Since it’s a new year, many of us are contemplating the goals we want to set for ourselves in 2021. Every year, without fail, I set goals. No excuses. I read a book called “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy which helped get me in the right mindset for goal setting. It’s always nice to have some inspiration to get the creative juices flowing.
Hardy starts out the book mentioning how success is a matter of small, smart choices made over time – hence, the name of the book “The Compound Effect.” After the year we’ve all had, many of us feel a mental and emotional block from taking even one small step toward our goals (or even creating goals at all), but I loved this book because it focuses on baby steps. We don’t have to solve the world’s problems in one day.
Some of you may remember the movie “What About Bob?” from 1991. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. I constantly think about Bob taking baby steps down the hallway, baby steps down the stairs, baby steps outside, etc. It’s the same concept as “The Compound Effect.”
We’ve all seen that one small change can have an impact that causes a ripple effect, but if you take a series of small steps consistently over time you can radically improve your life. The key here is consistency…. there is huge value in a consistent, strong work ethic and if you implement good habits, work hard and have discipline each day with small wins – it makes a huge difference.
So as you set your goals for 2021, think about the small goals that will lead to the wildly important goals. The more you break things down into smaller goals/steps (that you won’t feel overwhelmed to tackle each day), the more likely you will succeed in achieving those goals.
Not to mention – the follow through. Reading a book is one thing, but actually taking action on its suggestions is another thing entirely. There are the thinkers and the do’ers and if you want to be successful – you need to take action. Knowledge is useless unless you take action on it. There’s no need to take on the world in one day, but complacency is dangerous. We really do need to set short term and long term goals (and act on them!) to make sure we don’t get complacent. Remember: successful people are willing to do what unsuccessful people are not.
So let’s all make a commitment to not only set goals, but take action on our goals in 2021. And let’s be hyper aware and very conscious of any choice we make that leads us away from our goals.
