Last week, we discussed the importance of continuous improvement in one's life and how, as individuals, we will be able to slowly climb the hill of successful accomplishment by utilizing the various ropes, picks, and other tools at our disposal. This week, I will share with you what some of these ropes, picks, and other tools are and relay a plan of how to utilize these instruments of achievement to engineer your successful attainment of the mountain top and ultimate success. I will outline this by giving you an easy three step plan that, if followed, will guide your steps of focus on your career path like a GPS on over-priced and sometimes bug-infested smartphone.
Step I: Identify whom you desire to be 25 years from now
I know when you read this, you are thinking 25 years! I don't even know whom I desire to be next week! It's okay. The mark of a mature man/woman is one who has the ability to be flexible and change in consideration of changing circumstances and expectations. You don't have to have a 25 year plan set in stone, but you should have some sense of what you want to accomplish in the next 25 years. When you think of what you want to accomplish, the first thing you must consider in conjunction to this is whom is the person you need to become to accomplish those things. You don't have to plan out everything perfectly but just have a general overview of what would be able to do, what your life would look like, and how others will see you. When you have this view, you must then reverse engineer the vision and put together a plan that will allow you to slowly get to this place in your life. For example, if you desire to be a politician who is working on a national stage, then you need to start today to implement strategies that are going to put you in the best position to make this a reality. If you desire to be a well-known playwright or author, you must begin working today to start chipping at the next great work of literature. You should think about whom you desire to be holistically as well - not just in relation to your career and what you desire to accomplish, but also, what kind of overall demeanor do you possess. What things are you well-versed in from a worldly standpoint? Where have you been and what have you seen? You must consider the ENTIRE package in relation to the person you will be to work on your complete person.
Step II: Create a plan to work on becoming this person
Now once you have decided whom you need to be, it is time to reverse engineer what you need to do to become that person. Picking the various aspects of your life in which you desire to be successful, you must then break each of them down to specific actionable items that you can then put into place to begin to work towards that goal. For example, if you desire to be a well known politician in 25 years with aspirations on the White House, the first thing you need to do is to consider getting a degree in law or political science and then begin voraciously reading what is going on in the political world. If you desire to be a world class author and playwright, the first step may be to take a professional writing course to make sure this is truly your passion. Whatever your desire, you need to make sure to do something everyday that is working towards that goal. I would even go so far as to take the time to write out the actions that you desire to accomplish and then begin to check them off as you reach them. This will give you the motivation to continue to stay focused on the task and end goal even when things may become a little tough and challenging. Having a visual cue of what you desire to accomplish is always a great way to remain dedicated at all times.
Step III: Execute!
This is the one thing that the majority of us fail to do. Many talk a good game, and some can even get to the point that they may put it on paper, but it is the actual ability to execute that is the great divide between the achievers and the non-achievers. While being able to plan out your future may take long-term thinking, the actual ability to execute is greatly enhanced if one is more short-term in his/her thinking, forgetting what was done yesterday and what might be done tomorrow. Let me explain, often when we are faced with a decision, we think about when was the last time we did it and how that made us feel. If it was recent and we feel we did a good job of it, we have the tendency to give ourselves a "pass" for the current situation which we are in. If we feel we have the opportunity to do it again later down the road, we will also give ourselves a "pass" as we will tell ourselves we'll give it DOUBLE the effort later. You have to stop this. To be able to execute consistently, don't consider what you did yesterday or what you plan to do tomorrow. Just think about if you should or should not be doing something right now, and if that answer is yes, just begin doing it at that time. Don't think about if you are going to do it again tomorrow. Don't think about how many times you have done it in the past. Just stay focused on doing it at that single moment in time. Nine times out of ten, it will be much easier than you anticipated, and often, 10 times out of 10, you will be so glad you did.
Continuous improvement. It is not an easy task, which is why many of us never see this as a mandate for our lives. For that reason, anyone who has the foresight and intelligence to understand the great advantage this will give over them in the game of life will receive great benefit from it. While the road will not be easy (hence why so few people do it), the rewards of achievement and success will yield results that will dwarf the amount of work that was put in to achieve them. When would be the best time to begin this, you ask? How about RIGHT NOW.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Saturday, October 12, 2013
The Art of Continuous Improvement - Why Is It Important?
Life - It has a funny way of creeping up on us, doesn't it? One day, you are running in your mom's front yard, chasing the family pet without a care in the world and the next moment, you are trying to juggle your work, family, and monetary responsibilities so you don't drown in the sea of ever-changing things you have to do. It's interesting because, as we get older, and have more and more responsibilities hoisted upon our plate like a large spaghetti dish at our favorite Italian restaurant, we have a tendency to forget about ourselves in some way. I'm not saying forget about ourselves in the since that you don't know if you are alive or not (however, you can argue that in some unhappy household/marriages, this is INDEED the case), but I mean that we rarely have time to take a minute to reflect on what we desire for our future and how we can get there. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of every day, that we forget, "What do WE want." In this first of a multi-segment series on LIFE (How to Get What You Want), I start with a concept that many people never consider once they graduate college and move on from the late night beer parties and suite shindigs - Improvement.
Now, I'm not saying that we don't consider improvement once we graduate college at all. Many people work to get better at their jobs so they can make more money as they climb the sometimes greased corporate ladder. Many of us, however, forget what it was like when we were young and we wanted to get better at EVERYTHING. We wanted to be sing better, run faster, and dress nicer. Everything that we saw older people do, we wanted to aspire to get to that level. What occurs, however, once we reach a certain level of acceptance from our peers, i.e. you look, dress, act, and interact like most people, we stop trying to get better at these things because we think we've made it. The stark reality of this situation, however, is that, while we may not look like a dork in our attire (some of us, that is) or be socially awkward in most situations (once again, this is NOT all of us), there is still much room for improvement in our lives. It is my belief that you should have this same child like approach to life and try to get better at EVERYTHING for your future. There are a few simple reasons why:
IF YOU'RE NOT GETTING BETTER, YOU'RE GETTING WORST
This is one of those statements that sounds a little crazy when you first hear it, but it actually makes sense. Think about it: if you aren't consistently working to improve some skill, whether it is writing, singing, or dancing, etc, doesn't it naturally atrophy over time? There are so many things that we get "okay" at in life, that we just stop trying to work to get better at. Rather it's being a better father, husband, or (cough) lover, sometimes we get so comfortable when we reach a certain point, that we just stop trying to improve. What occurs when we do this is that all those involved on the other side don't have as much (or any) excitement at the interaction because it may have become so predictable and "regular" that there is nothing to be excited about. If you desire to be great at anything, you have to consistently work on it to get better, or you'll get into a rut and everyone will know it.
LIFE IS ABOUT HAVING SOMETHING TO SHOOT FOR
Remember when you were a kid and the only thing you desired was to achieve that next goal in your life? Whether it was to get your license, go to college, or make the varsity basketball, when we were younger, we consistently dreamed about the future. As we get older, however, we start to only think about today, and, eventually, we even start to live in the past. Continuous improvement will prevent this from happening, as we are always working to achieve some goal in the future for our betterment. Having something in the future to shoot for often gives one greater motivation to attack the day. Some of the most miserable people in lives are those who don't have any goals or hopes of achieving anything in the future. By living a life of continuous improvement in EVERYTHING, you always have some future goal that you are working to achieve, as your target will move further and further out, as you improve.
THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE WILL IMPROVE
By attempting to be better at everything you do, you will consistently improve the quality of your daily life. By trying to get down to your "playing weight" again and then working to be in the best shape of your life, you will have more energy and enthusiasm for the day. By working to be better at your job, you have the opportunity for future promotions. By trying to be the best husband/father you can be, you will improve your family interaction and quality time together. Also, by working to get better at something that you've always dreamed of doing, you are fulfilling the natural innate human desire of mastery. This is why so many people appreciate others who are so very good at something. Intrinsically, we are all born with a desire to be an expert in some respect, and by working to continuously improve in all areas, we give us a better chance of making this a reality.
Continuous Improvement - The words bring to mind visions of a Buddhist Temple with the Dalai Lama standing in the background, encouraging one to find enlightenment. While that may be a little too spiritual for some, the concept is very practical and applicable to our everyday lives to reach heights of achievement and joy that most never see because they simply stop trying. And trying (as we know) is half the battle...GI JOE. :-)
Ken Middleton is an Account Manager at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)