We are approaching the end of the calendar year and it’s a time of reflection and likely new year resolutions. Maybe you are someone who does not subscribe to this annual tradition, but maybe this week’s topic will inspire you to approach it differently.
This week on Learning to Lead the live clubhouse discussions, we talked about Setting BIG, Ambitious Goals, why it is good for you and how to do it. It was an inspiring conversation; here are a few takeaways from the discussion:
Why it is good for you:
Big goals stretch us beyond our comfort zones
Gives us the opportunity to shift our mindset
Allows us to experiment and learn; what could be perceived as a failure, is actually a lesson to try a different approach and keep going
We are at our best when the work is hard; we show up in a different way when we are challenged
Big, ambitious goals keep us growing and innovating; it keeps us from stagnating in our lives as time just continues to pass
What is a BIG, Ambitious goal?
A goal where you can’t see the outcome
Something that may seem impossible
A goal that has a high probability of failure
Something that makes you uncomfortable and stretches you
How to do it:
Ideate beyond your professional life: could you write a book, learn a language, learn to fly a plain, paint something really challenging. Dream of what seems impossible for you and remove constrained, limiting thinking.
Create a Vision board and put it somewhere you can see it every day; fill it with your big ambitious goals
Start a journaling practice to reflect and continue focus on what you really want
Use time to challenge yourself; think about big goals in your personal or professional life, now cut the timeline shorter and shorter until it feels really challenging, now ask yourself how would you accomplish this goal as if there were no other option
Strategically place sticky notes in your space to keep you focused and serve as reminders
Communicate it: tell your team if you set a team goal, tell your trusted community or your personal board of directors; this can serve as a rallying cry to focus you and your team
Write yourself a letter: include you why (why this goal matters to you, what you want to learn or achieve) and read it as frequently as needed, but especially when your hit your defined timeline
“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.” - Benjamin E. Mays
What if this time next year you could look back at the goals you set and see how much you learned, what you accomplished and be filled with the excitement of your next BIG, ambitious goal? I challenge you to think about what you really value in your life, where you want to be in one week, one month, or one year. What are you capable of and can you push yourself to get closer to the answer to that question?
Quote of the Week
The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark. - Michelangelo
Resources
How to achieve your most ambitious goals: an inspiring talk about setting ambitious goals and how to accomplish them
This woman is getting famous for building hilariously terrible robots: some inspiration from a woman who makes terrible robots
Do It Scared: Finding the Courage to Face Your Fears, Overcome Adversity, and Create a Life You Love: a book by Ruth Soukup about overcoming the fears that hold us back
How moonshots combine power of audacious goals and pleasure of achievement: learn about moonshots and how they help stretch you
How to achieve your most ambitious goals: a lifehack article on setting and achieving ambitious goals
Why you should set big goals (even if you might not hit them): a great article on the benefit of setting big goals, even when you might not be successful
Listen to the Full Replay
The full replay of this discussion is available now on clubhouse.
Events
Leadership Masterclass - Dec 24, 2021: Free online course for people looking to develop leadership skills. You'll learn how to develop the highest level of leadership and key traits needed for the ideal leader.
TED 2022 - April 2022: Applications are open now. A lot has changed since we last gathered in Vancouver for TED three years ago. We return not for more of the same, wonderful though that was, but to celebrate a new era. Despite the awfulness we’ve lived through, the future beckons with extraordinary possibilities we couldn’t have dreamt of. In medicine, in AI, in clean energy, in the ways we work, the ways we learn, and in the fundamental economic and social systems that underpin everything else. Come and be part of something extraordinary.
Networking & Job Openings
Current Job Openings:
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Next time on Learning to Lead:
The LIVE Learning to Lead Clubhouse will be on holiday break returning in January 2022!
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