A goal without a plan isn’t likely to happen.
You don’t have to be type A and make flow charts and spreadsheets, but you do have to take action.
Regular consistent action in the direction of where you want to go.
Better yet, if you implement a system that keeps you accountable or maybe even does the work for you, you’re likely to find a process that works.
While I was listening to an Amy Porterfield podcast. She read this quote from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.
“If you’re a coach your goal might be to win a championship. Your system is the way you recruit players, manage your assistant coaches, and conduct practice. If you’re an entrepreneur your goal might be to build a million dollar business. Your system is how you test product ideas, hire employees, and run marketing campaigns. If you’re a musician your goal might be to play a new piece. Your system is how often you practice, how you break down and tackle difficult measures, and your method for receiving feedback from your instructor.
Now for the interesting question. If you completely ignored your goals and focused only on your system would you still succeed? For example, if you were a basketball coach and you ignored your goal to win a championship and focused only on what your team does at practice each day would you still get your results? I think you would.
The goal in any sport is to finish with the best score. But it would be ridiculous to spend the whole game staring at the scoreboard. The only way to actually win is to get better each day. In the words of three-time Super Bowl winner, Bill Walsh ‘the score takes care of itself.‘”
Do you have a system?
Or are you just staring at the scoreboard?