Did you make a year plan for this year? Or maybe come up with some goals you want to achieve? Prayerfully determine your ‘words’ for this year?
If you did, you’re not alone. So did I, and many others with us. For the last few years, I’ve been serious about making years goals and working hard towards realizing them.
When I evaluated 2016, I came to a deep realization. Well, two actually, but one was new and the other was something I was already aware of. Both have to do with the risks of planning. Let’s start with the second.
The Risk of Communicating
Research shows that a risk of clearly stated and communicated goals is that there’s a chance you won’t realize them. That’s because the feeling you got when you stated them and communicated them is close to the accomplished feeling you get when you actually reach those goals. You’re taking a little advance on your expected joy so to speak, and this is turn may lead you to not try as hard since you already ‘celebrated’.
This can be countered by making sure your goals are important to you. The more time you spend on stating (and repeating to yourself) WHY you want to attain these goals, why they matter to you, the bigger the chances of success.
The Risk of Over-Preparing
The first insight I had gave me pause. By nature, I’m a planner. I love lists, I love ticking off to do’s, and my approach to anything is always organized and structured. That seems like a great approach, and it usually is, but there’s a risk. I call it the risk of over-preparing.
Because I’m so organized and structured, I tend to do things in order. Give me a big goal and I will break it down into small steps. The risk is, however, that I will become stuck on the smaller steps and miss the big goal. The risk is that I feel I have to do all the steps in order to achieve the big goal. The risk, in short, is that preparing becomes the goal.
I had some big goals for last year. Some of them I realized, others I didn’t—not all of them due to circumstances under my control. But some I didn’t realize because of planning. I missed out on some goals because I was so stuck on taking the smaller steps that I never felt ready to let go and take the leap.
For 2017 I have made an ambitious plan. But this time, I have promised myself (and taking steps to ensure, because I am me after all…) to keep my eyes on the big goal and not let the preparation get in the way.
I’m curious if others recognize this. Is it hard for you to take the leap and if so, what is holding you back?
[Photo Credit: Hubspot, used with permission, all rights reserved]
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