Tag: Goals

Spelunking and overcoming fear

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner

It seemed like a good idea, lets go spelunking! Climbing into a cave was something I had never done before, and when my brother in law said he was going to do it it was my style to be willing to try any challenge so I wanted to come along for the trip. It was a mid to late summer afternoon so there was plenty of daylight left and I dressed in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt. Similar to my brother in law and his friends.

After parking the car we had about a 1500 meter walk to get to the site, and then climbed carefully up the side of a steep cliff. About 40 meters above the ground there was a hole in the wall of the cliff and when we got there they pointed at it and told me I could go in first. As I shimmied my head, chest and arms into the black hole, armed only with a pencil thin flashlight, I started feeling it. By it, I mean the anxiety and fear gripping me like a belt tightening around my chest. I pulled back out. “Are you sure about this?” I asked, trying to hide my fear. “Yes, we’ve done this several times, if you want we will go first.” So I slid to the side, and one after another they disappeared into the small black hole like a turtle pulling his head into the shell. “Come on”, they beckoned, “you will see its really large inside.” I tried it again, sliding head first, inching my way in, but again I stalled. “I will wait for you all.” They nodded and said, “if you want you can go down and wait by the car.” Going to the car meant to face the humiliation of climbing back down the 40 meter cliff, alone. Then walking the 1500 meters back to the car, alone. As I played the movie out, I realized that I would feel like a coward, or a loser, definitely not myself. “Let me try one more time to keep up with you,” I blurted out.

As I slithered my way back into the tightened crevice, I looked straight in front of my face, two inches away from the floor of the access hole. If I can just move one more inch, and then without looking at the entire distance to cover, looking at the floor in front of my face, slide just one more inch.

I remembered hearing a motivational speaker saying one time “inch by inch it’s a cinch” and so I found. One more inch became another, and another and soon I was in a cavern that was 10 meters high! with beautifully colored rock formations and a small slip of water streaming across the floor. I was filled with awe and so thankful that I didn’t quit.

Whenever in a difficult situation and I feel the fear overcoming me. One where I don’t know what to do or how to do the next step, I remember this lesson. One more inch. One more moment. One more effort. My faith tells me that my God will help me, take the next small step. But only one step at a time. When we arrive at the destination, the feeling of overwhelming awe and experiencing the beauty that only He can provide. As we look back over the progress made, it will be more than we ever imagined.

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If not now, when?

by chuckfasnacht, posted in Uncategorized

It’s easy to put off a major decision isn’t it? I know I’ve done that from time to time. Haven’t most of us?

This time of year I like to review the goals with which I started the year and reframe or rethink how I want my life to change in the coming year. Recently, I saw a post that reminded me of what I got WRONG in the past when setting a new business plan or personal goal. So this year, please join me in doing it better.

Step1: Pray about it first! I’m going to seek Gods help in setting goals first. In the past I would set a goal and then ask my higher power to bless my ideas. This year, get God in on the action early. Let’s have our higher power help us with wisdom and direction.

Step 2: Grab a copy of my book! Can adding process improvements and systems improve your control over outcomes? Whether your starting a new business or scaling an existing project or business you can always learn new ways to apply your talents. Available on Amazon or at my blog.

Step 3: Make a plan! Simple. Clear. Steps.

Have a blessed day and be a blessing!

When in Doubt, Be Patient

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner

When change happens or when you want change to happen, be patient. In time the dust will settle, and your doubts will either clear up and vanish or they will be borne out by your continued efforts during the waiting, working, and watching period. This doesn’t mean you should quit working at your goal or quit trying, but keep pedaling the bicycle and keep working toward making progress. By being patient, you will eventually have enough of the necessary facts and you will know it’s time to decide. Then do the next right thing! You wont have to make a hasty decision, but when it is time for action use the wisdom of Teddy Roosevelt who said,

“In any moment of decision, the best thing to do is the right thing, the worst thing to do is nothing.” —Theodore Roosevelt

Because you are thinking big, you may find that as you progress toward achievement of a goal, you find out new information. It is okay to adjust your goals after you set them if you find out new information. This isn’t intended to let you off the hook of a big goal, but it will help you identify nuances and minor direction changes as you develop your future. An example is an airplane flying from New York City to Dallas may start off with a compass heading. As the flight continues, there will be forces on the airplane that will cause a need to change the direction of the flight. These changes don’t require the plane to turn around and start over, but they will require that there be some fine-tuning on the heading the pilot selects to continue progressing toward the goal. When the plane safely touches down, it will be a result of paying attention to the external forces, weather, and winds that became part of the trip. Likewise, as you progress toward your goals, you will make fine-tuning adjustments to make sure the final outcome is the one you have in your vision.

Set a big goal and make progress toward it daily!

Buy your copy of The Franchising Fast Lane today.

Overcoming a plateau

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner

When you think about what you want to do, remember that good enough isn’t good enough. What do I mean by that or what is another way to say it? Good is the enemy of the best. As you determine the direction and the goals you want to set, don’t be afraid to think of what you would want to do if you KNEW YOU COULDN’T FAIL. What would your goal be then? Because the truth is that whatever goal you set and fix your mind on, you will eventually achieve. Earl Nightingale said, “whatever the mind can conceive and believe, with certainty it will be achieved.”

How will this apply to your situation? If you have an expectation, or self image, your performance will equal that image. People perform to the level they feel comfortable. If they expect to earn $100,000 per year, they will find ways to not exceed their comfort level. Self-sabotage can take the form of oversleeping, missing appointments, or generally not being focused on the customer. Likewise, performing below your comfort level will cause you to become laser sharp to find ways to achieve your level of comfort. So how do you break through into a new “best” for yourself?

Imagine setting your goals like setting a thermostat. When you are performing below your acceptable range the heat will kick on, and when you get too high, the cooling will calm you down. So changing the way you see yourself, and see your outcomes is the first step to sustainable growth.

There are two major ways to overcome these personal limitations through (1) developing habits that will no longer require active conscious planning and thought, and (2) using helpers to sprint alongside you to pace yourself for a larger goal.

Developing habits so your mind is free to expand into new areas of thought and personal development should be a first step. Anything that you do on a routine basis can be put into a habit, or scheduled in your personal planner. If you want it to be a habit, make it a routine you can schedule and stop thinking about. This could be a much longer discussion but for now lets set it aside and move to the next level of breaking through your plateau.

The example of Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile is a good example of the sprinting concept. The four minute mile was mythically elusive and many people of the day thought it to be “scientifically impossible” because of the mechanical structure of humankind. It surely was a psychological barrier but it WAS possible to run a quarter mile in under a minute, and a half-mile in less than a two minutes. With his attention to training and thinking about how to break the record, Roger Bannister found 2 people who could run alongside him and pace him. He was able to break the “impossible” 4 minute barrier on May 6th, 1954. A short six weeks later the record was broken again by another, and today there are hundreds of people who have run the mile in under 4 minutes with the record time currently under 3 minutes and 44 seconds.

If you have a big goal that requires you to do something that you have never done before, consider finding short sprints that ARE possible and believeable, and begin to string them together. You too, along with people who can partner with you and run alongside, can do something that you once thought impossible.

Buy your copy of The Franchising Fast Lane today.

Where you look you will go

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner, startup

Recently, I received accident avoidance training, which I recommend by the way. In this training event, the teacher was a race car driver, and he said when you are in a spin or if you feel like you are about to lose control always “look where you want the car to go.” He used examples of NOT looking at the ground, or NOT looking straight ahead in a turn. In the case of driving a race car or avoiding an accident, it is important to NOT be looking at the other cars.

The example the trainer used that was the most profound for me was that of a field with a tree in the middle of it. If you were driving through a field and you looked at a tree, saying, “I have to miss the tree…I have to miss the tree…” the premise is that you would indeed draw closer and closer to the tree until you hit it! By looking where you DON’T want to go, your eyes will draw your hands to a position that will create movement in the direction of your gaze.

Conversely, when you want to avoid an obstacle, it is important to look where you want to go. It works when you are going through a turn, and it works for when you want to avoid an accident. It works because our body follows the direction of our focused attention. Whether you are riding a bicycle, a motorcycle, or driving a race car, Look where you want to go!

What a fantastic analogy to goal setting!

If you have read other personal achievement books, you will recognize that we humans have a reticular activating system that will cause us to gravitate toward the focus of our attention. If we are focused on successfully completing the writing of a book, we will find ways and ideas to help us along that path. Likewise, if your goal is to generate more impact with your chosen work or talents, such as a self-directed business, your mind will work to find a way to help you achieve the goals you focus on. Regarding the way our brain works while goal setting, your body will try to create that which the mind is focused upon.

Choose your focus!

Buy your copy of The Franchising Fast Lane today.

Underway shift colors

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner

Casting off the lines is a term used when getting a ship underway, and the announcement is “underway, shift colors”. The flag being flown when at rest is exchanged for the underway flag so everyone can see who you are and that you have an intended direction and purpose. In contrast to staying moored to the pier, or anchored at rest, when you cast lines off you are declaring your intention to begin movement. If on a ship, in addition to changing the flag, there is an accompanying blast of the ship’s whistle to let everyone know that you are free from restraint and in motion, subject to the forces of wind, waves and under your own propulsion. This is a great image to hold of getting started, especially as you enter the new year. Make a declaration, change your flag, blast the whistle and get moving!

A ship that doesn’t leave the harbor will never arrive at its new port of call, and the person that doesn’t start out on their path will not reach their true potential. So where do you want to go? A good place to start is to consider what it is that you do well. Is there some way for you to improve what you currently do well, and capitalize on an incremental idea or improvement?

What is an incremental improvement? Or better yet, how can you apply your best skills in a completely new field where they will be better rewarded? This is how many new ideas develop into new products, new businesses, or new services. A skill that is being used at less than maximum value is reassigned to a new idea and, behold, there is a magnificent outcome. Sometimes the new idea is something that nobody ever knew they needed until it became available. Think about the i-Pod for music, and the i-Pad for portable entertainment. Think about what you already know and how you might be able to apply it to a new frontier. You are worth it! Invest in yourself.

Buy your copy of The Franchising Fast Lane today.

Goals or plans

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner

There is a Proverb that says, “we can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps” – Proverbs 16:9 NLT

I think this is a good point to start a discussion about having goals. I have always been a believer in goal setting and have set goals my whole life. Everything from which girl to date, what car to drive, personal achievements in sports, academics, family and financial goals. Early in my goal setting experiences, my goals were written down and reviewed periodically. They included measured progress and a clear plan of how to get from my starting point to the goal line. As time has gone on, I have continued to set goals but now I use electronic means to track them with spread sheets and comparisons. Some things have changed but some things will never change. Goal setting is important to have a direction for your life purposes.

As we grow in experiences and knowledge, how we think about goals and goal setting should also be a constant evolution. We can set goals that more and more carefully fit into our lifestyle choices. A goal properly set will include a mental picture of what it will feel like when you have achieved it. How you will know you have completed it. Will you be living in the home of your dreams; driving the car; surrounded by friends and family or sharing it with a special someone? What will it look like, smell like, and who will you bring along with you on your journey. The emotional aspect of achieving the goal will give you motivation and power behind your “why”. Why you want to achieve it.

The goal may have a plan attached to it, but while plans and steps to achieve you goal will change, the goal decision should not change unless you find it is no longer a worthwhile goal.

PLANS CHANGE BUT GOALS REMAIN

When a ship leaves port it has a direction and a goal. Along the way currents of the seas, shifting winds and sometimes obstructions will cause a change in steering direction. A change in heading or course steered doesn’t change the goal of when and where you shall arrive. The change in steps, or course settings are a reflection of the recognition that change will happen. Outside forces will impact the ship, and the course will need to be adjusted to overcome the effect of these outside forces.

Like the ship, when you make a decision to arrive at a goal and set a time and state of being that will in fact be your goal, it becomes your focal point. There will be changes to you personally, your environment, the tools you have available and other influences to make you adjust your steps and intermediate course settings. In the achieving process, have the humility to recognize that God may have a better way to achieve your goal and keep your eyes open for changes or opportunities for a better course selection.

Buy your copy of The Franchising Fast Lane today.

If you think you’re lost

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner

I started traveling with a new position and my first assignment was to shadow a mature, retired Marine Colonel. You may have heard it said that “there is no such thing as a retired Marine.” Ultimately, once they have had the discipline and experience drilled into them they never go back. I’ll call him “Jay”, and Jay taught me a lot about traveling and developing habits and routines that would enable me to always find my rental car keys, paperwork, the next hotel, and clean bathrooms. In the days before smartphones and GPS systems being everywhere, we used maps to get from one place to another. “If you ever think you’re lost,” he said, “its because you haven’t gone far enough.”

I was thinking about this pearl of wisdom this week and realized how it is such a simple yet valuable lesson. It has happened several times when I thought I was lost; or had gone too far; maybe missed the turn; when I remind myself of this principle. If I THINK I am lost or on the wrong road, just go a little bit farther down the road. The feeling of moving in the direction of a goal when we aren’t getting enough feedback, will sometimes make us think we are on the wrong track or maybe we should turn around. Don’t give in! Keep on going in the direction of your dreams. If you are unsure, keep going. Soon you will KNOW WITH CERTAINTY whether you are on the right track or not. Just go a little bit further!