This week I learned in one of our business coaching sessions how important it is to stay focused on your goals. That may sound cliche and most people hear that every day but you would be surprised at how few actually do it. As highly motivated and highly driven people, we often find ourselves chasing things that we call “goals” but never really catch all of them. It’s a lot like a dog that sees a loud shiny car and takes off after it. He runs and runs and the shiny car gets further and further away. All of a sudden… the car stops, the dog catches up, and then…. What happens next? The dog can’t eat the shiny car… The dog can’t play with it either. So, he looks around, spots another car that’s shinier and louder, and begins chasing that car.
What I have realized is that you can’t have everything in the world. You have to make trade-ups.
Clay showed me that everyone has to pick their goal, whether that is more family time, traveling more, a new house, or the biggest bank account. A lot of us have picked our goals (especially on our business coaching team) but what I have realized is that you can’t have everything in the world. You have to make trade-ups. If you want more time with your family, you can’t have more money than Jeff Bezos. If you want a bigger house, you can’t go to every event you get invited to. You have to pick what you are passionate about, put on your blinders, and run for that goal without stopping.
Once I reach that goal, what next? Enjoy life. God placed each and every one of us on this earth one time. We get no do-overs. If you have reached your goal, enjoy the things you have worked so hard for. This also doesn’t mean that you can just start mailing it in either. You have to keep the good habits that you have developed to get here, but you should also take some time to enjoy what you have done. You don’t have to chase new goals your entire life and the goals that most of us have set are actually much closer than we believe. On a regular basis, sit down, review your goals, determine what you actually need to do to complete them, and complete those steps. Celebrate your wins on the way there and keep that goal in front of you everywhere you go.
