Drifting Away from Success

I was snorkeling about 100 yards off shore in the Caribbean. Having dived before I made a note of where I was in relation to my spot on the beach.

The water was warm, the sun was shining, the ocean was calm and the scenery was remarkable. Taking in the beauty of underwater scenery is a great way to spend a day. My snorkeling buddy was nearby and together we pointed out the cool stuff.

After what seemed like a short time we popped our heads above water and talked about heading back to shore and getting a bite to eat. That's when we noticed that our spot on the beach was gone! We were so "into" what was going on underwater that we failed to keep an eye out for where we really were. We had drifted several hundred yards from our original spot.

*****
Recently I sat down for a one-on-one coaching session with a gentleman who had hired me to help him become more strategic in his career. Those first sessions were very engrossing as we discussed crucial concerns that he had never really focused on previously.

We had a little hiatus over the holidays and then met again after the things settled down a little. He was all excited because someone had given him a motivational book to read for Christmas. He was encouraged to identify ten things he wanted and then to read them aloud every day for several weeks. In this way, he was told, he would keep his goals in front of mind and would get the things he wanted.

Something had changed since we had met last. Just a few months previous he had identified goals and desires that were not materialistic in the slightest. Now his list of pursuits included things like a bigger home, new cars, exotic vacations, and similar luxurious things. The contrast was striking. So I asked him about his previous list of pursuits that did not include any of these new things. "What happened?"

The response was equally striking — a classic deer caught in the headlights moment. It was like he had popped up out of the water and took a look around and realized that he had drifted. He needed to get back to where he wanted to be.

*****
The Growth Coach process emphasizes a 90-day refocusing because we all drift. When the minutae of daily "to-dos" and the tyranny of the urgent take the reins of our business and personal life, the current carries us away from where we really want to be.

The answer is not to let the current decide where we go. The answer is to take charge and make strategic choices. The answer is to take a periodic retreat. Pop your head up out of the water and reassess where you are at and where you want to be. To work ON your business and life instead of getting caught up IN the pull of the current.

It seems so simple that we are tempted to think we can do it on our own. The reality is that we all need someone who can keep us accountable and ask the right questions. Knowing that someone objective is going to be asking you the questions that get pushed aside incentivizes us to pay attention and give ourselves to doing the important things.

When you engage in this kind of coaching process, the results are truly awe-inspiring!

Beginning with the End in Mind

Today is the last day of 2010. By now you have looked forward and looked backward for the purpose of making significant decisions either professionally or personally.

I bet that on your list of goals some of these Top Ten Resolutions appear:

• Spend More Time with Friends and Family
• Lose Weight (or Get Fit)
• Enjoy Life More
• Quit Smoking (or quit some other substance abuse/overuse)
• Get Out of Debt
• Learn Something New
• Help Others
• Get Organized
• Do Something You Love to Do 

It's like we have all been attending the same school and listening to the same professors. Our collective mantra somehow says, "Yesterday was good; Tomorrow will be better yet!"

And all the people said, "Amen!"

**********

My career path has had me interact with the elderly. What I learn from those who have gone before me is like looking at a dirty GPS screen: I know the future is coming but it is not all that clear to me yet.

For example, I have heard many times how wonderful it is to be a grandparent. This year I get to find out for the first time for myself. It will not be someone else's story; I will own it. The GPS screen will get a little clearer.

We are all heading somewhere. As years fade away the playing field will level out dramatically regardless of money in the bank, letters behind the name, titles before the name, achievements and awards, and the number of pages in our experience journal.

Here are some of the things that I have gleaned from listening to those who have gone before . . . lessons that will be left standing when other things fade away in importance:

• Loving and caring relationships will always be important
• Contentment is great gain
• "Do as you would be done by" is still a curriculum to master
• Showing gratitude opens doors
• "No matter how much things change, some things never change." Happy are the people who know what things never change and respect them
• Pity is reserved for those who let faith die 
• The right word at the right time by the right person can accomplish so much
• Accumulated money rots without generosity of heart

Steven Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, talks about the importance to "begin with the end in mind." "To begin with the end in mind is to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you are going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction. It's incredibly easy to get caught up in an activity trap, in the busy-ness of life, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover it's leaning against the wrong wall."

*******

We are all heading into the future ready or not! 

Here is a prediction for 2011: The goals on your list that most closely align with your true values will be accomplished.

Happy New Year!