Are you completing your goals on time? If you are, great job! Keep doing what you’re doing. If you’re not, no worries. Here’s a way to check some of your goals off the list and get you back on track. Look at your goals and see if any quick wins come to focus. In a nut shell quick wins add high value with minimal effort. When considering your goals these are the ones that are easy to finish with big rewards. It’s like plucking low hanging fruit from the tree. A near reach plus little effort can produce good gains and spark forward momentum to ticking the boxes on the rest of your goals.
The Process of Making Progress
There was a massive cherry tree across the alley from the house where I grew up. It grew the best cherries. Every kid who could climb hurried up that tree to get a bag full of ripe sweet cherries. We felt like a winner every time.
An Emerging Pattern
You would think this activity was a head to action impulse having no organization or strategy. In some ways it was, but on a slow motion instant replay you would clearly see a system and strategy at play. As we stood back to take a real good look at the tree before attempting the climb, there was a system to plucking the cherries blew into our brains. No one told or taught us. The pattern was right there in front of our eyes. And just like that we knew – we instinctively knew to get the low hanging cherries first, then climb higher to get the rest.
Minimal Effort, Good Rewards
The low hanging cherries were the first to go because they were the easiest to get. They were within reach. It didn’t take much to get to them.
Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan
Taking the next most important step towards the goal of your dreams may take more effort. When the rewards of achieving your goals are greater than the effort, keep going with finishing in mind.
Revisit Your Wins and Keep Moving
Take time to celebrate your accomplishments when you’re between here and there. There’s something about visiting your past accomplishments that gives you the drive and momentum to keep moving forward.
8 Steps to Reaching Your Goals
1. Set your eyes on what you want to achieve
2. Believe that you can achieve
3. Think about how this big achievement can be divided into little achievements over time
4. Write down the little achievements – Goal
5. Make the commitment to start with finishing in mind
6. Complete the easy goals first
7. Keep going and never give UP
8. Remember to revisit your accomplishments every step of the way
Wow! Thank you for sharing your wisdom! I love the simple, yet fundamental analogies in your blog Low Hanging Fruit, such as “Low hanging cherries were the first to go because they were the easiest to get.” I also love the 8 steps you provided to achieve our goals! I can easily print those goals out and stick those in my office for motivation and to track my progress! Keep the posts coming:).
This is an answer to my prayer! The steps are easy to follow. I have always looked for mentors, coaches, books, posts, material, literature or such that would inspire, and motivate me to finish my goals. I feel that this material and site was created with me in mind. I cannot wait to apply these tools to my goals.Thank you very much!
I love the back stories behind the lessons, they’re down to earth, easy to understand with a “call to action” at the ready. Nothing to it but to it!