Back on the Horse

• April 3, 2018

I had writers block during the month of March. I typically write about cybersecurity or about leadership, both passions of mine and areas I work in but I was not sure what to write about that would be useful, educational, and interesting.

The reason I’m writing about not writing is to talk a about goals and getting back on the horse when things don’t go as planned. One of my goals or intentions for Q1 this year was to write and publish 12 articles. I was on track up through the first week of March; however, I hit the wall and by the end of the quarter I had written nine instead of 12 articles. Missed the goal by three, which may not sound like much, but for someone who is not great at completing what they start, it was a big blow for me.

When I sit down and set goals I tend to start off with a bang, but over time, when the rubber meets the road things often fall apart or I lose steam before I ever cross the finish line.

Why am I telling you this dirty little secret of mine, why would someone who helps others reach goals tell you that they have difficulty in reaching their own goals? Because I want you to know that if this is an area of challenge for you, that you are not alone. Whether they are work goals, organizational goals, family goals, or personal goals it can be isolating and we feel alone in our “failures.” I put the word failure in quotes because we often say to ourselves that we have failed when we have missed the goal, but we only fail when we let missing the goal get the better of us, when we don’t get back on the horse.

If this sounds familiar let me tell you that you’re normal and you are not actually alone. For me I really think it’s about focus, which turns out to be my word for the year. I’m trying not to have as many squirrel moments and stay focused on the task at hand, trying to overcome the shiny object syndrome that I have.

That is why I was excited when my friend Susan Trivers recently invited me to her workshop about singular focus. She talks about 3x3x3. You pick one outcome to focus on for the next three weeks and then you set an appointment with yourself three times a week for three hours at one time to only focus on that outcome. Over three weeks that is 18 hours of dedicated focus. The thing I liked about it was that the outcome can be anything, even a question that needs to be answered. My first 3x3x3 is my podcast, C-Suite Success Radio and getting all my shows moved over to the C-Suite Radio platform. Check back in three weeks to see if I have accomplished this mini-goal.

When things don’t go as planned as they often don’t, a short-lived pity party may be in order, but that can’t last long if you are serious about accomplishing new things. To quote my favorite line from The Big Bang Theory “Buck Up Sissy Pants” and get back on the horse.

If you have goals you are trying to reach and need someone to give you a kick in the pants or help you work through the plan reach out to sharon@c-suiteresults.com.