I’m going to start up a new feature here on Life of a Steward – the plan is to offer very brief time management tips every Thursday (in case you couldn’t figure that out from the headline). So please let me know if you think this is a worthwhile feature or not.
I had a friend who was an FBI agent and regularly had to approach all sorts of people for interviews and questioning. He talked occasionally with suspects but most of the time was in completely normal and safe conversations. Yet, in training, he was taught to think in every situation, “What would I do when this person pulls a gun on me?”
Not if they pull a gun on me, but when they pull a gun on me.
This mental exercise – not just considering the possibility of danger but actually anticipating it – helped him react a split second faster.
I have another friend who trains athletes. He’ll take on high school kids and develop them into Division I athletes and even on to professional leagues.
If he sees a kid with high potential, he doesn’t tell them, “You’re going to be a successful athlete.” He will tell them, “If you commit yourself and work hard, you can be a successful athlete.”
There Will Be Obstacles
When setting goals, from the large life goals to the smaller daily schedule goals, anticipate that there will be obstacles. Anticipate that there will be hard work.
Research (as detailed in 59 Seconds) has shown that the most successful goal setting methods are striving for the end goal and seeing it as possible while simultaneously being very realistic about the bumps in the road that will come.
Visualize yourself overcoming those obstacles. Declare in advance how you will react when the obstacles come your way. Know that you will work hard.
Photo Credit: Richard Drdul (Creative Commons)
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