johnmdemarco posted on May 13, 2010 18:13
An important evolution toward truly living strategically (or purposefully) is connecting all of the dots between your “action plans.”
What do I mean by this?
Think of all the initiatives you carefully or spontaneously put together in various arenas of your life. You have your business plan or your goals/action steps at your job. Perhaps you’ve written down some “personal” goals or a “bucket list.” Maybe you have another set of goals for your children. Then, there might even be “spiritual” goals related to your faith journey.
How can all of these plans holistically synergize, in order to maximize your efforts and increase your likelihood of achieving what you truly want?
I’ve observed—as I’ve stated from various angles on this blog—that the holistic approach is best found by clearing out the clutter and making things very simple. When endeavors begin with simplicity, they stand a much greater chance at growing complex and profound in meaningful ways.
The best way to begin is through growing in “strength awareness.” What are the things you do extremely well, activities where there have been naturally recurring patterns of talent that you have built skills, experiences and wisdom around in order to transform them into strengths? Many tools, books and “strength-aware” others are at your disposal to help you gain clarity in this area. When the student is ready, the teacher—and the books—will appear.
From here, you set a couple of meaningful goals that take full advantage of your strengths. These goals must be “big picture” enough to serve as umbrellas for all the “sub-goals” you might create that address those important arenas such as family, work, spiritual growth, community service, hobbies, etc. From here you can drill down even further in each sub-goal, creating strategies and tactics for how to execute upon them each quarter, month, week and day, rather than just haphazardly going after what you want and “hoping” you get it.
The key is that—working backwards—each of these tactics, strategies and sub-goals tie into those few larger, big picture goals, which then tie back to your core strengths.
Stay immersed in what you do best, and you find that you meet and exceed all of your goals because your goals begin SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. When you are leveraging your strengths you cannot help but have clear, organized and realistic thinking that is both inspiring and pragmatic.
Are you currently feeling fragmented, running in so many directions trying to achieve so many worthy things but finding your progress on any one of them mediocre at best?
Perhaps it is time to do something different. Consider chucking all of the “plans” you currently have on your messy table, and spend some quality moments discovering and reflecting upon those core strengths. This process really cannot be circumnavigated in order for a person to find enduring, satisfying fulfillment across the board. Ultimately the spheres are all connected, because only one person intersects with them in any given moment: you.