I have been exposed to all sorts of goal setting conversations, but they never really did anything for me.
I had set goals and achieved them when I was younger, but the path seemed easier when I wasn’t distracted by all of my adult responsibilities and the variables that life threw at me.
When I became solely responsible for my life I knew all of my decisions mattered and I needed to know what direction I was heading so I could be consistent.
So I gave myself a general idea of where I wanted to be in a few years, then I could make better decisions.
But the small failures still got me down. The ups and downs of life would pull me off track, and it became a long and windy road that never felt like progress.
Seth Godin speaks about being in it for the long run and not making short term and costly decisions, so I made a long term plan.
And I am finally starting to figure out why it works.
If I had my heart set on being an engineer in 4 years I would want to be good in math. It’s easier to understand the math skills I’m learning today are building blocks towards where I want to be in 4 years.
Take away that 4 year plan and the test feels like the beginning and end of everything because you can’t see past it. All you can see is the test in front of you and it makes it so much more daunting.
Life is the same way.
Without a long term plan, all I could see was the test in front of me making mountains out of what could have been a mole hill had I been able to see past it.
Every unexpected bill, every ugly conversation, every health issue, and a myriad of other things would stop me dead in my tracks losing all momentum I might have built.
Having something to look at beyond those tests, made them feel more like hiccups instead of barricades. They became challenges that I needed to figure out how to move through instead of insurmountable road blocks in front of me.
Earl Nightengale said “never give up on a dream because of the time it will take to accomplish it, the time will pass anyway.”
But first I needed to have a dream that was part of my plan.