Crush Your Goals Like a Pro: The Timeless Approach to Goal Achievement

The 'Watched Pot' Revelation: Embracing the Timeless Approach to Mastering the Art of Goal Achievement (not tested)

Picture this: I'm in the kitchen with my grandma, the warm sun streaming through the window as we prepare to can vegetables from our garden. She'd often remind me, “A watched pot never boils.” Not one to believe things at face value, I stood there, fixated on that pot of water, my young eyes willing it to boil faster.

Time's Trickery: The Paradox of Impatient Waiting

Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? As you anxiously stare at the pot, each second stretches endlessly. You mentally urge the water to bubble, hoping your desire alone will speed up the process. But in reality, your longing does not impact the water's timing. It follows its own rhythm, indifferent to our impatience.

This same concept extends to planning your garden, as even nature adheres to its own sense of timing. When selecting seeds for planting, carefully consider the “days to maturity” information. Why? Because in gardening, as in life, timing matters.

Imagine your business goals as seeds planted in the fertile soil of opportunity. You want a continuous harvest, not all at once. Let’s consider my favorite vegetable, green beans.? My husband, “Farmer Ed,” knows this and plants a variety of green beans to enjoy: Jade, Contenders, and the delectable Roma. Each variety has its timing so I can enjoy fresh green beans across a more extended season.? Your business is no different. Your goals thrive when nurtured with the right timing.

Last spring, amidst the whirlwind of our older son's Senior year and his final high school baseball season, we barely had time to tend to our garden. During the first brief respite, I checked on our bean plants. To my dismay, they had reached the end of their lifespan, taking the last harvest of untouched beans with them.

I could have extended their lifespan with better care and enjoyed an even more bountiful harvest. When picked at the perfect moment, green beans are at their peak—plump with the goodness from the mother plant. Wait too long, and they become fibrous, losing their appeal.

Now, think about your small business and your growth goals. The same principle applies. When we force results on our timeline, we often need to remember that time is, in many ways, irrelevant. Goals will take the time they need to mature, just like those green beans.

Obsessively watching the clock, or “the pot,” can make your goals feel distant and unattainable. It's as if the constant time-checking stretches time itself. But here's the secret: if you've done the groundwork, sowed the seeds of growth, and nurtured them, it's time to let go.

Release the grip of control over the timing and shift your focus elsewhere. You'll be amazed at how swiftly time flies when you're not fixated on it, and progress accelerates when you give your goals room to breathe and mature.

Strategic Versatility: Balancing Offense and Defense for Success

You may face two problems when you put too much time pressure on your goals, creating anxiety and frustration.? We’re either rushing them or becoming disheartened when the fruits of our efforts don’t materialize as quickly as we’d like.? This hinders your progress and leads to burnout.

The other problem you may encounter is that your success as a business owner is concentrated too heavily on the success of one strategy.? In an article from the Harvard Business Review entitled Roaring Out of Recession by Ranjay Gulati, Nitin Nohria, and Franz Wohlgezogen, one of our story's key lessons is proven true.? Written in 2010, the authors studied the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early 2000s recessions to establish what separated those who thrived from businesses that merely survived.

In their research, the key learning was that the 9% of businesses who came out of a recession better than they started adopted a comprehensive offense with a restrained defense. This boils down to the “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” offense and “don’t cut off your nose to spite your face” defense.

These success stories are similar to my husband effectively planting various strategic seeds for me to constantly have green beans and resisting the urge to “bet the farm” on one strategy.??

The multiple varieties built a comprehensive offense strategy.??

Looking back to the research, the authors defined a "restrained defense" of successful businesses as those that resisted the urge to overly cut costs, employees, or resources, preferring to hold position, utilize those resources in non-traditional ways, and strategically gather the resources that other businesses where shedding.

Consider this for a moment, as it is crucial.? As a small business owner, what do you do in moments of stress?? Fight, Flight, or Freeze?? Historically, we’ve witnessed that the flight or freeze reflex is more prominent among business owners.?

In their attempt to be fiscally responsible during stressful times, business owners will often cut costs so severely that they starve the business of what it needs to thrive to the point where they inadvertently create the dire situation they were trying to avoid in the first place.??

The trick is to know what to prune from the business.? It takes a critical eye to identify what should be trimmed - and often an eye not emotionally attached to the business - who can look at things more strategically.??

Our role as business advisors is to develop strategies that build a comprehensive offensive with a restrained defense.? We help our clients carefully plan a path to a better business and rewarding success, but our job and story don’t end there.

Strategic Wealth: How Timing and Money Smarts Drive Success

Our researchers have one more golden nugget for us.? This little nugget gives successful business owners the priceless gift of time.? With the gift of time, the owners can wait for the strategies to mature at their own pace, and they can hold and carefully consider their defensive strategies.? They can outlast the competition.

The underpinning that gave the successful business owners was their cash management before, during, and after times of stress.? This is why every one of our client relationships starts with our team deep-diving into the numbers and plugging money leaks.? Then, it focuses on layering in profit-building strategies to ensure that what you’ve built produces the most bountiful harvest possible.??

We know that if you feel financially secure in the business? - you make better decisions in the business.? It is also what sets us apart from other business advisors.

And it works.??

Through 2020, we worked hand in hand with our clients to manage the uncertainty and ensure they came out thriving.? Three years later, when other businesses are still dealing with the aftermath, they are focused on more significant gains.

The benefits of this approach are three-fold.? As we mentioned, when your business has the gift of time, your approach can be strategic, with a relaxed and focused mindset.? This keeps you open to opportunities in which you have the power to amplify and innovate in your business.? This builds greater satisfaction with your progress and even excitement when everyone else is stressed.

In the garden of business and life, timing lessons are universal. From the watched pot that never seems to boil to the carefully tended green beans, we are reminded that time has its rhythm, and we must learn to dance to its beat.

Just as our green beans flourish when we nurture them at the right moment, your business goals thrive when you provide them with the care they need and the freedom to grow. It's a timeless approach, a shift in perspective that allows you to embrace the journey without constantly watching the clock.

Experience Faster Progress and Lasting Satisfaction

Remember that the obsession with time can stretch it thin and make your goals seem distant. But when you release control and focus on what truly matters—the progress and the milestones—you'll find that time itself becomes your ally.?

Progress feels faster, and success tastes sweeter.

Now, I invite you to reflect on your current business goals. Are you watching the pot, anxiously waiting for it to boil, or nurturing it and giving it the time it needs to flourish?

Share Your Story! We believe in the power of shared experiences. Have you applied the timeless approach in your business? We'd love to hear your success stories, challenges, and insights. Share your journey with us in the comments below.

Here's your action step: Choose one of your most pressing goals and commit to the timeless approach. Set milestones, nurture your strategy, and then step back, trusting the process. Share how it goes!

Are you feeling stuck and don’t know where to start? Together, we can create a business landscape where time is not an adversary but a partner in your success. Your journey to mastering the art of goal achievement with the timeless approach starts simply by finding time on my calendar to chat and see how we can help!