaningful purpose.”
It’s ok if those thoughts crossed your mind as you read this. It is normal, in fact. But…your purpose is how you connect the dots from ambition to meaning. From simply going from A to Z to finding fulfillment. And purpose also tends to generate accountability, which I’ll get to in a second.
The first step to identifying your purpose is to spend some time thinking about what you desire. If you already have a goal, fantastic. If you don’t, take the time to really consider what you would like to accomplish. Are there goals you’ve been debating going after? Are there dreams you have that get you fired up, but perhaps that fire is immediately extinguished when you think you simply can’t make it happen? If so, go back to first key and work on your inner faith. And then continue with the second step (below) for establishing purpose.
In order to move forward with your purpose, you need to take the time to develop at least 2-3 whys (your reasons) for achieving this goal or dream. At least one of those whys has to be about something outside of yourself. Think about it, how easy is it to give up on a goal when you’ve only considered the impact it will have on yourself? Pretty easy, in my experience. When you’ve come up with a why that considers others, you create an accountability hack. It’s far more difficult to give up on something when you have connected it to the potential to impact or serve others.
Stay tuned, next week we’ll be diving into the third key…discipline. Until then, I wish you clarity as you develop a meaningful purpose.