The mind is a great big dream machine. It gushes creativity and mind-stuff.
Sometimes too much stuff causes confusion.
When you sit down to write out your goals, try this simple approach.
Begin With The End In Mind
FIRST: Be quiet and still for however long it takes. Get really clear about what you want and write it in a prioritized list.
SECOND: Reverse engineer yourself.
Take the #1 item on the list and in your mind’s eye, try to project forward what a day in the life would look like for you once your goal is accomplished. Use all your senses to visualize the outcomes.
Here is one of my favorite stories that will help you begin with the end in mind.
After you read it, do the exercise. Ask your heart, “What Do I Want?” and “How will I know when I get there?”
Then take the first step and bring it into physical manifestation by writing it all down on a real piece of paper.
The Mexican Fisherman Story
An American businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
“How long did it take you to catch them?” the American asked.
“Only a little while” the Mexican replied.
“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” the American then asked.
“I have enough to support my family’s immediate needs” the Mexican said.
“But” the American then asked, “What do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said: “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor.”
The American scoffed: “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you could buy a bigger boat and, with the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats.
Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own can factory.
You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked: “But senor, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied: “15-20 years.”
“But what then, senor?”
The American laughed and said: “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO – an Initial Public Offering – and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.”
“Millions, senor? Then what?”
The American said slowly: “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos…”
I’ve run my franchise businesses, real estate investments and coaching practice for the past 30 years using ideas in this article.
Ask me a question or comment below, I love connecting.
