Achieving Great Things Without Paying a Great Personal Cost

This post is for those who want to achieve great things. We may define greatness differently. It might be a tangible goal, such as writing a book, or to be well-known in our chosen field. Or, it might be more abstract, like being a positive force in our community. There often is a desire to create a legacy -- something that lives on after we are gone.

Many of the people I meet and talk with want to accomplish great things, but they are often afraid that they will lose control of their life. This feeling is very real for some, as they have personal experience with becoming out of balance when pursuing a goal.

For them, they are not willing to pay the price of losing their physical, emotional, and spiritual health for the sake of a personal goal. It becomes an either/or proposition.

Believe it or not, you can achieve great things without paying that heavy price. There are three phases of accomplishing great things without a great personal cost:

1. Balance the Scales

Be very clear about both the goal. You may have the acronym "SMART" for setting goals: specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable and time-based.

Make a list of what you want to hang on to. Where are your boundaries? What are you not willing to give up?

2. Watch for the Tip

What are the warning signs? When your personal health, emotions, or other priorities start to slip, there may be warning signs, such as insomnia, headaches, or canceling on your favorite activities, family, or friends.

3. Hold Tight

This is the tricky part. There will always be others who need and want things from us -- it is your decision which of these demands and requests you will give your precious time to. When someone makes a request of you, go back to your "hang on to" list -- is the person who is making the request on the list? If not, it is likely best to say no. If so, perhaps an open conversation about what is requested and what you have to give would be helpful.

Just remember that you hold the scales.

Time Is On Your Side

In business and in life, we show up late, cancel at the last minute, or don't show up at all for appointments and meetings.

Sometimes, an urgent or important activity crops up at the eleventh hour, but more often it is simply someone's lack of planning that leads to the "miss."

We often actually start to blame time itself. "I don't have enough time!" we lament. "I lost track of time!" we cry; or my favorite "My time is not my own!"

When we take this passive approach to time we often end up off course -- in the wrong career, network, or relationship. When we simply see ourselves as a leaf adrift on the raging river of life, we cede our power to the current, not realizing that all we need to do is to grab a paddle and start paddling.

Are you ready to pick up a paddle and take back control of your time?

Tips for Making Your Time Your Own:

• Find A Paddle: Start by realizing where you need help. Select the physical tools you'll need, like a planner, an electronic calendar, or a PDA.



• Navigate: Figure out where you're headed. What will taking control of your time give you? Perhaps you will have more time to work out, to spend time with family, or to pursue a personal passion. I have one friend who won't compromise on her weekly volleyball game -- which activity is sacred to you?



• Hire A Sacagawea: Maybe you need help navigating. Hiring an assistant or using a virtual assistant can help you to protect your time and prioritize those things that are most important.



• Watch Out For the Reeds: Some meetings or appointments may be regularly unproductive for you, or may emotionally exhaust you. Get out your calendar and identify at least one commitment that is unnecessary or unproductive. Notify the meeting scheduler that you will not longer be attending.



• Focus On The Destination: What do you hope to accomplish by navigating the river? Perhaps you will improve your health, accomplish personal goals, or deepen important relationships.
  

When we regain control over our time, we often feel both relief and a sense of possibility -- we can get out of the panic of the moment and gain a new, long-term perspective.

Finding "Gigs" That Feed Us

The temptation when working from gig-to-gig is to take anything that comes along. If someone offers to pay us (or perhaps doesn't even offer to) to do something, the urge to say "Yes!" without thought of the expenses, time and energy needed can be overwhelming.

But what kind of gig is right for you? There are many ways to peel this onion:

1) What is the payoff?

Payoff can be measured traditionally by looking at the projected Return-on-Investment (ROI) or it be examined in non-traditional ways:

• Will it give you the opportunity to prove yourself with a potential client or employer?


• Will it give you exposure to contacts to whom you wouldn't normally have exposure?


• Will it give you tangible experience that will help you to expand into new territory?

2) Do you share common values?

When taking on a gig, it is helpful to share basic values about business.

You might want to explore if you and the potential partner have similar views on ethics, quality, and conduct. I actually met with a potential business partner once who told me that they wished that a mutual friend's mother would drop dead. Seriously.

3) Will the "rules" work for you?

Will your workload allow for the project? Are you comfortable with the contract or non-disclosure language? Is it a "win-win" for you -- an opportunity that will both enrich you financially and professionally?

Thriving During Career Transition

Wow, what a difference a few months make! The turmoil in the economy has translated into upheaval in people's personal and professional lives. Many have suffered a direct hit, in the form of a layoff or business closure. For others, it has a more subtle impact. Perhaps the fact that your employer has not invested in your career development, or your growing workload in a field you don't enjoy, has caused you or someone that you know to start looking to change careers.

Changing careers can be disorienting, as if you are driving in an unfamiliar city without a map or GPS. You often lose the structure and sense of connection that you have in an office environment.

Here are eight ways that you can deal with the disorienting process of career transition:

1. Keep your cool. Everything is going to be okay. Really.
2. Share your emotions with others. Lean on family and friends for morale support or keep a journal.
   
3. Ask yourself powerful questions. Questions like "What do I want more of?" or "What am I ready to let go of?" can help you to frame the type of position and workplace that will most fulfill you.
   
4. Stay connected. Read career-oriented blogs and visit websites devoted to your field every day. Build up your LinkedIn network. Connect with other jobseekers and set-up regular calls or coffeeshop meetings.
   
5. Develop a daily and weekly schedule around your energy patterns.
   
6. Set tangible daily and weekly goals. How many prospects will you identify? How many resumes will you send out? Be specific.
7. Create a workspace that inspires. Use photos, slogans, flowers, or music to motivate you while you work. If you find that being around people energizes you, consider conducting your search from a table at Caribou or Panera.
   
8. Reward yourself. When you reach your daily and weekly goals, treat yourself with something that is meaningful to you.

The Power of the Detroit Perspective

As I talk with clients and colleagues in Metro Detroit, it is common for the conversation to focus on how difficult the local economy is. With the erosion of manufacturing jobs and the ongoing downsizing of the automotive industry, virtually everyone here is feeling the pinch. For those who have been impacted directly by a lost job, they are forced to take bold steps to adapt.

For those who are indirectly affected, they make more minor changes: they start eating at home more often or don't take the boat out as much as they did a few years ago. The difficulty starts when we start to shrink back from taking calculating risks, and start living in fear. I often hear "I'll never find a new job, because the economy sucks" or "no one will buy my services because no one has money." With these grand, sweeping statements, our options appear to shrink before our eyes. This perspective becomes so overwhelmingly powerful, that nothing seems possible.

People often ask me, "I bet it is tough to run your own business in this economy." Guess what, it isn't. There may be unique obstacles presented by it, but then isn't that true of anything worth having? There will always be obstacles, it is how we dodge, scale, or obliterate them that matters.

The reality is, most of us only need one job. And one life partner. And one home. We do not need the entire economy to be strong in order for us to have both what we need to get by and what we want to feel fulfilled.

And we are powerful. When locked in on scaling whatever obstacles inevitably pop up, we can accomplish great things in our lives. It is truly transcendent to see another human realize that "Wow, I can control my own life!" and to watch what that opens up for them.