Why I Need My Own Counsel: Lessons Learned from Unmet Goals

If Earl Nightingale was right that “success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal,” where does that leave me? As I look back over the goals I set for 2014, I see that I won some and I lost some. How about you?

 

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve spent some time reflecting on and evaluating the progress I made and also the results I didn’t get in the past year. In 2014 I set 8 goals. My results were mixed. There were some definite highs, like publishing 52 blog posts and a vacation to Great Britain. I had my share of lows too, such as only reading 8 books when I’d intended to read 12 last year.

As I reflected and analyzed, I noted why I achieved some and not others. I was able to distill these into lessons learned. In fact, they are principles I already know and write about, I just need to practice what I preach.

As I create my goal plan for the new year, I will heed these 6 lessons learned. Perhaps, by applying them, you too can grow your successes in 2015.

#1: Clarity breeds precision. When working with U.S. Army snipers, I learned the importance of precision shooting. In my understanding, the difference is about errors. If I aim generally at a target and miss, I miss the target completely. If I aim at a specific point in the very center and miss, I still hit the target.

The same is true for my goals. In 2014, a couple of my goals lacked the clarity I needed to stay focused on the results I wanted. Watch out for goals like, “save more money,” “eat healthier” and “lose weight.” Instead set a goal such as “save $5,000 by December 31st.”  Get specific, so you can be more precise.

#2: What gets scheduled gets done. This is a truth I need to apply more intentionally. I scheduled time to write my blog posts this past year, and successfully met my goal to publish one blog each week, consistently. Other goals suffered because I didn’t schedule and guard the time to achieve them.

#3: I must inspect what I expect. If I don’t track it, I never know where I am at a given time. Checking in on my goals is a must. Think how absurd it would be to set out on a road trip from Nashville to Philadelphia and never check to see where you are along the way. The goals I achieved are the same ones in which I tracked my progress. Why not apply it to every goal? This has been huge for my morning routine and boosting willpower.

#4: Rituals bring results. When I incorporated goal achieving behaviors into my daily and weekly rhythms, I got results. I was more likely to adhere to those practices and it took less willpower to get started. Consequently, because doing pushups and reading my Bible are part of my morning routine, I was consistent with them. Create rituals and schedule them into your daily rhythms. Why is this so powerful?

#5: I can’t hit what I can’t see. Keeping goals visible is critical to maintaining momentum and getting results. Honestly, I lost sight of some goals throughout the year. Visual reminders will be a big part of my strategy in 2015. Here are a few ideas.

#6: Accountability works. When I tell Laura, my wife, I am going to run when I get home, she doesn’t let me brush it off when I walk in the door after work. When I told my reader on my About page  that I would publish a blog post every week in 2014, I did it. We can’t rely solely on our own discipline. We will falter, at some point. Recruiting others to be supportive and encouraging is a great way to increase your commitment to the things you’ve already identified as important. Choose wisely.

When we learn from our own mistakes, we call it experience. Yet, when we learn from the mistakes of others, we call it wisdom. I hope you’ll let my experience pursuing my goals in 2014  be wisdom to you. Avoid my missteps and set yourself up for a year of tremendous and unprecedented success.

Question: What is one lesson you’ve learned pursuing your goals? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below. 

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Categories: Achievement, Personal Excellence
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