Stop focusing on your Goal
When delivering a motivational keynote, I always like to start with a dream! Dream big; the bigger, the better.
The reason for this is twofold:
- It removes the artificial ceiling we put on ourselves that restricts our belief of what we can achieve.
- It is a marker in the sand and a direction of travel
A level down from your ‘dream’ is a goal. A goal is a specific objective that you either achieve or don’t sometime in the future.
For instance, your dream might be to win the World Cup, but your goal for the season might be to score 20 goals. Your dream might be to own a trillion $ company, but your goal this financial year will be to increase your turnover by 50%.
I then quickly return my audience to earth to focus on the ‘systems’ needed to achieve those goals. A system is something you do regularly that increases your odds of happiness in the long run. If you do something every day, it’s a system. If you’re waiting to achieve it someday, it’s a goal. Don’t focus on something you are waiting for – get on with working daily on the right ‘systems’.
Scott Adams, the artist behind the cartoon Dilbert, first proposed this goal/system theory. It resonated with me on many levels. How does a footballer, when he wins a cup or a league title, have the hunger to win more and more? The goal is always there for every season, but the focus is on the systems you put in place for endless refinement and constant improvement.
Looking back on my career, I can rest easy knowing that I attempted to listen, learn, and improve at (almost) every training session (go easy; no one’s perfect). My daily ‘system’ brought medals, titles, personal accolades and international caps over a 19-year football career.
Your daily commitment to those ‘systems’ will determine your progress and subsequent achievements. So, let’s stop focusing on those goals 😊
Remember, winners and losers have the same goals….now you know what sets them apart!
#Motivation #MaximiseYourPotential