One goal… hmmm…
One goal can mean many things.
- USA could have used one more goal against Belgium in regulation to move onto the World Cup quarter finals.
- The St. Louis Rams should have never let the Patriots kick that one field goal in the 2002 Superbowl (still bitter).
- The Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup in 2000 by “the goal,” thanks to Brett Hull.
But, that’s all sports. I’m talking about something different, even though I could go on for a while and talk about these goals.
When you find yourself in a rut, going backwards, at a dead end, unsure, off track, or overwhelmed, maybe it’s time to find that One Goal.
One Goal
So many people talk about setting goals for your spiritual life, financial life, family life, career, health, etc.
That’s all well and good, but when your life feels like crap and you keep making the same stupid mistakes over and over, maybe it’s time to drop the 7 Habits, Tony Robbins, Weight Watchers, and whatever else is shouting into your ear about how you need to run your life.
When your life feels like a train wreck and you’re spinning in circles, it’s time to find one goal, and aim for it.
One goal. Not three, five, or ten. One thing to accomplish in a short period of time.
Don’t worry about all the other areas. Find one success and the other things will begin to fall in place (even just a little bit), if you focus on one goal.
For Example
Let’s say it’s health you want to focus on. Yah, your spiritual life is a mess, you are short on money, and your 12 year old just got a sleeve tattoo… but, forget that for now and focus on that one health goal.
Maybe you could start running. Make your One Goal to run a 5K in 90 days, in under 40 minutes. Today, you can’t run to the mailbox. But, in 90 days, you will be making it 3.1 miles.
You do that, and at the end of 90 days you will have succeeded at something that before was only a dream.
But… and even more important… you will look at the other areas of your life and you will see that they didn’t get left behind. They tend to follow you toward success.
- Maybe you’ll see your family cheering for you at the finish line of the 5K.
- Your health is getting better.
- You have more energy, focus, and decreased stress.
- You volunteered at church.
- You brainstormed (because your brain is working better) about career opportunities.
- You even took the time to play Wii with your family and a board game.
- You noticed yourself getting more accomplished at work.
- You spent less time on Facebook.
You might continue running, and that would be great (why stop when you have a good thing going). Maybe now set another 90 day goal. Just one.
From One Goal to the Next One Goal
Your next goal may be just the same as the last. You see the other areas of your life improving, so you now your next goal is to run a 5K in under 30 minutes.
You adjust your training. You go buy a new pair of running shoes. You ask for a new running shirt for your birthday. And in 90 days, you run a 29:45 5K!
Same thing… check out the rest of your life. You will see the rest of your life is following you.
IF you are simple minded like me, or just a guy who can really only do one thing at a time, maybe it’s time to just do one goal at a time instead of trying to juggle 7 different goals with 10 action plans per goal.
Give It A Try
For me… I think I am going to stick with my 5K goal that I have been talking about.
I’ve let my health go downhill. I’ve stopped running. I’ve gained weight. And yes, many of the other areas of my life have been in a slide too.
Although my kids do not have sleeve tattoos.
So, here I go… today is August 7th. Here’s my 90 day goal:
November 8th is a Saturday. I will find a 5K race in the Dallas area and I will run a 5K in under 30 minutes.
There’s my One Goal. Now, let’s see how life follows me as I press on toward one goal of getting my health back in line.