10 April 2008
Do you not reach your targets quickly enough? Then you are like most people and your greatest challenge is keeping your focus.
All development is like pushing a car. In the beginning it takes the strength of 4 men to get the car moving, but once it starts going the work of one man can accelerate the tonne weight of the car.
In the beginning you use 100% of the energy on pushing and 0% of the energy steering. Once the wheels start turning and the car moves along swiftly, it's just the other way round. That is most often what many see as the goal: That we can just steer and don't have to push.
Your magic turning point is the day where you can use more energy steering than pushing – and the feeling is amazing.
The feeling of your projects taking off is worth it all.
If you feel that it is going too slow it is not because you are doing something wrong, but because you haven't been pushing long enough. Many think that they can start the car moving with one quick shove. The truth is that it requires one long hard pull.
This requires you to raise the bar, which the incredible baker I once met, is an amazing example of.
A few years ago I spoke about this with Steen Skallebæk, who founded Denmark's largest bakery.
After Steen Skallebæk received his certificate of completed apprenticeship from Kvickly in Vojens, he started in a little local bakery in Haderslev. Soon he took over the business and every day he had a 10 metre long line of customers.
Then Steen built Denmark's largest bakery with 25 check-outs and 2 drive in windows.
Today Steen sells 20,000 breakfast rolls on a Saturday. It doesn't matter that there are only 25,000 people in Haderslev and environs, because the customers are happy to drive 50 kilometres in order to eat Steen's bread.
When I met Steen I asked him what it was that he did and Steen aswered:"Every day since I started as an apprentice I have asked myself the same question: Can we just do it a little bit better today?" Instead of setting unrealistic goals then do like Steen. Raise the bar a little bit – and do it every day!
Far too many people overestimate what they can do in a year – and underestimate what they can do in a decade.
Do with your targets as you would do in your relationship. In your relationship you don't show up with flowers every six months and expect passion to blossom.
If you want your targets to be alive and give you energy, they need to be taken care of and nurtured just like everything else you want to keep alive. If the target dies it is because you haven't given it enough attention.
You reach your goal by raising the bar a little at the time and doing it every day.
Have a good working day!
Martin
