Fast forward a few decades from my non-technological, non-internet-dependent childhood. Now my own car has its own navigational system. There isn’t even one of my beloved old paper maps in my glove compartment anymore.
Every taxi driver I’ve used in the past year is glued to the GPS chirping out directions for getting me to my destination. But standardized, automated, rote directions often fall woefully short. On a recent taxi ride, the GPS and I practically had an ongoing debate, as I countermanded the ludicrous directions it was giving that would have put us in construction gridlock and instead directed my driver based on my experience with the traffic patterns and options of my own neighbourhood.
There’s even research showing that the hippocampus of our brains are negatively impacted and our memory suffers when we always outsource spatial navigation to technology like a GPS. My takeaway is that while technology can be a useful tool, but it can also put blinders on us.
So many people have great intentions when it comes to New Year’s resolutions and goal-setting, but fall woefully short of the mark. Often goals fail because we’re trying to develop them using standard, rote, linear processes. It’s the typical “Imagine your big goal, then work backwards and set SMART (smart, measurable, actionable, reasonable, time-bound) goals to get you there” protocol. Just like your GPS may be technically accurate but misses the groovy short cuts you know, goal-setting processes can become so dry and analytical there’s not much yearning and passion left in them.
Here are 3 critical ingredients I think are crucial to successful goal-setting – and you can’t outsource these to fancy apps, other people or technologies.
1. Get the Big Picture
When you’re trying to achieve a goal, it’s important to always keep the big picture in mind. It’s like the difference between getting the list of step-by-step instructions from your GPS or Google maps and having a map of the overall area to look at. You need to keep sight of the forest and not just the trees, so having the context of the bigger picture helps keep you aware of progress towards your ultimate destination, as well as alternative ways you have to get there.
Part of the big picture includes understanding at a deep level WHY this particular goal is important to you. What’s possible for you and others when you achieve it? What is at stake if you veer off course? The vision of your big picture motivates you to find the courage and discipline to stay on track, even when the going gets tough.
You need to be able to connect back to your big picture for those inevitable times when you encounter a setback. Instead of sticking your nose to the grindstone, look up. Take a step back. Enjoy the view of how far you’ve come before regrouping and designing a new path forward.
2. Use Your Creativity and Intuition
Let your creativity and intuition guide you as you generate ideas and brainstorm out the whole range of possibilities when setting your goals. Then you can narrow down and set some priorities about what’s most important to accomplish and the practical matter of how you will try to get there.
Part of what makes our accomplishments successful and personally rewarding is that our unique brilliance and intention is infused in our process of achieving it. When I create a visual map for my clients, what makes it powerful is it reflects their energy and passion, as well as their goals. There’s whimsy, there’s colour, there’s vitality jumping off the page. The left and right sides of the brain are all fired up doing a happy dance together as new perspectives and insights bubble up. It’s a far more engaging map to guide you than seeing your vision converted into a series of static and bloodless set of bullet points.
3. Enjoy the Journey
Have you ever used a GPS to give you directions, but you’re so focused on the navigation system you forget to notice the scenery? You’re preparing to make the next right turn, but you miss the sight of children playing in the local park, or the gorgeous garden in the neighbourhood.
I believe the biggest accomplishment when we set out for a new goal isn’t in achieving the goal itself, but is the person we become because of the journey to get to that goal. Failures are opportunities to learn and grow. They show you the kind of courage and perseverance you have. Successes are invitations to practice acknowledging yourself and others who helped you in generous and compassionate ways. We need all of it to discover who we truly are and claim the gifts we must share with the world. When you take time to enjoy your journey and take in the view along the way, you’ll be far more likely to achieve and sustain success.
