Keep Your Eyes on the Road
We live in a society that moves very quickly, where everyone is so busy. People run about, looking to optimize the limited time that they have. There is a massive self-help industry that doles out advice to people hungry for being able to accomplish more. We create checklists. We put in place processes to keep a close eye on our progress. We beat ourselves up when we fall short, and tell ourselves that we need to keep our head down and show more grit, moving forward no matter how hard it is. We feel that we need to keep on moving.
After a while, we make some progress. We check some of the items off of our never-ending to-do list. We grind through the tough work, moving the yardsticks forward. But sometimes what happens — way more frequently than it should — is that we then discover that we are not truly happy with where we landed. We got the promotion, but it is not all that fulfilling. We accomplished our goal, but now what? It can leave us feeling empty.
It is possible to move fast, pedal to the metal. As a society, we place tremendous value on that. But if you are not headed in the right direction, you certainly are not going to get where you are trying to go very quickly. That is why it is so important to take the time to ensure that you are headed in the right direction. Pause. Reflect on your long-term vision, and only take actions that lead you closer to that vision. Every single little daily decision that you make needs to line up with the concept that you have for your future. If what you are working on does not align with that longer-term vision, then stop doing that work. Right now. And immediately start doing something that is more closely aligned with that vision. Do not wait until the path forward is clear and defined, for fear of not moving in the right direction. The way forward will never be obvious; you only need to see the next few steps. It is okay to be slightly off-course, you will still get there. But whatever you are working on must be lead you in the same general direction that you want to go.
So I urge you to invest a bit of time in yourself, in making sure that you are heading where you genuinely want to go. It does not require any big, grandiose gestures. A couple of times per week, take the time to deeply reflect on the work that you are doing and consider how well it is in alignment with your long-term strategic goals. If the actions you are taking are moving you closer to those goals, great. If not, you need to stop and consider the situation. It may be that you need to take actions that better align with your goals. Or it may be that you need to revisit those long-term goals, to ensure that they still profoundly resonate with you. But the critical thing is to take these small pauses to reflect, ensuring that your actions are aligned with your broader vision — and make immediate corrections if they are not aligned.
Keep your eyes on the road. That is how great work comes into being.
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