Being a personal development enthusiast, I make it a point of duty to attend a set number of webinars/workshops each year to learn, grow and connect with people. Due to the global pandemic I couldn’t attend any in-person but thank God for technology I was able to join a virtual – The One Thing Goal Setting Retreat in November 2020. And it was nothing less than AWESOME!!!
It was informative, experiential and indeed transformative not just because of the caliber of great guests speakers (e.g. Gary Keller, Chris Hogan, Jay & Wendy Papasan, Keith Cunningham, etc). The event was too good that I just didn’t want it to end .
The theme of the retreat was centered around the concept laid out in the national bestselling book, The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. The overarching point of the book is that by focusing on one thing at a time, you can transform any area of your life and build the life you want for yourself.
That said, I’d learnt a lot of new principles from the event and reinforced of a number of things, and so in the article I will be sharing with some salient points I took away from the event.
1. One thing at a time
There’s a saying that focus is more valuable that intelligence. In order word, concentrating your effort on a single major goal one moment at a time will produce a better outcome/progress than trying to do many things all at once. This is where prioritization comes to play. Once, the goal is identified, it pays to lay down the steps required in sequential order – A ->B->C … – then knock each step one at a time and before you know it, you’d have all of those completed. (Then you can give yourself a good treat for a job well done all through your progress 🙂 )
“You can have it all but only one at a time.”
2. Core values guide your decisions
Have you noticed how major successful companies have core values which they instill in their employees to create a certain culture in their company. For example, Microsoft’s core values include Innovation, Trustworthy computing, Diversity and Inclusion , etc. Netflix’s believe in Impact, Curiosity, Innovation, Courage, etc . And these companies make decisions based on these value.
Could this be part of the reason these companies are nailing it? Maybe. If core values are beneficial for organizations, could there be a chance that identifying and living by core values, individuals can also improve their lives. I learnt how valuable this is and picked the following core values for myself – Self-discipline, Abundance, Confidence and Making a difference which I plan to manifest in my decisions .
“Core values help you live more purposeful and keep you aligned with your decisions.”
3. ‘Date’ your goals regularly
What’s your relationship with your goals? Do you ‘date’ them just at the beginning of the year then come back to them the next year or do you go on weekly romantic dates with your goals ? It’s a proven fact that those who review their goals regularly have a higher chance of achieving them compared to those who only visit at their goals at the beginning of the year only. By dating your goals regularly, you’re able to track your progress and manage your effort towards their achievement.
“Are you in a romantic relationship with your goals?”
4. Maintain a lesson journal
It’s been said that life takes us through the same pathway over and over again until we learn the required lessons before letting us advance to the next level. If that’s true, we can save ourselves lots of time and effort by documenting the lessons we learn on our journey in life. Internationally-acclaimed speaker and business mastery authority Keith Cunningham is well-known for this one. After realizing this powerful insight following several brutal business mistakes (for example, the $100 million mistake where he lost $100 million in a span of 3.5years), he began compiling journals of this flaw and lessons learnt. This way he’s less likely to repeat same painful errors. (It was interesting how I had began this practice just a few weeks before the event . ) According to him, every problem you experience should be converted into a lesson to be learnt.
You can learn more about Keith on his website.
“Ordinary things, consistently done produce extraordinary results.” ~ Keith Cunningham
5. Set goals then form the right habits
Someone once said that a goal is not something you just achieve but something you become. In order words, to achieve a goal, you first decide who you have to become then figure out what habits (behaviors/habits) will help you get there. It’s hard to rise above our self-image, which is why getting clear on that first step is very key.
We form out habits and then our habits form us. That’s how powerful habits are!
Also, the value in setting goals is not achieving them but in who you’re becoming along the path of hitting your set goal.
“Become. Do. Then Achieve.”
6. Block out time for what’s important
Thinking time. Planning time. Time with loved ones. Meditation. Quiet/prayer time. Exercise. Date nights/time with that special person et al. These are some important moments that should be prioritized to enjoy abundance and prosperity in life but most time we don’t do so (I’m very guilty of neglecting one or more of those areas). One way to ensure what’s important gets our attention is to schedule it in our calendar …. NOT just write them out on our to-do list. More often that not, to-do lists account for tasks that are urgent but not always important. On the other hand, we tend to enter into our calendars those events/tasks that are very important to us.
So instead of running life based on to-do list which can be very distracting and busy but not productive, I’ve learnt that I can accomplish more by letting my calendar dictate how I run my life because it shows my priorities.
“Show my your calendar and I’ll tell you what’s important to you. What you spend the bulk of your time and money on reveals what’s important to you.”
I’ve begun implementing these and some other key points from the event and I look forward to experiencing massive outcome.
Hopefully, you gain some benefits from these key take-aways.
To the achievement of your goals!!