If you’re in sales and business, you likely have a lot of things on your to do list. You have goals you’re working towards, and your schedule is full of the things that accomplish those goals. And that is a good thing. Goal setting is a crucial piece to success.
But do you still feel like you’re spinning in circles? Does your schedule feel like it’s just busy work? I find that most people, despite being busy, still feel like they usually aren’t productive, or they aren’t as productive as they would like to be.
If this sounds like you, then you likely need to pivot your perspective. Consider this: you can’t get what you want unless you know what you want – so what do you want?
I’ll ask that again: Do you REALLY know what you want? You may think you do, but if you are feeling unproductive despite the amount of work you do, it may be time to revisit this.
If you’ve seen me speak, you may have seen this exercise. I urge you: don’t do this exercise electronically – the use of pen and paper resonates differently within the brain, and this is important. So grab a pen and paper and try the following:
- Write down ten things that you do NOT want out of your professional life. This helps to provide clarity when you find what you DO want.
- Write down ALL the goals that you want out out of your work or professional life. (This can also be done for your personal life, but for now let’s focus on your work.)
- Pick the top 10, and list them.
- Now, go through your list and identify your top 5.
- From those, choose your top 2.
- Out of those 2, which one stands out to you the most? If you could achieve only one, which one would it be? Circle it.
That, my friend, is your One Great Goal.
So, what exactly is a One Great Goal?
Your One Great Goal is usually closely tied to your “Why.” I find that when clients hone in on what their One Great Goal is, they quickly realize that all their other goals hinged on the success of it. Yet consequently, people usually fill their calendars with what amounts to busywork related to the other, lower priority goals.
Look back at your list. If you accomplished your One Great Goal, would all your other goals have been accomplished? Now, check your calendar. Do your calendar activities align themselves with your One Great Goal, or are they related to the other items on your list?
When you find your One Great Goal and you start to work specifically towards that one thing, all the other goals and dreams you have on your list will seemingly get swept up in the momentum of your One Great Goal.
Now do you know what it is that you REALLY want? Go for that – and most everything else will fall into place.
