Since I’ve started my own business, it’s an
amazing fact how many times I’ve found myself struggling with what seems to be
quite obvious things.
The last one I’ve noticed is the importance
of setting goals and trying to visualise scenarios for the future. See? Told
you. Pretty obvious, isn’t it? I did it, and I thought it was enough. We even
started having meeting every Monday to set up the goals in different areas for
that week. But then I’ve found myself unhappy with the results so far. And
being quite honest, I should not be disappointed. Far from it, actually.
But the thing is that what got stuck in my
mind are the long-term goals. I’m really focusing on where I’d like to be in a
year for now. Good? Yes and no. The problem of sticking to these global aims is
that you lose sight of the smaller ones. It means that if you’re aiming at 100
in a year from now, you don’t celebrate if you reach 50 in only one month.
So here I am with reasonably good results,
dreaming about the excellent ones, and with the constant feeling that there is still
a lot to do to get where I want. Not a pleasant felling at all, I can tell you
that. Someone told me I have to be patient. I think they’re right. But more
than being patient, I guess I must be more realistic.
Interestingly enough, this realisation came
from what I wrote in the last post. I asked myself a couple of times: ‘happy?’.
‘Not at all” were my conclusions. Why? After ruminating and considering many
different and intricate causes, I asked myself if I was too tired, if the long
hours were the problem, even if I wasn’t happy wearing a suit to work. Go
figure where you mind takes you when you’re trying to find solutions.
But as it’s usually the case, the answer is
right in front of you. It’s difficult to accept it because it’s so obvious it
makes you feel a little stupid. You think ‘seriously?’ Yes, seriously! Which means
that how hard you push is probably less important than how much you have to
push. In other words, I guess it’s easier to run a marathon one kilometre at a
time, rather than going for a 42km sprint. Simple, stupid, obvious and true.
Great post, Luciano!
ResponderExcluirI could picture you feeling uneasy while writing it. I believe that when it comes to achieving life goals or objectives, the dichotomy long and short is always there. Not so pleasant at times, I must say, but always present.
When it comes to teaching corporate students and analyzing their needs in order to set learning goals and objectives, I highly recommend corporate trainers to split these long-term goals into short-term realistic ones. By doing this, progress is constant and so is the sense of achievement.
Maybe if you also adapt this practice to your personal achievements, the feeling of success will be constant. What do you think?
Eduardo Santos
Hi, Eduardo. Thanks a lot for the comment. I absolutely agree with you. I've made a few adjustments this week and I can tell you that it was a rather rejuvenating thing to do. I'm still digesting the fact that it takes a lot of trial and error to learn what is supposed to be commonplace. Interesting process, I'd say. Definitely learning a lot.
ResponderExcluir