There are hundreds of people with famous quotes about how to instantly fail when you start something. You may hear "Don't do anything half-way" or "Don't start something if you don't intend to finish it". My favorite is from former British Prime Minister David Lloyd-George.
He said : "There is nothing more dangerous than to leap a chasm in two jumps."
When I first heard this, I laughed because it's obviously a funny quote. Particularly if you understand British humor.
But if you look into this deeply, what is he saying. Lloyd-George is telling us that if we don't solve a problem completely from the start, we'll never be able to solve the problem completely. We need to clear the entire chasm on the first attempt. If we don't, then we risk the possibility of falling to our doom before we reach the other side.
You can see this everywhere around you. Projects at work that fail due to shortsightedness or bad planning. Athletes that don't give 100% through the full game. People who start things, but are never willing or able to "stick with it" until it's completed.
You can look at politics and see it everywhere a politician has compromised their goals to get legislation passed.
But while there are hundreds of specific examples of people who don't make that successful leap of the chasm, there are far fewer that succeed. These are celebrated and remembered. The teams that win the World Series or the Super Bowl. The athletes that win the gold medals. The projects that succeed.
The key to making sure you clear the chasm isn't beyond the reach of anyone. In fact it's as available to you and me as it is to everyone. It involves 4 things:
Step2 (Planning) is more difficult. You need to establish specific intermediate goals or milestones to accomplish on your path to your goal. Assume your goal is "To be in a Broadway musical." You may establish goals to "Go to New York", "Learn how to act" and "Audition". Then take each milestone and break that down further. Repeat this process until each step along the way to your goal is simple and can be achieved based on the completion of your previous steps.
Step 3 (Activation) is the easiest step if you planned properly, but could be a nightmare if you didn't. When your plan is sufficiently detailed, you can move from one step to the next step with ease. If your plan is missing stuff, you may need to rework or adjust your plan between steps to make sure you can continue. The key if you adjust your plan is to never change the ultimate goal. You may need to add steps before reaching the goal, but the goal is your destination.
Step 4 (Sticking with the plan) is the most difficult step of the 4. What's amazing about this is that Step 4 requires only that you keep moving from step to step along your path to your goal. You may need to pause for a while, but don't stray from the path. Once you stray, you're falling into the chasm and may never find your way out.
But whatever you do, don't look down after you leap. Keep looking forward towards your goal and make sure you have enough momentum to clear the chasm in one leap.
He said : "There is nothing more dangerous than to leap a chasm in two jumps."
When I first heard this, I laughed because it's obviously a funny quote. Particularly if you understand British humor.
But if you look into this deeply, what is he saying. Lloyd-George is telling us that if we don't solve a problem completely from the start, we'll never be able to solve the problem completely. We need to clear the entire chasm on the first attempt. If we don't, then we risk the possibility of falling to our doom before we reach the other side.
You can see this everywhere around you. Projects at work that fail due to shortsightedness or bad planning. Athletes that don't give 100% through the full game. People who start things, but are never willing or able to "stick with it" until it's completed.
You can look at politics and see it everywhere a politician has compromised their goals to get legislation passed.
But while there are hundreds of specific examples of people who don't make that successful leap of the chasm, there are far fewer that succeed. These are celebrated and remembered. The teams that win the World Series or the Super Bowl. The athletes that win the gold medals. The projects that succeed.
The key to making sure you clear the chasm isn't beyond the reach of anyone. In fact it's as available to you and me as it is to everyone. It involves 4 things:
- Setting your goal
- Planning how to accomplish your goal
- Activating your plan
- Sticking with your plan
Step2 (Planning) is more difficult. You need to establish specific intermediate goals or milestones to accomplish on your path to your goal. Assume your goal is "To be in a Broadway musical." You may establish goals to "Go to New York", "Learn how to act" and "Audition". Then take each milestone and break that down further. Repeat this process until each step along the way to your goal is simple and can be achieved based on the completion of your previous steps.
Step 3 (Activation) is the easiest step if you planned properly, but could be a nightmare if you didn't. When your plan is sufficiently detailed, you can move from one step to the next step with ease. If your plan is missing stuff, you may need to rework or adjust your plan between steps to make sure you can continue. The key if you adjust your plan is to never change the ultimate goal. You may need to add steps before reaching the goal, but the goal is your destination.
Step 4 (Sticking with the plan) is the most difficult step of the 4. What's amazing about this is that Step 4 requires only that you keep moving from step to step along your path to your goal. You may need to pause for a while, but don't stray from the path. Once you stray, you're falling into the chasm and may never find your way out.
But whatever you do, don't look down after you leap. Keep looking forward towards your goal and make sure you have enough momentum to clear the chasm in one leap.
