I sat down recently to play the piano my parents gifted me during one of their de-cluttering sprees. When I struck the first chord of one of my old, favorite songs, my fear was confirmed – I was awful. This was kind of sad; I was once so skilled!
And now? Well, beyond being un-skilled, I was in a quandary. Do I keep this large piece of furniture that I may never use … or do I get rid of it?
Later that day, when I was driving and heard the piano in one of my favorite Ben Folds songs, I was inspired and thought that I’d be so happy if I had 1/1000 of his ability, which seemed like a realistic goal. I wondered what would happen if I committed to playing 15 minutes a day for a year. I started to do that math and thought that if I made this minor time commitment, over time I’d have a habit, and a year from now maybe I’d be decent again. So, I did it – I locked in that goal.
In the spirit of my new music endeavor, I’d like to give a shout out reminder that we’re several weeks into the New Year – a natural goal-setting time.
I know that many of us aren’t goal-setters; that’s not to say goals aren’t being set for you.
Some of you have forecasts that just launched, project deadlines you must meet, or productivity goals that have to be hit.
Like my piano playing, many of these goals aren’t new to you, either, which can make them seem daunting because you’ve got an appreciation for what it’ll take to be good at them. Here are some things I’m learning from un-rusting my goals that can help remind you that you’ve got what it takes to achieve whatever it is that’s ahead of you:
- You’re not starting at zero. You’re not a beginner, which means your re-learning curve will be faster, progress will be quicker.
- Don’t strive for perfect. No path to goal attainment is perfect. Strive for good enough; good enough is the gateway to great.
- Milestones are motivating. Don’t look at the big goal – smaller goals within goals are easier to achieve and encourage you along the way.
- Incremental accomplishment is the way to go. Small things, over time, lead to big things.
- You might better your best. You could discover that with a renewed focus and commitment, plus a time investment to help you improve, you’ll amaze yourself with even higher achievements.
Here’s to a great 2021. Let’s work to ensure it’ll be better than last year, and possibly better than we envisioned this year could possibly be.
Join tens of thousands of subscribers who receive our free Leadership Moments – quick, actionable leadership guidance delivered to your inbox every Monday.
