Picture yourself on a plane during take-off … Destination: Unknown. Would you board a plane without knowing the destination, duration, and whether there’s enough fuel to get there? Then, why do we so often want to do that with our lives?
As Lewis Carroll said, ‘If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.’ Not knowing where you’re headed (mindless decisions) makes anywhere seem ideal. The lack of a gap between impulse and action, thinker and thought, leads to mindless decisions. Mindless decisions can result in a life that feels misaligned and unfulfilling. Over time, ‘going with the flow’ might cause you to lose touch with your values and purpose, creating a life that doesn’t feel like your own. So, who are you, and where are you going?
‘About us’
Without ‘About us’, everyone in the company would be lost. On any Stock Exchange-listed company’s website ‘about us’ highlights the company’s mission (core purpose), vision (desired future state) and strategic objectives (specific, measurable targets used to implement the mission and realise the vision). Strategic objectives change with the environment, but the vision remains − for clarity about a company’s direction, focus, and success. So, what is your ‘about me’?
About me
What are your mission, vision, and strategic goals? Emotional Agility author Susan David suggests comparing your current and distant self (20 years from now) to determine your values. What does your distant-self value, and how should your current self behave to achieve and live out those values? ‘A value is something you can use, helping you place your feet in the right direction as you journey through life.1 To make decisions that reflect your ideal life, you must be clear about your values and apply them as signposts. While you may not know what your job might be at age 40, knowing your values will help you determine what you stand for, the impact you want to achieve and the kind of life you want to build. So, what values will help you live out your vision? Who do you want to be?
Where do I even begin?
How do I formulate ‘about me’? Ron Friedman’s book Decoding Greatness explores how reverse engineering helps top performers succeed. ‘To reverse engineer is to look beyond what is evident on the surface and find a hidden structure that reveals both how an object was designed and, more importantly, how it can be recreated.’2 According to Friedman, reverse engineering provides an opportunity to not start from scratch but to rather
- Identify your role models who share your aspirations. Analyse what potentially makes them successful (their skills, habits, qualifications
and choices). - Instead of simply imitating the identified role model blindly, deconstruct their stories (career paths, skills attained, habits) and apply the principles to your goals.
- Then, use reverse engineering to create your roadmap (vision) by starting with your desired destination (distant self) and working backwards, determining the steps needed to get there. Begin with the end in mind. But how will you get there?
Small changes = compound interest
‘Too often, we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action; meanwhile, the difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding.’3 In his book, James Clear explains how your life vision can be realised by small daily actions rather than large leaps. Mastering your habits gives you the structure and momentum to achieve your long-term vision. Instead of focusing on your ideal self, focus on the habits and daily actions that will enable you to become your distant self.
Trying to see yourself 20 years from now may be overwhelming, but repeated habits can help you get there every day through small wins. ‘Habits are the compound interest of your self-improvement.’ The same way money multiplies through compound interest, repeating habits enhances their impact. Habits seem insignificant on any given day, but their impact over months and years? Significant. Which habits does your distant self need? How will you know if you are on track?
You can’t improve what you don’t measure
John Doerr calls OKRs ‘the simple idea that drives 10x growth’4. Doerr promoted OKRs (objectives and key results) at Google to track progress. An objective is simply WHAT to achieve and should be action-oriented. ‘Key results’ benchmark and monitor HOW to get to the objective. KRs should be specific, time-bound, aggressive, realistic, and, importantly, measurable. OKRs show whether you meet the requirements or not. Where an objective can be long-lived and rolled over for a year or longer, key results evolve as the work progresses. While everything can’t be measured, you must have measures indicating whether you are on the right path to your vision (distant self).
Knowing where you are helps you adapt to changing conditions. How will you measure your progress towards your distant self?
Steps to success. Easy as …
- You don’t need to have it all figured out, but you must be clear about who you want to be. As Diane Von Furstenberg said, ‘I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I knew the woman (man) I wanted to become.’
- After establishing your vision, turn it into inspirational, actionable goals. Define measurable criteria to track real progress timeously.
- Use small habits to achieve your goals. Every small step counts, including a short course or coffee chat with a mentor. Lifelong learning and course correction are crucial.
Do not wait for clarity. Build it. Choose a path, move forward, and revise as you progress. When your vision is clear, the path becomes clearer, and you know where you are going.
REFERENCES
1 S David, 2017, Emotional Agility, Penguin Books, p 18.
2 R Friedman, 2021, Decoding Greatness, Simon & Schuster, p 3.
3 J Clear, Atomic Habits, Penguin Random House UK, p 16.
4 J Doerr, 2016, Measure What Matters, Penguin Random House UK.
Author
Dr Letebele Mphahlele CA(SA), ACMA, Senior Lecturer at the University of Johannesburgl
