Life is a Laboratory

In previous posts I wrote that I would be launching my new goal setting course: ‘Goal Setting 101’ soon. I seem to have been saying that for months! In fact my original target completion date was way back in September 2019. In this article I want to discuss this delay in achieving my goal and see what can be learned in the context of setting and achieving any goal.

Why is it taking me so long?

1. An unexpected work opportunity arose at the end of September and I am now much busier than planned and my time is taken up with the new work.
2. The course is taking much longer than I expected with much more work and upskilling involved than I anticipated.

Let’s look at the above two reasons for the delay in launching the course. The first reason is acceptable because we have to be flexible and be able to take advantage of new opportunities as they arise. This new work opportunity was too good for me to say no to and I decided to jump at it. One of the dangers of goal setting is tunnel vision where we are so focused on the goal that we don’t see other opportunities or we are so inflexible that we cannot take advantage of them.

Tunnel vision is one of the potential disadvantages of goal setting.

Planning fallacy

The second reason for the delay in launching my new goal setting course is related to my old nemesis the planning fallacy which I have written about before. We become over-optimistic about the effort and time needed to complete a goal. In other words there was far more work than I anticipated in researching and creating the course and the goal turned out to be much harder and longer than planned. In addition to the work involved I am also having to learn new skills along the way on course creation which to me is not a drag but a real bonus and I am enjoying learning as I create. However the upskilling involved adds to the time involved in course creation.

Input goals

Since last October I have been plugging away at course creation at the rate of about 30 minutes to 1 hour per day. This was my input goal to just focus on small daily progress and forget about the output of finishing the course. I am not sure exactly when I will be finished the goal setting course but I am getting nearer now and the daily progress has built up over the months. I expect to finish the course in the coming weeks.

There is only one way to eat an elephant, a bite at a time.
Desmond Tutu

Just keep going and enjoy the journey

One of the most important things of all in working towards any goal is to start from where you are now and just keep going. Keep making daily progress. If you miss a day here or there along the way that is OK. Start again today and keep going. We can all fail to reach deadlines we set for ourselves like I failed to complete my new course last September. So what! Start again and just keep going. You can achieve anything you want bit by bit and remember to enjoy the journey and learn lots along the way. Sometimes we focus so much on the end result that we forget to enjoy the journey to achieving our goal. Remember the journey is your life!

Covid-19 & Creativity

What better time now during a Covid-19 enforced lock-down to actually complete my goal setting course! It’s a great time to get stuff like this done. Although I recognise it is not easy for everyone with children confined to home and potentially a lot of distractions. Even spending half an hour a day on your key goal can make a huge difference over time. Maybe you always wanted to write book, start a podcast, create a course, learn a language, learn to play a musical instrument or start a blog etc. What is that big thing for you? My question now to you is what can you spend 30 minutes a day working on? In a year’s time you will be happy you started today!

Best wishes and keep safe,

Tom

Update July 2020 – the course is now live and online!! Job done – or not quite…I have continued to make updated and improvements since I launched the course. Check out the course on Udemy here.

“There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.”
— Vladimir Lenin

Covid-19 Ireland

Greetings from the emerald island of Ireland! As I write this we are all under government lock-down due the Corona virus pandemic which is sweeping the world at the moment.

Starting from 28th March 2020, we are not allowed to leave our homes except to buy food/medicine, perform essential work or take brief exercise (within 2 kms of our home). These measures are aimed at slowing the spread of the virus from one person to another. If we slow the spread of the virus then our hospitals will be able to cope better and fewer people will die (6% of Covid-19 patients experience critical illness). You can find a public information booklet on COVID-19 from the HSE Ireland here.

Rapid Change

Our first case of the virus was announced on 29th February 2020. However Covid-19 did not really impact on our daily lives until March 12th when all schools and colleges were ordered closed. This announcement prompted panic buying in our shops. Our whole world has been turned upside down in only a few short weeks. All non-essential businesses have been shut down to help slow the spread of the virus. There are no bars, cafes, restaurants, cinemas, clothes shops, hairdressers and other non-essential businesses open. Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost or are set to lose their jobs. A few weeks ago the Irish economy was strong and now we are set for recession. As of March 29th 2020 we have 2,615 cases of the virus with 46 deaths in total related to the virus in the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland we have a further 410 cases and 21 deaths. Our hearts go out to those who have lost their loved ones to this disease. We or our loved ones might also contract the illness and might end up very sick or worse. More people will certainly die and our intensive care beds are filling up quickly. Our health service is expecting a surge of Covid-19 cases in mid April. None of us know the true impact of this current crisis. It has hit us suddenly and like a freight train. We don’t know when it will end or what the effects of the crisis will be on our societies, our economies or our world order. Everything seems in flux at the moment.

How to cope?

As a result it’s a lot to take in. Our world has been turned upside down because of this virus. Here are some tips which I think are key to helping us cope as individuals with this situation.

1. Take one day at a time

There is a lot happening at the moment. None of us know the future. All we know is today. It is important to get into this day and live today. Let the future take care of itself. Here is a quote I like to ponder:

“If you want to be miserable get yourself a future. If you want to be happy get yourself this day today. Then get into it. My future is today.”
Anon.

2. Eat right & exercise

Good diet and exercise will keep you physically and mentally healthy and reduce stress. I make sure that I have a brisk walk every morning remembering to keep a social distance of at least 2 meters from anyone else I meet out walking. It is a beautiful time of the year to be outside (spring). The birds are singing and the spring flowers such as the daffodils and cherry blossom are blooming.

3. Plan and reflect

If you have more time on your hands than normal due to the crisis you can put it to good use to improve your life. Perhaps you are working from home and are saving on commute time etc. Take this opportunity to reflect on your life’s purpose and vision and your key goals in life. What actions can you take now to progress your life in the direction of your key goals and dreams?

By the way I am still working away on my new course Goal Setting 101 which is designed to help answer these big questions and set clear goals. This personal project is keeping me busy and as a result I am happier. I am learning new skills in relation to course creation and make progress towards my goal of launching my new course.

4. Take on a new goal or goals

Our normal lives have been disrupted. Avoid spending too much time watching the news. Take the opportunity to learn something new like a language or take an online course on something that has always interested you. Take on those DIY/Gardening projects that you have been meaning to do but never had the time to work on.

5. Routines and Habits

Reflect on your daily routine. Make sure and set time aside for all the important stuff such as exercise, learning , family time etc. If you have young children stuck at home make a timetable with them and give them a structure for their day. Control their amount of screen time. They will appreciate having a structure.

In conclusion there is a lot happening right now and our lives are being severely disrupted by the Coronoaviris pandemic. However we can always choose to seek out the good in this difficult situation.

Stay safe wherever you are and remember to take one day at a time and be kind to others at this difficult time.

Best wishes,

Tom

PS – Here is a link to access my online course – ‘Experiments in Personal Change’ for FREE ( Expires 04/29/2020 23:04 – Limited to the first 10 Redemptions only )