How to find the easiest path to your goal?

22 Jun

This morning, I started my morning with a 6.15am circuits class (thank you, I am inspirational 😀). With a busy day ahead, I decided to get my exercise done early and kick off my day with a boost of endorphins (& time to nap later!)

I enjoy the circuits class in my local gym because my brain doesn't have time to think. Every 60 seconds, I am switching stations, working with different people and tackling a pace of exercise that I would NEVER do by myself. And suddenly, ta-da.... 45 minutes have gone by and I have worked up more of a sweat than I ever would working alone.

The community, the structure and the accountability - That is what I discovered is the secret to showing up at my best.

On the drive home, my mind went to the rest of my day. I had a full day ahead working solo at my desk, with a big chunk of time trying to figure out something I have been struggling to crack….. Then I realised......that was a terrible idea!

Why was I trying to figure it out myself, over and over?
What if, just like the gym class, there was another way?

I firmly believe that there are always more options available to us, than we can see. The challenge is to STOP and identify them before jumping into your usual way of working.

Inspired by my morning wisdom, I changed up my plans and I now have two calls with trusted advisors to explore what paths that I am not seeing (yet). I feel much more confident that I will untangle the challenge by the end of the day now, whereas before, I was just dreading it.

If the goal is the goal, does it matter how you get there?

No!

Yet, in my coaching room, I hear over and over (and I am guilty this myself)

“I need to figure this out myself”
“I will let you know when I am ready for help”
“This is the way I work”

Why do we put ourselves on an island?

…. EGO!

Our ego wants to win. To prove to ourselves and others that we are capable.

This is not rational or logical but the ego is powerful. Without giving space for logical planning, we let our EGO take over logic and isolate us from collaborative, expansive and maybe even easier paths to reach the same goal.

I come back to this great saying I heard during a presentation by Michelle McDaid

“Your Ego Is Not Your Amigo” - Nikki Sixx. - SO TRUE!!

How can you make sure you are finding the easiest path to your goal?

Catch yourself if you are trying to solve it all alone or you feel like you are going in circles and think about what you need to reach your goal.

I believe the answer is some combination of community, structure & accountability. A unique mix of each for each person but the absence of any, is where burnout begins.

In recent years, there has been a boom in running clubs, book clubs, mentoring circles, coaching groups, journaling clubs, co-working spaces … the list goes on. This is people getting proactive about what they need to thrive and embracing new paths to achieve their goals.

As humans, we are not made to sit at a desk 10 hours a day or to eat lunch alone. We are social creatures and we operate best when we have outlets and shared experiences.

Your challenge to find your easiest path to your goal:

Grab a blank page, pen & set a timer for 5 minutes
Write in the middle something you have been stuck on
Start a mind map of all the different possible ways you “could” get moving to your goal
When your timer beeps, circle 3 actions you are going to take to explore reaching your goal differently

Give it a try and let me know how you get on.

If you are curious about how you can build your awareness and tool kit to find your easiest path to your goal, come join my community to invest a lunch break in your development.