Taking on 2021 Three Feet at a Time
A new year is finally here. I don’t know a single soul that was not excited about leaving the old one behind, convinced that anything would be better than 2020. I sure hope so.
The reality is this: the new year will be as good as you decide it will be, just like the last one.
The goals you set and achieve will determine your personal success far more than any outside influences. Those external factors, while ever changing, are always present. How well you navigate them has everything to do with the priorities you set, the plans you pursue and your determination to achieve your goals.
To succeed at this, I recommend that you focus on the intersection of that which matters and that which is in your control. If it is unimportant, make this the year that you let it go. If it’s something outside of your control or influence, let it go, too. If you expend your energy on only what matters that is within your control, you will narrow your focus and be far more likely to achieve your goals. Before you know it, you will be looking back on 2021 with a sense of accomplishment.
Years ago, I had the opportunity to hear a message from former Navy Seal, Mark Owen (pen name). He told the story of being in training and having to scale a mountain. Mark is extremely fearful of heights and this was the part of training he dreaded the most. After ascending up the mountain, he became paralyzed with fear. He could not go up and looking down only made him all the more terrified. He was stuck on the face of the mountain. He found himself looking all around for help. Finally, his instructor said to him, “Focus on your three-foot world.”
Mark had no idea what his instructor was talking about, so the instructor explained further, “Don’t look down. The people at the bottom can’t help you now. Don’t look around out into the woods or the Las Vegas strip in the distance of the training site. No one is there to help you. All you can do is focus on the 3 feet in front of you.” He went on to coach Mark to reach out to move to the next three feet of space, and then the next and on to the next until he scaled that mountain three feet at a time.
For a lot of people, 2021 is one big mountain to climb. Maybe you lost your job in 2020, or your small business failed or your company cut salaries. Maybe you graduated from college and you haven’t landed a job yet. Perhaps, you are a leader trying to help others reach the goals that will either save your organization or propel it forward to its next season. My advice is to stay in your three foot world.
Find your way forward, three feet at a time. Using this mindset, soon you will be checking off every goal on your list. All because you focused on the what’s important and what you can control or influence. That’s how successful people navigate uncertain and challenging seasons. Even in these days, when you have gratefully said good bye to last year, but you are not quite sure what the next one will bring, you can use this same strategy to Crush Your Career.
If you would like to learn more about how to follow your own path and Crush Your Career, pre-order my newest book, here:
Crush Your Career: Ace the Interview, Land the Job and Launch Your Future
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By Dee Ann Turner
