If you want to have great day, a great year, a great life, you have to plan! It won't happen by accident. You need to know how to get things done. Here are 6 steps that will help you break the unwritten rule of mediocrity.
Breaking the Unwritten Rule of Mediocrity
Getting Things Done
Have you ever started the year with high hopes and big dreams, only to experience the reality of unfulfilled potential 12 months later? What happened? Where did you go wrong and how can you prevent "Disappointment - The Sequel"? Have you fallen for an unwritten rule and not even recognized it?
Get together with your friends on a Saturday night and listen to the conversation. Have you ever heard this?
"So what do you guys want to do tonight?"
(And, of course, we all remember the response)
"I don't know...what do you want to do?"
Have you ever done this for hours at a time and in the end, you simply do what you've always done? It's not that you did anything bad … and you were with your friends … but, could it have been more? Could you have accomplished something significant? Maybe even extraordinary?
Most of us are creatures of habit. We think in patterns and then act in patterns. We take the same route to work because it's comfortable. We plan the same activities because we "like them", because they "work", because. . "that's the way we've always done it". In other words, we've chosen to follow the unwritten rule of the mediocrity and as a result, we experience mediocrity. Put together a bunch of mediocre days and you have a mediocre year. Put together a bunch of mediocre years and you have a mediocre life. No problem … if that’s what you really want. But, is it?
If you want to have great day, a great year, a great life, you have to plan! It won't happen by accident. You need to know how to get things done. Here are 6 steps that will help you break the unwritten rule of mediocrity.
1) Define purpose:
Every organization, every event, every action starts with a purpose. Lives today are busy and as a result, clarification of purpose helps us to not just do things right, but to make sure that we are doing the right things. It doesn't have to be deep and meaningful. Your purpose might be just to have an enjoyable time. But, it could be something bigger, much more significant. The point is that whenever times get tough or obstacles get in the way of a plan, it's the purpose that provides the fuel to push through and get it done. Without a strong purpose, you just say "Whatever!" and give up. Do you know what your purpose is?
Action step: Write a one-sentence purpose statement for your group. If you can't write it in one sentence, it probably isn't clear enough in your mind.
2) Imagine Reality
Ask yourself "If we could do anything that fulfills our purpose, and we knew we couldn't fail, what would we try?" This is the process of brainstorming and it is often neglected because it is hard work. It takes imagination and most of the ideas that are produced end up in the dumpster. But it is through this important process that the truly extraordinary ideas are discovered.
Action step: Get a blank sheet of paper and spend 30 minutes dreaming of what success will look like.
3) Build Focus
Now it's time to start making choices. Here you say "We could do anything, but we've chosen to do this.” Now, how shall we invest our resources - time ,money, energy, emotion, relationships?”
Action step: Choose one idea you've decided to plan. Write it down and write a one-sentence purpose statement for it.
4) Set Goals
Goals are nothing more than objectives in achieving a desirable end. They must be SMART -- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and have a Time Table.
Action step: Write a SMART goal. Remember that the goal and the time table will define your strategy.
5) Develop Strategy
This is where most of us start planning. It is the process of defining the details and addressing the obstacles. As you answer the who, what, where, and when of an activity, the likelihood of success increases. You already know the “Why!”
Action step: Now do the hard work of figuring out the details. How will you make it happen? If it seems too difficult, go back and revisit your purpose. If the purpose is strong enough, you will do the hard work.
6) Define/Assign Tasks
Having a strategy is great, but until you've defined tasks, nothing gets done. These are the action steps that lead to success. A task includes a needed action with a deadline and a person responsible for making it happen. Until you figure out the tasks, then most likely, the activity will never get done.
Action step: Set up a series of tasks and deadlines and delegate them to the person accountable for getting each one done.
Of course, the last step is to then go and do it!