The third reason to pursue a small number of causes is because it is risky. When you decide which causes are truly compelling to you, you are making the choice to abandon a host of other, lesser opportunities. This is risky: what if you choose wrong? But deciding is cutting yourself off from the alternatives and that level of risk should really sharpen your senses, stiffen your sinews and summon up all of your energy: you are committed now.
The Pareto Principle
This leads us to the reason why it is best to determine your compelling causes for the next three months – not for the next year. If you choose wrongly, then shorter-term causes mean you can abandon a poor choice more quickly and refocus your efforts. If it is still looking like the right choice after three months of effort and learning, then decide what the next outcome is towards winning this cause.
Express Your Outcomes with Precision
Many writers have written many words about goal setting and most of them focus on the idea of SMART goals. Some have even developed the idea of SMARTER goals – cute! I developed the concept of SMARTEST goals for an earlier book, where SMARTEST stands for:
But this is not enough for a Powerhouse performer. We need to look at the latest research, and there are three pieces that should transform the way you determine your outcomes.
Experts Do it Differently
In studies of high school basketball players at three levels (expert, non-expert and novice), Timothy Cleary and Barry Zimmerman of the City University of New York found that experts set goals differently from non-experts. Experts set specific goals, like to hit ten out of ten shots, to bend their knees when they throw, or to keep their eye on the rim of the basket.
Non-experts and novices also set goals based on the outcome, their technique and their focus, but the goals they set were far more general, like to make their shots, to try harder and to concentrate more.
Lesson 1: Set very specific goals that you can monitor every step of the way, with real precision.
Short-Term and Long-Term Goals
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