PaulNorwine.com

“I’ll take you right into the Danger Zone.” -Kenny Loggins from the Top Gun soundtrack

We all know the importance of setting goals and establishing priorities. Most successful people will tell you that you have to know where you want to go if you ever want to get there and you have to have a plan to succeed. But, if you are anything like me, you have struggled following through with all of your goals.

Do you set goals which empower and motivate you in the short-term only to lose focus and determination and fail to see them through to completion? Do you set up specific action plans to achieve those goals only to wake up in the morning to a vague sense of anxiety about how productive you need to be and how much shit you need to get done each day to reach those goals? Do you ever feel as though you are spread too thin, that you are pulled in too many directions, that there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done? And, finally, do you ever stress yourself out to the point of inaction…and then feel guilty or upset that you weren’t as productive as you should have been that day?

Yes? Good! No offense, but it’s comforting to know I am not alone in this. It’s a vicious cycle – setting tons of goals, following through with some but not ALL of them, and then getting down on myself for failing (again) to live up to the personal “rules” and high standards I set for myself…but then I jump right back in there and do it to myself all over again. And it SUCKS!

I hate the feeling of being overwhelmed, of being stressed, of not being as productive as I know I could be, of not following through with all the things I set out to accomplish; it’s debilitating, demoralizing, and deflating. I knew I needed to do something different, that I needed to make a change…I just didn’t know what that change needed to be.

And then I stumbled upon a possible solution…

I have been reading Leo Babauta’s blog Zen Habits for a few weeks now. And I happened to come across a post he wrote last year titled “Really Simple Goal Setting.”

In this post, Leo describes the necessity of paring down and simplifying your numerous goals and objectives down to one main goal and mentally (and physically) tossing all the rest in the trash. He explains how choosing the one goal that will have the most positive impact on the quality of your life and dedicating yourself to that one pursuit actually increases your mental focus and determination to a point that makes attainment of that goal almost a foregone conclusion. He then outlines a process of further simplifying your “one goal” into a personal mantra that will help keep you continuously moving forward and motivated enough to see it through to the end. To say Leo’s post resonated with me is a bit of an understatement – it made perfect, simple sense to me. It was like being handed a copy of “Goal-Setting for Dummies.” I even came up with an analogy that describes the process.

Imagine yourself as a fighter jet – an amazingly complex piece of machinery that seems to defy conventional physics and beliefs on what is possible (admit it, you are picturing the F-16 with Maverick and Merlin at the end of Top Gun…that’s okay, so am I). That fighter jet is you – there’s not much you CAN’T do and your potential is relatively limitless. But you’re only as good as the tools you use – in this case, your focus and determination equate to the heat-seeking missiles that are attached to the fighter jet.

A missile fired cannot destroy more than one target. Once you lock onto a target and fire that missile, it ONLY goes after that ONE target. The missile can change speed and direction in an instant…and it remains flexible enough to stay on course despite evasive maneuvers by the target. But it pursues and harries its target with a one-track mindset.

But what is the prime way to deflect a missile from destroying its intended target? By “confusing” it with other heat-bearing charges. If the missile’s guidance system recognizes multiple heat sources that are similar in strength and consistency to the heat emanating from the original target, the missile becomes “aware” of the other sources and may become disengaged from the original target.

That’s what having too many goals does to your focus and determination, your own personal guidance system. Goals are defined as “the end toward which effort is directed.” If you have too many goals, too many similar “heat sources,” how can you expect your focus and determination missile to stay on track and hit the intended target? You can’t!

Leo’s advice (and this analogy) helped me reach a semi-epiphany on the reasons why I struggle with so much stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed in relation to the goals and rules I set for myself. The conclusion is simple:

If you limit the number of goals and personal rules, you increase your focus and determination. If you increase your focus and determination, you quickly come closer to the “end toward which effort is directed.” AKA, you accomplish your goal, dummy!

Granted, this philosophy is still relatively new to me and it’s difficult to break old habits. But, every day I have been getting better about it. And since I have been utilizing this method of goal-setting, my productivity in relation to my one main goal has increased by leaps and bounds. And I’ve been “working” less!

Funny enough, adopting this philosophy has not only increased my productivity in relation to my one main objective but also in relation to other areas in my life (areas that I used to set “goals” in). But the difference is, I am no longer feeling as stressed or overwhelmed about getting those “other tasks” done. It’s like removing the “need” to get them done has actually freed me up to “get” them done!

And the best thing about this new process? I haven’t been waking up with that subtle sense of anxiety every morning. I have been waking up excited about what my day is going to bring. I can’t tell you enough how amazing a feeling this is. This feeling, in and of itself, is MORE than worth the price of admission

So, what is the exact process I have been following? How exactly did I toss all my goals out the window to focus on one main goal and STILL get loads of stuff done? And how have I become less stressed by working less while getting closer to my one main goal?

It’s a simple enough process…but it will have to wait until later in the week. Please click this link to receive updates of future posts via email. Thanks for reading and see you back here soon! Also, drop me a line / comment letting me know what you thought of the Top Gun analogy

Paul

17 Responses to “Goal Setting for Dummies Part One – Top Gun Analogy”