The Fatal Error that Kills Goals
There are goals, and there are GOALS! Day-to-day goals that are moderately difficult come and go like the weather. On the other hand, some goals are once-in-a-lifetime goals that can be life changing once achieved.
The fact is you can’t treat these two types of goals the same. Achieving a day-to-day goal simply comes down to execution. You know what to do and all you must do is just do it.
However, applying this “just do it” method to a life changing goal is a mistake. You can’t rush the process of execution for these types of goals. This is the fatal error that will kill that goal.
Rushing the process, trying to accomplish everything it takes to achieve a life changing goal overnight is exactly the opposite of what it takes to achieve these types of goals.
Instead, what it takes is John Wooden’s philosophy…
Be quick, but don’t hurry
When you are in a rush to achieve a goal, your focus is on getting to the outcome you want as fast as possible. This takes your focus away from mastering the fundamentals of the small steps that lead you to that outcome. Indeed, who you are now is not who you must be to achieve a life changing goal. If you were already that person, then that goal would not be life changing.
Moreover, the process of taking the time to master the fundamentals of each small step is how you change. Hurrying through the process of change only works for temporary changes. While life changing goals require permanent changes.
Yes, you can make short-term progress by hurrying through a process, but is it worth it? In the case of pursuing a life changing goal, absolutely not. Without reservation I will tell you that it’s far better to have the patience to make sustainable changes in behavior and a focus on the long-term over the short-term.