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Key Takeaways
- Entrepreneurs should periodically pause and question the alignment of their goals with their desired life path to avoid unfulfilling hard work.
- Strategic pauses for reflection are not indulgent but crucial, enabling entrepreneurs to tap into mental strength and realign their actions with intent.
Entrepreneurs are masters at setting goals. You write them down, create action plans and chase metrics with relentless determination. However, it’s important to remember the value in taking a step back and evaluating the why behind the push to execute. When was the last time you paused and asked yourself: Is this end goal aligned with the life I am building?
The hidden cost of misaligned goals
Entrepreneurs are used to running in “hamster wheel” mode. You get caught up in social media, in meetings, in the never-ending list of tasks. You focus on what you want to achieve without asking why it matters or who you’re becoming.
It’s hard to stop when everyone around you is also speedwalking through their day and you feel pressured to keep up. But the cost is high. It can lead to hard work without fulfillment and sacrifice without a meaningful reward.
Below are three questions designed to provide clarity when re-evaluating your goals.
Question 1: How does this goal make me feel?
Be honest with yourself. Are you excited about the next step in your strategy, or are you dreading it? When you break down the goal into tasks, how many are outside your comfort zone?
To execute a goal with intention, it’s helpful to acknowledge your emotional connection. Whether it’s the content of the project, the money you’ll make or the prestige its completion will bring, your feelings are giving you valuable information.
How do you feel before taking on the outlined tasks? Frustrated? Stressed? Or are you hungry for the challenge? Trust what your body and brain are telling you. Trust your intuition and take time to sit with the feedback. If the response skews more negative than positive, the goal may not be worth pursuing. At that point, it’s worth asking yourself a few deeper questions.
Question 2: Where did this goal come from?
How did you start on this path? It’s important to challenge your notion of what success looks like and where those ideas come from. Sometimes you can set goals based on who you used to be, or because someone else said it was a good idea.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to start a podcast. Everything seemed to be falling into place — logistics were coming together, and I started believing that this was what everyone said was next for me on the surface. But deep down, I knew something didn’t feel right, so I asked myself a question. Where did this idea come from? Did this align with other goals I had for myself? I could tell that the energy required would be more than I was willing to give. Ultimately, I had to admit that I wasn’t ready to take this project on.
Empower yourself to answer these questions and listen to the results. Are your goals based on expectations from other people? Are your goals leading you to the future you want for yourself? It’s okay to change your mind and take the lessons learned on to the next goal.
Question 3: Am I prepared to do what this goal requires?
Now that you’ve acknowledged how you feel each day and where the motivation for this goal came from, are you willing to commit? Are you prepared for the roadblocks ahead? It’s easy to decide that you are willing to work for the end result, but an honest assessment of the workload will help set you up for success.
A new goal is usually a sign that you are trying something unfamiliar. That you are working to achieve what you’ve never accomplished before. This requires changes in your day-to-day life, missed family moments, extra hours in the office, etc. It will ask something more of you.
Are the associated lifestyle changes sustainable for you? Do you think you can recover if you misstep along the way?
The answers to these questions will let you know if you’ve set yourself up for success.
The power of the strategic pause
These questions only work if you create space to ask them. Taking breaks can seem indulgent and counterproductive. Tasks need to get done, items need to be checked off a list and time is precious.
Pausing quiets your mind and helps put things in perspective. It allows you to take stock and center yourself long enough to see the big picture.
Pausing isn’t about being unproductive; it should be a crucial part of your strategy. Entrepreneurs who achieve their goals have found a way to pause and reflect inward, tapping into their mental strength.
From clarity to action and staying aligned
Answering these questions is like embarking on an internal fact-finding mission. Once you’re armed with the right information, it’s time to make a decision and commit.
There’s something powerful that happens when you tell yourself: This is what I’m going to do, and here is the way forward. Pay attention to the moments of self-doubt and draw on your inner resilience. Reconnect with your decision and the reasons behind it.
The business strategy that will serve you is the one that honors who you’re becoming while building something meaningful. Learn to trust your intuition, set your intentions and pause long enough to see the path forward.
Key Takeaways
- Entrepreneurs should periodically pause and question the alignment of their goals with their desired life path to avoid unfulfilling hard work.
- Strategic pauses for reflection are not indulgent but crucial, enabling entrepreneurs to tap into mental strength and realign their actions with intent.
Entrepreneurs are masters at setting goals. You write them down, create action plans and chase metrics with relentless determination. However, it’s important to remember the value in taking a step back and evaluating the why behind the push to execute. When was the last time you paused and asked yourself: Is this end goal aligned with the life I am building?
The hidden cost of misaligned goals
Entrepreneurs are used to running in “hamster wheel” mode. You get caught up in social media, in meetings, in the never-ending list of tasks. You focus on what you want to achieve without asking why it matters or who you’re becoming.
