All of my readers know that I talk a lot about vision on this blog, but let’s zoom out a level and talk about “why”.
Most professionals are caught in the busy trap. Most people are reacting to the latest and loudest fires and inputs in their professional (and personal) lives rather than responding from a place of proper control and perspective to choose the best option from a pre-defined list.
The solution many people choose when they’re frenzied and overwhelmed is to….work harder, faster, and longer.
So, essentially, a busy person says, “in order to decrease my busy-ness, I should get busier!” What?! (Maybe next I’ll write a post on the predictable irrationality of human decision-making…)
A proactive, strategic decision-maker doesn’t do more of the same hoping for different results. Instead, he changes his focus. Thus, the effective decision-maker zooms out to a higher-level view of what’s going on. Often, we zoom out to the goal or vision levels. These are great! But there’s another higher level: purpose, mission, or the “why”.
We rarely re-visit our “why”, our purpose, our mission. We set those things, and they become lenses through which we view the world. But when the lens becomes automatic, we put the original inspiration on autopilot, too. Think about it: many of you have forgotten the “why” behind many things in your lives…why you have your job, why you have your car, why you have your house, your living room, your kids…
So, we need to zoom out to the “why” level more often, constantly reviewing and refining our understanding of the reason we do what we do.
I am fascinated by the intersection of human behavior and business decision-making. As described above, most people (me, too!) have a dramatic improvement opportunity by being more proactive and strategic. So, I coach clients every day because I want to play a part, however small, in increasing the number of people on earth who make proactive, strategic decisions (a skill that can be taught). That’s my “why”, my purpose, my mission. Are there lots of other little visions, goals, and actions I want to complete or have true? You bet! But they all fall into place much more clearly when I remind myself why I do what I do.
Re-visit your “why” today; especially if you haven’t done so in a while. See how it changes your lens on the latest and loudest, and watch how so many more vision, goal, and strategy details fall naturally into place.
Oh, and for my retired friends and readers out there…why did you retire? What was the inspiration for having the free time and control to choose what to do every day for the rest of your life? See how easily this applies to many, many things?
Want these blog posts delivered straight to your inbox each week? Click here to subscribe.
Follow us on social media at the links below.
