Barriers to Success - Personal Goal Management - (BTS Part 10)
In running the four minute mile was the holy grail. I was a barrier that no one had broken. A long legged British man named Roger Bannister had been trying with other individuals to break that barrier. His achievement is written in the history books
What most people don’t know is that he only held the record 49 days. However, you don’t ever hear who held the over 4 minute record that he broke and the under 4 minute record breaker who broke his record 49 days later. And, I am not going to tell you those now. Only the person who achieved it first is recognized. Many barriers in your life will be “firsts”. Are you ready to be the one who breaks through those tough barriers?
Many people suffer in their careers as a result of a lack of goals. They have never developed a solid goal strategy. Their lack of planning and preparation for the inevitable trials and challenges that they face can stop them from achieving greatness.
To properly finish the race you have to begin with the end in mind according to Stephen Covey. Well, that means you have to have some sort of goals manager. Whether that tool is paper or electronic is up to you.
Success goals are important to give you a “map” to success. Let me give you an example:
Suppose you were given the task to travel from Miami to Seattle. Here are your stipulations:
- You must travel alone.
- You must travel in a car.
- You may not use a map.
- You must travel at night.
- You may use no lights.
Those are some tough circumstances. If you have traveled enough, you may know enough of the roads to get there. However, there may be some dings in the car or you may not even get there. On the other hand, what if you were given the same circumstances, but, you can have lights and a map?
Here is the fundamental difference. With a map and lights, even though you can only see about 100 to 200 feet in front of you, you will be able to travel the entire distance safely (unless you drive on Utah Highways : ) ).
In our personal and business life we largely replicate that same situation. We can see 100 to 200 feet in front of us and we are trudging forward. If we do not have a map (goals), we will be driven by outside influences in our life.
Our success in any of the 7 Areas of Life is going to be largely determined by the goals we set and the team we build around us. There is a simple way to write out your goals at a link here.
Oxford Blue Plaque
Use this system of writing goals to help you begin to achieve the things that you want to achieve in life. I love what Jim Rohn says, “Work full time on your job. Work part time on your fortune!”
Those whom you want to follow you will not follow if they perceive a lack of leadership.
Begin today to build your fortune. You CAN blow past any barriers, just like Roger Bannister!
Rob Wheeler
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What usually left out of the story is the fact that to keep Roger Bannister from getting in his own way, his coach lied to him about his lap times, saying that he was slower than he actually was. It wasn’t until after the race was finished did he find out that he did it in less than 4 minutes. This reminds me of the scene from Facing the Giants where the football player accomplishes so much more than he thought possible because he was blindfolded and couldn’t talk himself out of it.
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