Focus on the present in order to achieve big things in the future

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.” – Muhammad Ali

So … you’re busy!  Welcome to today’s world of work – whether it’s a current crisis that needs immediate attention, a burgeoning email in-basket, phone messages waiting to be returned, preparation for this afternoon’s team meeting, or an issue summary that your manager needs by the end of the day, it seems like you’re on a never-ending treadmill with no end in sight.  And this doesn’t even take into account the long-term strategic goals you need to develop and plan and implement. What usually happens to most of us is that we spend our days dealing with the crises (the pebbles in our shoes), and it’s the important (but not urgent) things on our to-do lists that tend to slip.  Yet it’s these very things, these mountains facing us, that will lead us to long-term success, to soaring heights and new achievements.

So the obvious answer then is to not allow the pebbles in our shoes to wear us down.  But how exactly does one make that happen?  Here’s one thing that I do that gives me moderate success.  I always make it a point to do at least one thing every day, take one small step, that will lead me towards the summit of the mountain.  Despite the crises of the current day, I am very deliberate about getting at least one small part of a bigger goal completed.  So for example, we have a series of learning videos that we are trying to create for our clients.  This is a long-term strategic objective but by writing a small portion of the script each day, I am getting closer to my ultimate goal of completing the videos.  Once the script is written, I will break the rest of the process down into smaller steps so that each one is easier to face and tackle.  If I can overcome one pebble at a time, then I can make my way towards the crest of the mountain.

So what do you do to overcome the pebbles in your shoes?  Please share and we can all learn from one another. Add your contribution by clicking on the Comment link below.