Why You Haven’t Worked Towards Your Big Goal Yet (And What to Do About It)
Structure is the real secret to success.
Let me guess. You have a big idea, a desire, a dream, that you know is meant for you.
You think about it a lot. Maybe you’ve even talked about it. And now your friends have started asking: so that______ you want to do, how’s it going?
But you haven’t done anything about it.
And you’ve started having thoughts like...
Maybe it was just a phase...
I can’t motivate myself...
I’m not _____ enough...
I’m not cut out for this...
It’s not going to happen....
These are phrases I hear from the mouths of my coaching clients every week. And I’ve been there myself. You’re hearing this from the woman who identified as a writer first, human second from age 8, yet didn’t write for 6 years - 6 years! - in her 20s because she was waiting for “inspiration” to strike. Doh!
The Real Reason You Haven’t Worked Towards That Big Goal Yet
Which of these resonates for you?
You haven’t gotten clear on your overall vision: the why
You haven’t been specific on what the goal actually entails.
You haven’t kept your own deadlines and promises to yourself.
You haven’t broken down the steps between you and the goal and taken step 1.
You haven’t created a support structure to give you a fighting chance of actually being able to do the work.
None of the above has anything to do with you being “enough”, your talent or your potential.
It is simply our biological makeup. Changing our behaviour uses up valuable brain calories, so we’re hardwired to avoid it wherever possible.
As entrepreneurial and creative people, we’re really good at ideas. Really good.
We’re really good at being inspired and having big dreams. Really good.
We’re even pretty good at starting things: making the announcement, buying the domain name, taking the course.
But we’re not always good at following things all the way through.
In fact, I believe that the gifts and strengths that make us so good at ideas and starting things are precisely why we’re not good at finishing them.
People who start things and people who finish things are almost a completely different species. In fact, the Basadur Profile demonstrates that there are four types of problem-solving human: The Idea Generator, The Idea Conceptualizer, The Process Optimiser and The Process Implementer. Let’s call these our factory settings.
Each Basadur Profile has a natural overlap with the one next to it, but not two over. So Generators tend to have some Conceptualizer skills but are poor at optimizing and implementing; Implementers are insanely talented at bringing things to life but need external help with Generating and Conceptualising.
All the strategy in the world won’t make a difference if you don’t have the right structure to help you implement, progress and push through resistance. Left to run on our factory settings, we might go through all of life repeating the same pattern: generate brilliant idea, start to put together concepts...ooh – shiny object!
Structure: The Real Secret to Success
Without structure, there’s no clarity on where to focus our efforts. Things get confusing. Motivation runs out. It feels easier to chase after shiny new objects and projects. Then we beat ourselves up for still not working on our big goal.
It’s too late...
I’m not cut out for this...
It’ll never happen...
No! – There’s nothing wrong with you. You have incredible gifts! Just maybe not this particular one. So you must have a system.
More often than not, if you’re a Generator or a Conceptualiser, you need to run a system that Optimisers and Implementers have as their factory settings: routines, step-by-step plans, trackers.
Develop Your Own Productive With Purpose Plan
Here’s something I know for sure: the most successful strategies often involve going about things in a completely counterintuitive way. Creating a loving structure is about honouring your needs and your factory settings, and recognising what support you need to fill in the gaps to make things happen.
When working with my coaching clients, this is what I call their Productive with Purpose plan. It’s a 100% personalised framework to support them to achieve their big goals that plays to their strengths, mitigates their weaknesses and above all helps them enjoy the process. Because yes, you can be goal-oriented and live the good life every day.
Let me tell you why I care so much about helping people to get their brilliant ideas out of their heads and into the world.
An idea on its own is beautiful but ultimately worthless. People die every day with their big ideas and goals still inside them.
Every. Day.
But when we have the right support structure, we can increase our capacity for our best, most impactful and creative work. And we can share that work – getting it into the hearts, minds and hands of the people who need it. Rather than having our ideas die with us, they outlive us.
I’m Imogen, and as a Strategy Coach, I help entrepreneurial people create the right support structure to increase your capacity for your best, most impactful and creative work.
If this is something you’re ready to get support with, book a free call with me today.
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