Having a plan and sticking to it is easier said than done.
I am the queen of distraction. So how do I focus on getting my work done when I’d rather be watching a Bollywood movie?
Easy – I have a goal. A goal that is important. In fact, it’s so important that getting it done is going to have a tremendous positive impact on society and the world in which we live. I am so passionate about my goal that working on it is a pleasure. So much so that taking time off to do other things is actually pretty hard for me.
In order to be successful, you have to have some idea of what you mean by success. How you define success is your goal. I like to break goals down into primary goals and secondary goals. My primary goals are fairly static. Live life well and be happy. Try to make others so at the same time.
My secondary goals are way more flexible and they change over time. So – getting a degree was a goal for a while. Why get a degree? So I could live life well and be happy while trying to make the world a better place at the same time.
My current goal is to set up my business Humanist Learning Systems (https://humanistlearning.com) so I can get paid to teach people how to stop bullies using science. Why? So I can live life well and be happy while trying to make the world a better place at the same time.
See how secondary goals are in service to your primary goals? Whatever I am working on – is in service to my primary goal.
The mistake many people make is in not having a primary goal. Without that, your secondary goals have no grounding. You don’t have a good reason why you are doing what you are doing. If your goals are not grounded in a really strong reason why, then when, not if, you encounter problems, you have no real motivation or reason to keep working on them.
If you are having a problem staying focused, then consider rethinking your goals. If you need help – consider taking my course – Planning for Personal Success (https://humanistlearning.com/planforpersonalsuccess/) which will not only help you better define your primary goals, but it will also teach you how to be more strategic in your decision making along the way.
I am the queen of distraction. So how do I focus on getting my work done when I’d rather be watching a Bollywood movie?
Easy – I have a goal. A goal that is important. In fact, it’s so important that getting it done is going to have a tremendous positive impact on society and the world in which we live. I am so passionate about my goal that working on it is a pleasure. So much so that taking time off to do other things is actually pretty hard for me.
In order to be successful, you have to have some idea of what you mean by success. How you define success is your goal. I like to break goals down into primary goals and secondary goals. My primary goals are fairly static. Live life well and be happy. Try to make others so at the same time.
My secondary goals are way more flexible and they change over time. So – getting a degree was a goal for a while. Why get a degree? So I could live life well and be happy while trying to make the world a better place at the same time.
My current goal is to set up my business Humanist Learning Systems (https://humanistlearning.com) so I can get paid to teach people how to stop bullies using science. Why? So I can live life well and be happy while trying to make the world a better place at the same time.
See how secondary goals are in service to your primary goals? Whatever I am working on – is in service to my primary goal.
The mistake many people make is in not having a primary goal. Without that, your secondary goals have no grounding. You don’t have a good reason why you are doing what you are doing. If your goals are not grounded in a really strong reason why, then when, not if, you encounter problems, you have no real motivation or reason to keep working on them.If you are having a problem staying focused, then consider rethinking your goals. If you need help – consider taking my course – Planning for Personal Success (https://humanistlearning.com/planforpersonalsuccess/) which will not only help you better define your primary goals, but it will also teach you how to be more strategic in your decision making along the way.
Love this, Jennifer! Like you, distractions don't have a lot of pull on me. My nemesis is often the workload. But just as you said, keeping that primary goal front and center gets me over the hum! And I love the breaking goals down into primary and secondary. Great advice!
ReplyDeleteHI Susan, thanks for the feedback. Knowing my primary goals and being clear on what really truly matters, helps me to eliminate things that don't really matter from my otherwise overwhelming to do list.
ReplyDelete