How do you eat an elephant?

Jul 14

One bite at a time.

For the past couple of weeks, we’ve talked about goals. You can read more about them here, here, and here. A big part of goal-setting is making the goal attainable. But what if you want to do something crazy, like run for president, become the CEO of a company, or provide for your family long after your gone?

Jim Collins in his book Built to Last talks about setting a Big Harry Audacious Goal(BHAG). The very title means that the goal seems unattainable. However if we want to go far in life, then we need to set a big goal to get there.

So how do you make an impossible goal, attainable? You break it into little pieces. Earlier, I talked about running a half marathon. It’s a seemingly impossible size for someone of my size, but I broke it down and accomplished it. Here’s what we can do to break down a big goal into little goals.

Develop a road map to get there. When I decided to run, I didn’t just go out one day and start running. I made a plan. I found a running plan for beginners and made it fit for the time I had and what was available to me. Then everyday, I followed my plan and at the end, I went into the race with confidence.
Don’t get discouraged when you have to take a detour. As race day approached, I realized that my life wouldn’t allow me to follow my road map to a tee. Instead of just giving up, I made adjustments and kept going. I raced 6 weeks later than originally planned, but it didn't matter. I reached my goal.
Research along the way. Have you ever met someone who is an expert on something and has never actually done it? I have and a lot of times they don’t know what they’re talking about. Once you set your goal and start working toward it, research what other people have done to accomplish your goal. Ask other people who have done it what they learned along the way. Find websites and blogs that give you encouragement and advice to prepare you for the challenges up ahead.
Ignore the naysayers and collect the encouragers. Whenever you start something that seems impossible, people will tell you that it’s impossible. They will point out all the reasons why you can’t and try to bring you down. Don’t let them. Ignore them. Avoid them as much as you can. On the other hand, there will be people who believe in you, who have no doubts you can do it. These are the people that will celebrate even the little milestones with you and be your biggest cheerleaders. Even when you’re down, the encouragers will give you that last little push to get there.
Weigh the cost. If your goal is significant, the cost will be significant. When I was training, my entire Saturdays were taken up with the run and recovery. I still have the goal for running a full marathon, but I had to put that one aside for a few months because the cost would be too great for my family and my job. You will have to sacrifice something because of your goal. Decide now what you can give up and what you can’t and reevaluate frequently. You don’t want to make it to the top of the hill, having destroyed everyone and everything that helped you get there.