A Strategy For Goal Achievement

Eleven yards of mulch. That is a big . . . a really big . . . pile of mulch. My wife, Rebecca, and I spread that big pile of mulch one Saturday. And we could still walk at the end of the day! As I was working, it occurred to me that reducing this huge pile of mulch was a study in achieving goals. I began thinking about what we did to get that pile of mulch spread and expanded those actions into a goal achievement strategy. Here's what I came up with. Think of a goal you have and consider how you could apply these strategy steps to your situation.

Examine your resources.

We needed a wheelbarrow, a rake, and a shovel at the minimum. Plus, we were sure that we couldn't do this job on our own -- at least not in one day. So we arranged to have a couple of students from a local university come help out.

• What resources do you need to start work on your goal? What do you already have, and what do you need to beg, borrow, or buy?

Gather your material.

On the big day, I got the tools out of the shed and made sure they were ready to go. I moved the cars to the road, as we planned to have the mulch dumped in the middle of the driveway and didn't want to block ourselves in. (This also served as an incentive to get the job done, so we could put the cars back in the garage!) And at 8:30 -- the final ingredient. The mulch was delivered.

• What materials do you need to progress toward your goal? Do you have a staging area where you can keep them at the ready?

Eliminate bottlenecks.

I had perceived that one wheelbarrow was not going to be enough to keep four people busy, so I arranged earlier in the week to borrow one from my neighbor. I retrieved it during the time I was gathering all the other tools and materials. Once we started, it became obvious that we had a bottleneck, maybe two. My plan had been to fill the wheelbarrows while the two helpers we hired pushed them to where the mulch was needed. Rebecca had the rake and was spreading the mulch as the boys dumped it. I quickly found that one older and somewhat overweight man could not keep two wheelbarrows filled. Meanwhile, my wife (who is much younger, slimmer, and prettier than I) was getting behind in the spreading.

• What is the biggest bottleneck that is slowing you down in your progress toward your goal? How can you eliminate it? What is the next biggest bottleneck? Can it be eliminated or its effect lessened?

[Photo by Alfo Medeiros]

Ask for help.

So, to eliminate the bottlenecks we encountered, I went back to my neighbors and asked for help. The one who loaned the wheelbarrow gave me another shovel. Another neighbor offered a pitchfork and a rake. With these extra tools, the two teens began loading the wheelbarrows as well as hauling them. This freed me up to help Rebecca with the spreading. The pile began going down!

• Where do you need help in moving toward your goal? Who can help you? Accepting help is one of the hardest things for some people to do. It is also one of the most necessary. No meaningful goal of any magnitude can be accomplished alone. Seek help.

Overcome obstacles.

Like most endeavors, this job had a few bumps in the road. The biggest bump actually happened earlier in the week. We had hired the college students for the previous Saturday, but it poured the rain and we had to reschedule. Well, the students we hired for Saturday #1 were not available for Saturday #2. Rebecca had gotten calls from several other students, but by the time we reached them, they all had other commitments. Not to be outdone, Rebecca sent a plea to the folks she works with and almost immediately got several offers from people sacrificing, er, um, I mean recommending their children. Two young men were hired right away to replace the original two.

• Have you hit any snags yet in the pursuit of your goal? If not, you are likely to. If you are facing an obstacle right now, brainstorm ways you could go over it, or under it, or around it, or move it out of the way. Write down as many solutions as you can think of - even the ones that seem far out or ridiculous. Don't edit yourself at this point. Even the ones that seem ridiculous could spark an idea that is more practical and may be just what you need. When you have a good list of possible solutions, pick the one that seems most likely and put it to work right away.

Measure your progress.

It was motivating to watch the pile of mulch get smaller and smaller. Of course, you couldn't see much from moment to moment - an individual wheelbarrow load was barely noticeable. But when I periodically took a moment to observe the decreasing pile, I could readily see the progress we were making. You could also see progress as the mulch was spread, as one bed after another took on the fresh look of new mulch.

• What are some ways you can measure progress on your goals? It could be in pounds lost, dollars saved, miles run, or whatever makes sense for the goal you have set. Try keeping some kind of written record that you can review weekly or monthly. As you begin to see progression toward the goal, the progress becomes a motivating factor.

Stick to it - it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Because the mulch was delivered early, I had the tools, the equipment, and the mulch but no helpers. Still, I decided I could get started and haul a few loads until they arrived. Rebecca expressed concern that I would wear myself out too soon. I assured her there was no danger in my doing too much. I knew this was a marathon and not a sprint. I took it slow and easy and used this activity as a way to warm up and loosen up. And that's how we worked the entire morning. We kept a steady pace, and the job gradually but consistently progressed.

• How about you? Many people head off full tilt in the exciting prospects of a new goal but then fold at the first obstacle or just lose interest because it takes longer than they imagined. Don't fall into that trap. If you have a worthy and worthwhile goal, chances are it isn't going to be achieved in a day or a week. Look for ways to keep yourself motivated. Persist! This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Celebrate!

We finished in about four hours, a reason in itself to celebrate. I had planned on it taking most of the day, so I received a gift of a half Saturday to do other things. Just walking about the yard and admiring the mulched beds was a small celebration. Then, later that day, we went out to an enjoyable dinner with friends.

• Plan now how you will celebrate the completion of your goal. Make the celebration commensurate with the goal. Don't celebrate a recent weight loss with a huge dinner or a 1/2 gallon of ice cream! And don't celebrate a month of sobriety by having a drink. But be sure you celebrate your goal in a meaningful way. And if it's a long-range goal, don't wait till the entire thing is completed before you celebrate. Celebrating is motivating. Identify milestones on the way to achieving your goal and celebrate each milestone, even in a small way.

Taken all together, I believe I found a pretty good goal achievement strategy buried in those 11 yards of mulch:

- Examine your resources.

- Gather your material.

- Eliminate bottlenecks.

- Ask for help.

- Overcome obstacles.

- Measure your progress.

- Stick to it. (It's a marathon, not a sprint.)

- Celebrate milestones along the way!

Why not try this strategy on your BIG goal? It just might be the step you need to embrace your Excelerated Life?!

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