The Power of a Goal

5 minute read...

As it is for many people, closing out the year is a special reflection time for me. It’s both a time to look back and to look ahead.  And so as 2023 comes to a close, I want to share with you a couple things I’m reflecting on.

My reflections largely revolve around three questions:

1. Am I living a full and meaningful life?
2. How well have I been able to create and sustain the 3 main conditions for living a full and meaningful life over this past year?
3. Am I still living in my "convergence zone"?

But before I tell you my own conclusions, I want to back up a bit. If one hasn’t defined what a full and meaningful life is for them, it’s hard to answer the question. I use the definition provided by Eli and Efrat Goldratt in The Choice:  living a full, meaningful life means that over the course of your life, you are having enough meaningful successes. Meaningful to nobody but you. Meaningful to the degree that your successes generate a feeling of pride in yourself.  Not the kind of pride that is filled with ego and smugness, but the sort that when you look in the mirror,  you are able to say honestly and humbly, “well done.” How many is enough? Well, that is subjective. Enough means that when you are taking your last breaths, you have no regrets about what you’ve accomplished over the course of your life; and no regrets over what you may not have accomplished as well.

The Power of Having a Goal

Definitions are relatively easy; doing something with them is hard. So heading into this new year, how can one actually go about living their life in a way that they have a good chance of generating enough meaningful successes?

The answer: Have a goal. 

A lofty life’s goal. A goal that comes from  your unique purpose and mission. Clarify to yourself what the “dent in the universe” is that you are here to create.

A goal provides you with a powerful lens for focusing. For understanding what will be the most and least fulfilling ways for you to spend the limited amount of time you have during your day, your week, your year, your life.

Eli Goldratt championed this notion of having a life’s goal. And when asked how one could figure out their own, he would say this:

“Set a goal that is lofty enough that it’s likely you will never achieve it during your lifetime, but the journey to get there will be well worth the effort.”  

 Dr. Goldratt’s goal was “to teach the world to think”. Did he achieve his goal? Looking at the current state of things, from war abroad to polarization here in America, you might say no. But that wasn’t the rubric, was it? Instead we said that a full, meaningful life was in having enough meaningful successes towards that end.  So did Dr. Goldratt have enough meaningful successes to justify his focused life’s journey? I had the opportunity to talk with him in the days before he died and he said yes, he had unequivocally lived a full and meaningful life. 

I would add that it’s important that your goal is something you are passionate about. Make sure your goal truly inspires you. When you think about your goal, you can feel that fire inside that propels you even through failed attempts and uneven progress.

My personal goal is to bring harmony to the world – internal harmony (within self, team, organization, community…) and external harmony (between people, teams, organizations, communities…).  And I have to say, as I wrote this, my internal fire is re-kindled. I am reminded why I started Jenrada and why I focus on Assumption Hacking.  

I am also reminded why having a goal isn’t enough.

The Convergence Zone

If we are going to live a full and meaningful life, a life in which we are striving for our goal in a way that our hearts & souls are fulfilled, then I suggest utilizing a framework that I call the Convergence Zone. The Convergence Zone is where four aspects of who you are come together. 

The Convergence Zone

• Purpose fueled inspiration comes from pursuing your Goal.
• Abundant joy comes from doing things you love to do.
• A sense of pride comes from your accomplishments which happen when you're doing things you're great at doing.
• Your environment is much more harmonious when you align what you're doing with your unique personality.

When we spend our time in our Convergence Zone - the space where we are utilizing all four of these aspects of ourselves - we have a good chance of living a fulfilling, meaningful life. 

So when I go about my annual reflection, I revisit how I’ve defined each of the four aspects of my Convergence Zone. I make any updates, which tend to be clearer verbalizations of what I have in each aspect rather than significant changes (though I’m certainly open to making those changes if I find out that any aspect is misaligned with who I am and what is meaningful for me). Once I’ve done that, I make decisions on any changes to what I’m doing, where I’m doing it, and with whom.

I’ve spent the last couple of years more aligned in my Convergence Zone than ever before.  And it’s not just about Jenrada. It’s also about time spent volunteering for Burning Man Project, the time I spend with family and friends, and the time I spend by myself. Are there improvements to make? Always! Stay tuned for more in 2024.

Understanding Your Own Convergence Zone

The first program I developed when I started Jenrada was The Convergence Zone. It was before I coined the term “Assumption Hacking”, but it actually is a method to both Assumption Hack what you’re doing and simultaneously set a meaningful direction for yourself. I decided that the program is not ready for prime time as a self-directed online course. But, if you want to define your own Convergence Zone and set an inspiring and fulfilling direction for yourself, I am thinking about offering it to a small cohort that I would guide through the process over several weekly sessions via Zoom. If this interests you, please let me know here.

 “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They some how already know what you truly want. Everything else is secondary.” (Steve Jobs 2005 Stanford Commencement Address)

 I wish you and yours a wonderful 2024.

 Lisa

P.S. Don’t forget to join me on January 4th for the free Mystery Analysis webinar!  What is a mystery analysis? It’s an 8-step method designed to uncover faulty assumptions, specifically those responsible for when results don’t match expectations. We’ll also go over how to move forward based on your discovery.  

Kick off the new year by adding a powerful hack to your repertoire. You can sign up for the webinar here.

Whenever you're ready, here are a couple of ways I can help you:

• Assumption Hacking Essentials. Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt said in his forward to The Goal, “The challenging of basic assumptions is essential to breakthroughs.” In this digital course, I'll take you through a five step process for challenging those basic assumptions and creating breakthrough in the process. Join the waitlist and get notified when the course is released.
• Jenrada Programs. Customized workshops and longer engagements to help you create an organization of aligned problem solvers delivering extraordinary results. Complete this form,  send me an email, or schedule a discovery call.