I’ve
heard people say there are plenty of hardworking, intelligent people who still
fail to achieve their dreams and because of this, their advice is to be
realistic and have a plan B. To a certain extent, I agree. You should
definitely have a plan B if that backup plan is also something you really want.
However, if falling back on your plan B and achieving it will still leave you
feeling empty, forget plan B.
Are
there really that many intelligent, hardworking people who fail? First of all,
we have to define “intelligent”. Getting a 4.0 in school doesn’t necessarily
mean you’re intelligent. Memorizing a bunch of facts and figures doesn’t
necessarily mean you’re intelligent either and neither does knowing how to
solve a Rubik’s cube (it’s really not that hard).
Here’s
my definition of intelligence when it comes to achieving goals:
The
ability to quickly figure out what is needed to be successful, what works, what
doesn’t work, and being able to efficiently apply and improve upon what works.
What’s Missing?
People
who are ambitious and work hard for years and still don’t reach their goals
most likely did the wrong things or they did the right things but didn’t stick
with it long enough. It could also be because they were missing some crucial
pieces to the puzzle. You could have a great product but without a great
marketing plan, not enough people are going to know your product even exists.
Sometimes, it could just be that you don’t currently know the right people.
You
can be a hard, dedicated worker who happens to be working for the wrong
company, a company with a culture that promotes people who are in the “in
crowd” for example. If you’re trying to get fit, you may be focusing too much
on the exercising aspect and not enough on the nutritious food aspect. It could
also be that you’re doing all the right things in the right order, but you just
hate what you’re doing and therefore, are likely to end up quitting way too
soon.
Achieving the Results You’re After
So what
can we do to increase our odds of succeeding in whatever it is we’re working
on?
Assuming
you already know your outcome, the first step is to take action.
Being way too concerned about whether you’re doing the right things or not in
the beginning can prevent you from ever getting started. The important thing is
to take that first step.
From
there, measure
your results. As you take action, you’re going to get feedback.
Compare your results to your ultimate outcome. Are you getting closer or
further away? Once you start getting some results, good or bad, you will be in
a better position to focus on what needs to be improved. You’ll also have a
better sense of what sort of information to look for.
It’s
sort of like reading and studying a chapter before it’s discussed in class. Any
questions you might have for the teacher will be a lot more focused and
efficient compared to going to class and learning everything for the first
time. You’ll simply have too many questions that could probably be answered had
you taken action and looked into the material beforehand.
What
you’re really after in doing all of this measuring is the few crucial things
that make the biggest difference.
The Pareto Principle
There’s
a well-known concept called the Pareto Principle. In
relation to the topic of this article, this principle basically states that of
all of the things you can be doing that’s related to producing the outcome that
you want, 20% of those things will produce 80% of the results. Another way of
putting it is that you could be spending all of your time focusing on the 80%
of tasks that only produce 20% of the desired results.
Being
intelligent when it comes to achieving goals, in my opinion, is being able to figure
what that 20% is. Once you figure that out, the work and time that you put into
your goals will be a lot more efficient.
If
other people have already achieved the results you want, then they likely
focused their energy on the right things. Either find these people and ask them
what these things are directly (email, networking, conventions, etc.) or read
books that talk about what the right things are. For just about anything you
want to achieve, someone wrote a book or an article about it somewhere that
explains how to do it. Perhaps there are interviews where you can find out this
information as well. You could also take the longer trial and error route and
figure it out on your own.
Final Thoughts
As I
said, there’s nothing wrong with having a plan B or C through Z for that matter
but only have them if those backup plans are also something you truly want to
achieve. My belief is, it’s all about what makes you happy. Some people pursue
a dream, never reach it, but are still happy because they’re doing what they
love on a daily basis. What’s the point of pursuing a goal that doesn’t somehow
add to your enjoyment in life if you achieved it?
I
understand that in certain cases, things like luck, talent, or having the right
parents are involved in the achievement of a goal but most of the people who
fail to achieve their goals fail not because of the lack of these things but
the lack of correct, consistent action and intense desire. If you’ve
failed to achieve your goals, it’s most likely because you didn’t focus on the
right things or because you gave up too soon.
The
“right things” can vary depending on the goal. In some cases, it could mean
getting to know the right people while in other cases it could mean working for
the right company or hiring the right people. Whatever those key things are,
figure out what it is and apply them.
Bare
in mind that the “right things” today may be different than the “right things”
3 or 5 years from now especially in the world of business where things are
constantly changing. This is why it’s a good idea to keep up to date with
information regarding your industry. Find out what the top people in your field
are reading and subscribe to the same magazines.
Success
is mostly based on logic. If you do the right things (which can constantly
change) for a long enough period of time, you are very likely to succeed.
Love Life. Do Good. Live Well.
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