Consistent. Committed. Two simple adjectives. In pursuit of any personal or corporate goal, both sound important, right? However, once the original goal is envisioned, focusing your on-going actions from then on with one of these can exponentially increase your chances of achieving that goal. Focus your actions on the other, and your chances of goal achievement plummet.
According to research by the University of Scranton1, an estimated 45% of all Americans set a New Year’s resolution. Sadly, only 8% of people actually achieve that goal! Why?
Well, think of a goal you once set and then later fell short of achieving. Was it because you weren’t committed? No doubt you were totally serious and VERY COMMITTED. I would challenge that if you went back to thoughtfully do a “post-mortem” analysis of why you failed to achieve that goal, it wasn’t due to your lack of commitment, it mostly likely was due to a lack of emphasis on consistency in knowing and /or following each of the small, baby-step actions necessary to reach your ultimate goal. When you consistently follow individual baby-steps, you cannot help but reach your goal.
For example, let’s say you have read the health benefits resulting from taking up the hobby of running. (Your MISSION = Optimum Health for You). You have seen various pictures of runners with a certain physique or specific health statistics that you also desire to attain. (Clear, detailed VISION of your Goal). Armed with that picture of health in mind, you research and assemble a step-by-step plan to gradually take your health from where you are now to where you want to go be. (Strategic Action Plan ACTIONS and TASKS). Once those 3 elements are in place, you begin. As you progress on your health journey, you can periodically remind yourself of the commitment you made in the beginning, but you HAVE to concentrate and put all of your energies into your consistency in taking each step and completing each phase of your plan. In other words, your consistency in completing each of the individual steps will ASSURE you that your goal can and will be realized. Without consistency in making each step a priority, your chances of success are doomed. A good friend of mine, Mark LeBlanc, CSP probably says it best, “Consistency trumps Commitment every time”. He’s right.
Want to exponentially increase the chances of achieving your goals for yourself personally or for your department or organization? Follow these simple rules. (Notice I did not say they were “easy”!) :
- Make sure you have a clear Mission, a detailed and written Vision, and a well-organized Action Plan outlining all of the individual steps (Actions and Tasks) to be taken – along with a completion date.
- Strategically enlist the help of some “cheer leaders” who you can periodically look to for support and encouragement.
- Focus on and prioritize consistently completing each step one at a time and in correct order. Then head on to the next one.
- Feel free to pause occasionally, catch your breath, celebrate, and remind yourself of your commitment…but place your focus and energies on your consistency in completing each Action and Task.
Whatever your goal, remember that pursuing any worthy goal is more of a “marathon” than a “sprint”. Pace yourself. Go for it! You know you are committed. Take one step and a time. Focus on being Consistent. I will look for you in the winner’s circle!
Have a question or need to contact Jack to assist you or your organization in your Strategic Planning activities? Contact Jack at Jack@WindmillLeadership.com.
To Your Success…
Jack
1 New Year’s Resolution Statistics. John C. Norcross, PHD. University of Scranton Journal of Clinical Psychology: 2002. <http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/>.