Cultivate New HABs to Reach New Goals | Tuesday Tip Week 3

In her best-selling book Fierce Conversations, Susan Scott explains that she often asks two off-the-cuff questions when coaching executives. The first is:

“What are you pretending not to know?”

If by chance her clients respond with, “I don’t know”, Susan has an answer for that too.

She then asks:

“Well what would it look like if you did know?”

Let’s borrow that same question and apply it to achieving new goals. What is one thing you’re pretending not to know about achieving your highest level goals?

I’m pretty sure that the answer lies somewhere in the gap between your future vision and these three areas of everyday life (warning: these are not sexy answers!):

• Habits
• Actions
• Behaviors

It’s like the old adage: “if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

The logic is simple. If the actions you take are failing to consistently lead you in the direction of your goals, you won’t reach them as fast. In other words, taking action toward your goals on a regular basis will accelerate your progress.

The Chain of Action

Of course new goals require new actions. This seems like common sense, but I cannot tell you how many goals I have witnessed slip into this pitfall.

Let’s take behaviors for example. The gap between your current behaviors and desired behaviors reveals a growth area. We all have them. To accelerate your goals, those growth areas need both a simple plan and solid accountability. I guide my clients in discovering those growth areas and bridge the gap between their current behaviors and future goals.

Building and identifying consistent goal accelerating habits is a process. It cannot be done in one day. But it can be done each day.

Your actions, habits and behaviors are the primary structures that support and predict the achievement of your goals. Start by asking yourself these five questions:

• What can I do today that will lead me to achieve my goals?
• Which of these actions can I perform on a regular basis?
• How do I need to conduct myself in order to take action on a regular basis?
  (Hint: this answer involves the putting “mind over matter” and mind over emotion).
• Which of my actions and habits do not lead me where I wish to go?
• Which actions can I start saying “no” to so that I can say “yes” to things I want?

If you want to take more consistent and precise action in pursuit of your big goal, let’s set up a coaching preview. The preview lasts 15 to 20 min and gives you a taste test of what it’s like to work with me in a coaching relationships. And it is 100% free.

You can email me at t_anderson@teaiiano.com to schedule your coaching preview.

Thomas E. Anderson, II is a vision development coach who enjoys motivating and equipping individuals to pursue personal, professional and organizational goals that lead to a more fulfilling life. He specializes in life focus, vision development and goal acceleration.