When it doesn’t work out the way you expected

Aug 20, 2021

What do you do when the idea you’re 1000% certain about turns out to be wrong? 

About three or four years ago, as I was running a goal setting workshop, I met a participant who was so excited about a specific goal idea. It was a biggie and was going to change their entire business model. I was pretty excited for them and couldn’t wait to see how they did with it. 

One of the steps I take people through in these workshops is fast-forwarding a year or so and checking out what life is like once they achieve their goal. The result of this was completely unexpected for this particular participant. 

After the workshop, they came up to me, completely distraught. They realized while doing the exercises that the end result of achieving this goal didn’t give them the business they wanted. Or the daily life they wanted. They did not want to run the business the way they planned to change it. It was clearly so disappointing, and felt like a failure to this person.

On the other hand, I was THRILLED! Not because I enjoy seeing dreams die, but because I knew the clarity that happened was so incredibly useful

“This is GREAT!” I practically yelled. “You haven’t wasted any time scampering down the wrong path, so now you can let go of this idea and come up with a new one that will actually be the right one for you. Fantastic!” 

This was actually a huge win. Examples like this are why I’m always talking about goal setting and planning. Because as entrepreneurs, our resources are precious. Investing time up-front to determine the right course of action means we don’t waste them. 

There’s no need to waste your time/money/energy on something that isn’t completely right for you. My grandfather used to say “Measure twice. Cut once.” Exactly.

The first step to amplifying your life is simplifying your day.

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