Issue 040: The Secret to Hitting Goals
– Mike Dooley
Have you ever heard the lyrics: One is the loneliest number? The song was initially performed by the band Three Dog Night. Well, this band can say it's the loneliest number; however, the number one can be your secret sauce in 2021.
In a conversation, a friend shared that "finish" was her word for the year. I get it. One of my top five strengths, according to CliftonStrengths Assessment, was Ideation, an idea generator. I get excited, and I dive right into a project. Ironically, one of my to-do tasks over the holidays was to write down the unfinished projects I started over the past few years. How many unfinished projects do you have?
What does ONE have to do with this week's Chronicles? One can be your fastest path to getting projects completed and goals achieved. In 2019, as I was recovering from surgery, I read Atomic Habits and reread The ONE Thing. I knew I needed to stop creating new projects and start finishing or ditching old ones. The only way to do that was to focus on the number one! Concentrate on one thing, task, or project at a time.
Here's how I made the same mistake over the years. I considered big projects one thing. So, I would have three projects on my to-do list for the week or month. Crazy, I know. When clients have implemented one of my training systems, I asked them to implement one tactic or strategy weekly. In a recent remote workshop, my client wanted to create a resilient team and workplace. One technique was to flip their negative verbiage to positive. Rather than changing a lot of key phrases at once, the goal was to implement one positive phrase or word each week. In another client meeting, the client wanted to motivate his sales team to do more. We implemented one tactic: to call one former customer a day for 30 days.
Bounce-Up™ Momentum Builders:
Here's how an intentional one can work. Start with the bigger picture first.
Have one goal to represent each quarter. It could be a revenue, project, or skill improvement goal. For example, in the first quarter of 2021, my one goal is to have my online course(s) uploaded and ready for clients.
Assign one project for the month. One monthly project keeps you on track for your quarterly priority. For a more significant undertaking such as writing a book, work on one part of the book for the month. Do break down the project steps to use as an action map.
Prioritize one primary task for the week, such as record Module 1 of the online course.
When you concentrate on one project, goal, or task, you can intensify your focus, and you can keep disruptions or shiny objects 😊 to a minimum.
Bounce-Up™Momentum Builder Questions:
What is your first quarter project, goal, or priority?
What is your January project?
What is your weekly task?
What’s Happening in January?
January will wrap-up with what can keep you focused in 2021.
Until next time, Power-Up, Play-Up, and Bounce-Up™!
Mj
