I was talking with a friend recently who said they really wanted to move away from the city, live on acres of land and maybe in or near mountains on the east coast or the Rockies.
They love being outdoors and take many opportunities now to spend time on small ranches outside Austin. They camp, do work around the properties – really just getting their quick fix of a homesteading lifestyle.
My friend has a young family and can see how living this lifestyle could positively impact his kids. Less time on devices and more time being outside, working on tangible problems to solve. However, my friend’s spouse isn’t so sure about giving up modern conveniences – like nearby grocery stores or a neighborhood with other young families.
Our goals do not live in a vacuum. They exist in the real world and oftentimes come with real consequences. Every goal that requires action – whether that action is moving with a family to a farm or growing your business to new heights – contains opportunity costs. We must give up something to get something.
Too often, we don’t consider the consequences of pursuing or achieving our goals. We certainly think about the outcome and how great it would be, yet, we don’t address the other factors – what all will be affected to achieve what I want.
The thing is, we know – either consciously or unconsciously – that our goals will have effects on the world and people around us. When we factor in the context in which we are taking our actions and achieving the results, we are much more likely to get even more mental clarity and motivation to get what we want.
Here’s how to ensure your goals are properly contextualized for success:
Understand the consequences
Taylor Swift is arguably the most popular celebrity in America – if not the world – right now. Her Eras tour reportedly grossed over $2 billion spanning 2 years. It’s the biggest grossing tour of all time.
I’m not sure if these were indeed her goals – being the biggest star or having the biggest money making tour. Yet, she certainly desired to be a top billing singer-songwriter.
The consequences of her success are vast. The money earned through touring, album sales, merchandise and endorsements provides all trappings of a mass of wealth. She’s also created companies to enclose as many of the facets of her professional world like tour production, booking, merchandising and copyrighting. So, she makes more profit and has a foundation for the future, too.
She also lives and moves in secret. She can’t say when and where she’ll be. When she travels to one of her homes, she can’t just leave the house and go get a Starbucks. As a consequence of her stardom, her every move must be orchestrated to ensure her own safety and some amount of privacy.
The question for Taylor – or any others aspiring to this stratospheric level – do you really want it and all that comes with it?
We must wrestle with the same questions. What will happen on the way to the goal and when I achieve the goal? What doors open up for me? What doors do I have to close? Do I really want to do that?
The responsible or affected party
Sport psychologists for the top professional athletes have a tough job. When you’re good enough to be considered a “GOAT” (greatest of all time), you’re in a vulnerable spot if that becomes a goal.
Michael Jordan is widely considered the greatest basketball player ever. Based on what? He doesn’t have the most championships or score the most points or have the most season MVP awards. Commentators and social media commenters still argue to this day about who is the greatest.
Not even Jordan can be crowned the GOAT. So, if that is your goal, you will not attain it – because it isn’t real. What sport psychologists push these caliber players to do is be their best. Why? Because we actually have control over being our best.
Jordan had the pursuit to be his best. He took great responsibility for that. And, in order for him to be his best, he needed teammates that were willing to be their best. He pushed them extremely hard. Because of that, all those teammates of his from 1991 through 1998 are an NBA champion.
Are your goals only for you? Do your goals affect other people? Yet, are you ultimately responsible for the goals that you have and the pursuit of those goals?
Paint a full picture of your goal achievement
Again, nothing happens in a vacuum, no one succeeds alone. Your actions & outcomes usually have an effect on other people.
When you think about the goal, think through the details of what that achievement will look like.
Where will you be when the goal is achieved? Consider the location that achieving the goal will take you to. Maybe you have to be in a different environment or a new place to make it happen. Also consider when you want to achieve the goal. The timing might provide direction on the activities and intensity for achieving something in that timeframe.
How you want to achieve the goal is a very process oriented question. What will the process cause you to do? Also, who do you want to achieve your goal with? Knowing the people that you want around or maybe even need around will help you fully understand what it takes to achieve it.
With all of these locations, timing, processes and people – you must understand if there are any drawbacks to achieving the goal that you have.
When you can firmly place the goal and success of the goal in the proper contexts of your life, you’ll get great clarity on what it takes AND a deeper desire to make it happen. This level of thinking will ensure that you will remove any lingering mental obstructions blocking your path because of a fear that your achieving the goal will somehow backfire on something. You will know that your goal is your destiny.
Keep tuned into this series next week as we talk about acquiring the resources to achieve the goal and taking that first step toward the new you!