Subscribe (RSS)Those who choose greatness choose to focus on that which can be controlled.
Many people get caught up solely focusing on the result or on the outcome, and they get attached to it. But there are many factors outside of our control that ultimately produce a result. We’re all part of a system, an environment, a team, an organization, etc., and all of those outside factors influence the end result.
However, we can control the process we use to achieve greatness. We can put our focus in the steps we take, in how we show up, in the way we engage, and in the effort and energy we put out.
We can’t control whether our team member or spouse has a bad day and is downright grumpy. We can control how we choose to relate to them at those times. Their bad day is just that: theirs! It doesn’t have to be yours.
It gets to be much tougher to walk this line when you really, really want the result you’re after. You want to build your business to the point that it’s thriving; you want to pull off the big project at work; you want to raise your children to be brilliant and caring individuals.
It’s great to have goals — they’re absolutely necessary to setting direction for yourself. However, the goal is a result – a result of a process, steps, actions, and many other factors that may be beyond your control. The process, your steps, your actions, and your decisions are all within your control. If something doesn’t work out as expected, do you tank? Do you try to figure out who’s to blame or what got in the way? Or do you look at your process and determine where you go from here, based upon what you’ve experienced and now know?
The latter will always achieve progress. You may not always get what you expect; you may not always get the results you want; but, if you focus on the process of achieving your results, I can guarantee you’re a whole lot more likely to be consistently successful.
Stay aware. Keep progressing. Focus on where you can make the biggest or most important difference at any time. Be persistent. Celebrate the so-called failures. Enjoy your success.
Live on Fire!
D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
Tags: achievement, choice, intentions, new perspective, success
I LOVE their bad day “doesn’t have to be yours”! No need for grumpy or stressed to be contagious. A great piece to remembering it is not about us and to not take things personally. There is a lot more peace and space in this kind of thinking.