If I were to ask you, “What would be a fabulous outcome in your life, 5 years from now?” Do you have a clear answer? It’s easy to get lost in the everyday and the battles of getting things done. It’s possible to lose sight of the “Why am I doing what I’m doing?” This week, I was reminded about the power of ‘Finding Fabulous’.
The importance of staying aligned to the bigger picture came back into my consciousness courtesy of two messaging workshops that I had the privilege of facilitating for a client. The answer to – What should we do? (And by extension not do) comes from clarity of the higher-order question, “Why am I doing it and how will I measure success?” The saying always follows the doing, and messaging and reputation are outcomes of this clarity of purpose.
It is difficult to find this answer as an individual, and even harder to align a group of people to a common articulation of “what’s a fabulous outcome?” This is what makes it meaningful and important. The temptation to bury one’s head in busyness and not ask the hard questions is high. It’s so much easier to say, “not today” or “let someone else figure it out” – “I’m too busy doing…”
Is the doing aligned? Does it all add up? The sharper the focus, the clearer the mission, the more aligned everyone is and will be. Where attention goes, energy flows, in a corporate context is about budgets and resource allocation. It’s about communications and target audience selection. It’s about measurable KPIs that show progress and results to all stakeholders. Real measurable impact comes from really clear goals.
Creating the time and the space to pause and ask these important questions at regular intervals is what smart organisations and individuals do. The checks and balances are what help keep the balance and enable course correction. What is your true north? Are you veering off course? Where are you heading? Are you going at the right speed? It all starts and ends with knowing what your true north is. Are you committed to finding fabulous, or do you find yourself so busy that you have lost sight of where you wanted to go?
We all love the feeling of making progress. Purpose is what allows one to measure progress. Breaking the big picture down into little bite size pieces works only when we know that in the end, they all add up to something fabulous. Daily tasks and difficult to do lists suddenly feel easier to navigate because they are infused with meaning. We are reminded of why we are doing what we are doing. Sometimes we are able to redirect our energies to the right things, the ones that are aligned with the bigger ‘fabulous’ picture that we have painted in our minds. Progress fuel’s purpose and purpose fuels progress, this equation has been at the heart of motivation.
What is that one small thing that you can do today, this week or this month, that will help you to find your fabulous? For me, one of the ways I try and stay in touch with my true north is through writing. Writing reminds me about what is important (to me). Writing helps me learn from my mistakes and from things that have moved me. Writing helps me connect with people and learn from people and situations. Writing reminds me about things that I have lost sight of. Writing gives me time with myself, to pause and reflect. Writing, even when it is hard to do or find the time and inspiration gives me a feeling that I am making progress. My column number 287 may not be fabulous, but it is a reminder that I must keep searching, for wisdom and myself.
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