

### What Next?

How to Enjoy Success, Beat Indecision, and Take Action to Set your Future Goals

By Diana Fitts

http://www.dianafitts.com

Copyright © 2016 Diana Fitts

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To Mom and Dad, who taught me that the world is mine for the taking and my life is mine for the making. Thank you for never teaching me the word "impossible."

# Table of Contents

Part 1: The Problem with Goals

Chapter 1: The Good, the Bad, and the Confusing

Chapter 2: The "What Next" Trap

Part 2: Strategies

Chapter 3: Be Productive, Not Busy

Chapter 4: Hold On To Victory

Chapter 5: Make It A Habit

Chapter 6: Never Reach the Finish Line

Chapter 7: Who Says You Can Only Have One?

Chapter 8: Learn a Lesson

Chapter 9: Take a Break

Part 3: The Bigger Picture

Chapter 10: One of Many

Chapter 11: Enjoy It

Thank You

About the Author

#  Part 1  
The Problem with Goals

#  Chapter 1  
The Good, the Bad, and the Confusing

I was about to pop a sweet potato in the microwave for dinner one evening when my phone rang. It was one of my best friends, Margot, calling for one of our regular check-ins. She is one of those people you wish you could clone and have your kids grow up to become someday. Beautiful, funny, intelligent, athletic, and more successful in her career than someone her age should be. She's charismatic, connects with others instantly, and has shown off some pretty sweet dance moves over the years. Needless to say, I'm grateful that she's put up with a friend like me for so long.

So, it came as a surprise when Margot started crying. She had achieved so much, reached her goals, and made a positive impact on the world, yet here she was in tears. She explained that she had reached her full potential at her current job and needed to make a shift in order to keep progressing. The problem was that this need for change had hit her like a freight train. She was unprepared and there was no clear sign indicating the next step. As she mulled over the possibilities of more schooling, switching companies, and working towards a specialization in her field, the conversation started to drift to left field. What if she wanted to be a lawyer, a doctor, or a car salesman? How would she know if she missed her calling as a movie producer, an entrepreneur, or a biologist? It was time to pursue the next goal and, instead of feeling motivated, Margot felt paralyzed.

Margot and I grew up believing that nothing was off limits to us. Barriers were meant to be broken and unreachable aspirations were meant to be conquered. We were lucky to have been thrown into summer camps, art programs, and sports classes at young ages, ensuring that we developed a wide range of interests and talents. We continued to explore the world around us as we grew up, taking advantage of opportunities to travel, volunteer, and learn from others all over the country and the world. We were ready for what life had in store. The one downside of such fortuitous childhoods was that, with so many paths open to us, the path towards happiness and success was never clear. How would we know which path to take?

Margot had fallen into what I like to call the "what next" trap. This is the place where our lack of preparation for our next goals leaves us wading through a sea of possibilities that fail to create a cohesive vision of what our future lives will look like. Although Margot had a successful career, she was caught off guard by her sudden desire to move on and her lack of knowledge in how to do so. And this is no small problem. Margot's life would look completely different if she decided that her next goal would be to pursue a Master's degree as opposed to jumping on a standby plane to New York to audition for a Broadway musical. Now, it's rare that we are wracked with such discrepant decisions, but goals with common threads cause problems as well. Even if you know that higher education is your goal, what field will you pursue? Where? When? For how long? Will your family come with you? Do you really want to deal with all of the snow in New York? The list of questions goes on and on. Eventually, all of the decisions requiring immediate attention become too much and we end up like Margot, successful and enviable, yet crying over the next steps.

It is all too common that we become so wrapped up in our current goals that we fail to proactively prepare for the next steps. We believe we will figure it out when the time comes, but once we complete a goal, we must quickly refocus and charge forth with little time for reflection and adjustment. As a result, instead of attacking our goals with our greatest potential, we make excuses, spend time on meaningless tasks, and become victim to anxiety and the "what next" trap. Like Margot, we know that the world is our oyster, but we can't put one foot in front of the other in order to find the pearl.

This book is for anyone who has ever completed a goal only to be paralyzed with indecision about what to do next. We will learn that failing to prepare ourselves for our next goals while we are pursuing our current ones, not only diminishes the joy of goal pursuit, but can also delay success and progress. We will gain the skills needed to identify the "what next" trap and develop strategies for approaching our goals so as to avoid it. While no easy task, we will pull you out of the anxiety of goal pursuit so that you can gain clarity on your life path and enjoy yourself along the way.

## The Good News

We've always been told that goals matter. Gold stars and smiley faces have littered our papers since Kindergarten. We have goals for everything from coloring within the lines to landing the corner office. They serve as our biggest cheerleaders and our harshest critics, making us feel like champions when we satisfy their desires and failures when we can't meet their demands. There's no denying the glory of crossing that finish line, but there's also nothing like the pain of falling short. The success with which we achieve our goals becomes the material of our most poignant memories.

Strung together, our goals paint a clear picture of who we are, what we value, and what brings us joy. A life in which I set goals relating to traveling, athletics, and family will be different from someone else's life filled with goals relating to fame, money, and power. Our goals give us meaning and, as such, we spend a lot of time worrying about giving meaning to them. If I'm going to spend hours learning Spanish, I'm not going to achieve fluency only to move to Germany the next month and never speak it again. We want to make sure that everything we strive for is worthwhile.

As they are imbedded in our desire for meaningful lives, our goals can serve as motivators even in the worst of times. For example, I had a goal of running a marathon. Although it started off as a benign desire to cross something off of my bucket list, I soon became caught up in the narrative of it. I called myself a runner and saw myself as part of a community of other like-minded individuals. I saw every training run as a test of my strength and each time I took off my running shoes, I felt myself move towards my goal. I fell in love with the pursuit.

Despite the meaning I found in my goal, training soon became hard. My legs hurt, my route was monotonous, and I was tired of setting an early alarm everyday. The love of the sport stopped counteracting the cold of the mornings and I no longer found the rhythmic pounding of my feet meditative. Giving up soon sounded great. Yet, this goal had become apart of me in such a way that it made it hard for me to detach. To give up would have been to let go of my identity as a runner. It would have been to tell the world that I didn't value commitment, hard work, and grit. It would have meant rewriting my life story.

Now, there's nothing wrong with making a u-turn and pursuing new goals that are a better fit for your life than the ones you were previously pursuing. However, this isn't what I was doing when I wanted to give up on running. I was looking for an excuse. Luckily, my goals were so rock-solid and clear-cut that they prevented me from letting myself get away with it. Every time I wanted to turn off my alarm and sleep instead of run, I remembered what this goal meant to me and how I had let it shape my life. Every time I wanted to cut a run short and turn around, I remembered why I had set this goal in the first place. And herein lies the beauty of goals. Goals will get you through that final stretch of pavement, kicking you the entire way while screaming at you to finish what you started. They will be there in those moments when your efforts seem fruitless, reminding you that all of the pain will be worth it. We often praise our goals once we've achieved them, but we fail to recognize how crucial they are in our toughest moments. They keep us motivated, never letting us forget how our dreams can be realized if we continue to put one foot in front of the other.

Not only are goals inherently motivating, but technology today has also provided yet another metaphorical kick in the pants. The boom of social media has made it easier than ever to set a goal and share it with friends and family once you've completed it. From an accountability standpoint, this is crucial. If you're considering abandoning your exercise goal, that Facebook posting from two months before announcing it to the world may make you change your mind. I know I'm not the only one that has wanted to throw my phone across the room when I'm still in bed and I see my friend posting yet another status about how she hasn't missed a single day of pumping iron in the past week. Good or bad, the ease of setting and sharing goals comes paired with a big commitment to finishing them. No longer are we only letting ourselves down when we give up on a goal, but we are also letting down all those that we've shared it with. The bottom line: whether you like it or not, the moment that you post a picture of yourself with those new running shoes, your goals are no longer your own business.

Being held accountable to your goals on a public forum may sound like bad news. Well, it can be and we will discuss that next. However, it can serve as a great motivator for the less ambitious of us. It can also be a whole lot of fun. Goals are meant to be celebrated and sharing them with as many people as possible is a great way to socialize and strengthen relationships. Maybe a distant friend noticed your post about speaking at a conference and happens to be signed up for the same one. What started as a simple post on social media turned into the rekindling of a friendship and the budding of a support system to help you get through those pre-conference public speaking jitters. While goals may be hard, inviting others to slough through them with us can be a reminder that we aren't living in this world alone. The people around us are there to both hold us accountable and to pick us up when we fall.

Sharing goals with others on a public forum can also serve to jumpstart your success. Maybe you join a Facebook group for like-minded entrepreneurs and connect with a number of individuals who can help you navigate the business world. Maybe one of your connections on LinkedIn notices the recent writing accomplishments you've added to your profile and recommends your work to others. Don't underestimate the power of information falling into the right hands. You may have never guessed that your old college roommate knows of a good contractor in your area that can get you started on the creation of your dream kitchen remodel. Luck and happenstances appear in the oddest of places, but you have no chance of stumbling upon them unless you reach out.

## The Bad News

Wait, there's bad news? How can pursuing goals be bad? If what I said in the previous section is true, goal pursuit should be a bastion of success, motivation, and ego stroking. Well, this is precisely the problem. We have become so obsessed with finding the next bigger, better, faster, stronger, new, and improved goal to tackle, that we've all about backed ourselves into a corner of panic and anxiety. Since when has the typical mid-life crisis become a quarter-life, retirement-life, and anytime-life crisis? Setting a goal is no longer a fun project for a Sunday afternoon, but a long-term commitment impacting every aspect of life. While this ambition has brought about self-driving cars and thousands of start-up companies, there's no doubt it's taking a toll.

We have already talked about how the public nature of goals on social media can be great in terms of motivation, accountability, and celebration. The downside is that this can create a great deal of pressure. The moment you write a post about a goal, you are opening yourself up to questions. While it is nice that people care about your ambitions, it can distract you from what really matters, which is achieving your dreams. Having such a public form of accountability may make you push too hard, lose focus on your purpose, and trample over others on your way to the top. Soon, the goal is no longer about pursuing an acting career for the sake of the art, but it's about getting more views on Youtube than the next guy. This can be dangerous for your health and not only set you back in your progress, but halt you completely as your goals become a conglomeration of attempts to one up the competition.

It is also easy to get lost in the pressure created by the goals themselves. By design, goals are meant to push us forward and not backwards. It would be strange to fundraise $1000 for your company and set a goal for the next month to raise only $300. While it is helpful in that goals naturally push us to achieve more and up the ante, it can go too far. If you have raised $1000, are you then forever striving for $2000, $3000, $4000, and so on into infinity? At some point you have to evaluate your limits, what you want out of your life, and how far you can go without imposing anxiety into your routine. Remember that it is easier to write a goal down on a fancy piece of paper while in your pajamas than it is to actually complete it. Granted, you may be the next great fundraising mogul, but if you aren't and you're beating yourself up about it, it's time to take a step back. Keep your reins tight on your goals so that they don't push you past your limits or personal desires.

Goals also have a sneaky way of infiltrating our daily routines, lifestyles, and mindsets. No longer do we have a goal to win a basketball game, but we suddenly want to be the best and start scheduling our days around practices, pre-game nutrition plans, and the latest NBA airings. What began as a hobby has soon become a way of life. In some cases, this might be welcome. We often pursue goals because they are enjoyable and it is nice if they can offer us value beyond crossing something off of a bucket list. On the other hand, if you are struggling to balance all of your commitments, hobbies, and other interests along with your goal, it might be time to reconsider how it fits in your life. If your children are going unbathed or your spouse is giving you the evil eye more often than not because of your new love of basketball, it may be time to take a step back. This is your own journey and be sure that any changes to your lifestyle or identity are of your liking.

As our goals become so engrained in our identities and require large lifestyle shifts, we have a tendency to defend them to the death, even if they aren't right for us. I don't remember the last time that someone entered a PhD program for the hell of it. Many goals, especially those relating to education, have large sunk costs and keep us hooked as a result.

Sunk costs are those that cannot be recovered. If you are working towards your PhD, you have spent quite a lot of money on tuition, sacrificed many nights to studying, and turned a blind eye to your social calendar as you kept your sights on graduation day. These are all things that are useful in pursuing your PhD, but will have been a waste if you throw away this goal. Suddenly, you're regretting turning down that party invitation for a night with your textbooks. Our fear of sunk costs keeps us clinging to our goals like monkeys to a tree in a hurricane. You may subconsciously know that a PhD isn't right for you, but it is easier to finish what you started and obtain your degree than it is to face the pile of loans and hours of studying you will never get back.

The pressure to choose the right goal the first time and limit sunk costs has made goal pursuit an anxiety ridden process. Each step towards a new goal becomes an invitation for soul searching that can quickly lead to sobbing in the fetal position on the floor if ruminated upon for too long. Goals are no longer the fun fodder of a bucket list written on a coffee shop napkin, but instead are markers of success playing out in real time. Each post on social media is not only a commitment, but also an opening for judgment. It's no wonder we hire life coaches and therapists to show us the way and tell us where to turn next. Goals have become more than personal missions to better ourselves and, instead, turned into public statues of our identities. It's like our brains are experiencing that floating sensation that comes after taking off roller skates or stepping off a treadmill. Despite the feelings of accomplishment, goals can leave us feeling disoriented and unstable. Anyone else starting to feel a little anxious?

If this sounds all too familiar, don't worry, you are in good company. This problem is pervasive whether you are a stay at home mom, a CEO, a student, or a newly retired individual trying to redefine your purpose. We all have goals and the mindset with which we approach them can have a dramatic impact on our success and happiness. Throughout the remainder of this book, we will discuss how to make the most out of your success so that you can evade the "what next" trap when pursuing your future steps. Your goals should be fun motivators, not anxiety-ridden monsters. If your goals fall into the second camp, it's time to change that. Let's dive in.

## What Next?

The scene is perfect. You've landed the promotion and are ready to live the life of your dreams. Everything you've worked for has paid off and it's time to bask in the glory of your accomplishments. You finally have wiggle room in your schedule to call that friend you haven't seen in ages and you make plans for dinner at your favorite Mexican restaurant. It's going to be a carefree evening free of worries, deadlines, and impending tasks. You are ready to celebrate, take it easy, and enjoy what you've accomplished.

The waiter is able to seat the two of you at the only free table near the bar. The restaurant may be crowded, but the energy is invigorating and is amplifying your triumphant mood. The margaritas are flowing, your friend is singing your praises, and you are feeling great. The conversation is benign enough, ego boosting in fact, and you feel like all of those sleepless nights pursuing your goal are finally worth it. Then, you hear the dreaded question. The one you've feared since goals were introduced to you in Kindergarten. You suddenly begin to choke on the chips and salsa, as you hear your friend ask,

"So hey, what do you have planned next?"

You panic. Next? You've been so focused on what you've just accomplished that you haven't thought about "next," let alone prepared for it. You feel like a high school student being forced to decide on a career path the day after receiving a diploma. This is unfair. It feels like a blindside and instantly kills the mood. Soon, the busy restaurant feels overwhelming and you wish you could find some excuse to ask for the check and leave. The never-ending pitcher of margaritas is no longer a means for celebration, but a way to drown out your feelings of panic.

What next?

#  Chapter 2  
The "What Next" Trap

The "what next" trap is what we find ourselves falling into when we haven't properly prepared ourselves for our next steps. For the purposes of this book, it is defined as an inability to make decisions about subsequent goals due to a lack of preparation, an inability to enjoy goal pursuit, or anxiety about one's future life path. Essentially, the "what next" trap is akin to finally pushing through a door and finding four more identical doors in front of you. Which do you decide to go through? How do you know which one will lead you to the best path?

This phenomenon can manifest itself in many ways, from steering you away from the people you care about, to convincing you that perfection is a requirement of success, to halting goal progression in it's tracks. It can result in anxiety, as a lack of direction combined with immovability can cause a loss of meaning and purpose. Imagine that I pursued a job promotion with every last ounce of fire and passion in my body. I knew what I wanted and how to achieve it. Now that I have the promotion, I'm at a loss for where to set my sights next.

Believe it or not, goal pursuit isn't always a paved, straight, pothole-free path with direction arrows along the way. Encountering the "what next" trap happens all of the time to all of us. None of us are immune to the gnawing desire to pick perfect goals and set our lives on the right tracks. Spending time in the "what next" trap is natural. But, as we will learn, it is completely preventable.

## Priorities

Achieving a goal requires that some areas of life take center stage, while others take a backseat. Try waking up early for an interview after a long night at the bar with friends. Although blocking all of your calls and ignoring your friends may be extreme, pursuing a promotion may require you to put your personal life in the back seat and turn down a few invitations for drinks out. On the other hand, if you have a goal of building a family, you may need to put your career on autopilot for a while. Now, you may be the superstar that can see equal growth in every area of your life at the same time. But, even if you are related to Superman, you only have so many hours in the day and you will need to make decisions about how you allocate them. In short, you will be forced to prioritize.

While working towards a goal, your priorities begin to naturally align to reflect it. If you're working towards paying off debt, you likely have frugality as your number one priority, with friends, vacations, and fancy dinners falling into place after. The issue is that the instant you pay that final bill, your thrifty habits fall to the bottom of the list. You've achieved the biggest goal that justified it being your top priority in the first place and, as such, no longer need it to inhabit that precious number one slot. This does not mean that you have no more goals relating to your finances, but that your biggest goal in that category has been satisfied and your brain doesn't know what to focus on next.

Your priorities while paying off debt:

1) Saving Money

2) Events with Friends

3) Family Vacations

4) Dinners Out

Your priorities after paying off debt:

1) Saving Money

2) Events with Friends

3) Family Vacations

4) Dinners Out

What takes that number 1 spot?

1) Finances? Friends? Family? Dinners?

2) Finances? Friends? Family? Dinners?

3) Finances? Friends? Family? Dinners?

4) Finances? Friends? Family? Dinners?

Maybe this sudden shift in priorities is a welcome change. Who wouldn't want to exchange financial spreadsheets for a long overdue family vacation? While there are definite benefits to achieving a goal and rearranging your priorities as a result, it can be jarring. After weeks, months, or years of working towards a goal, the question of "what next" requires more work than deciding which romance novel to request from the library. Your answer to the question of "what next" is going to determine how your priorities fall into place for the next chapter of your life. Do you want finances to stay at the top of your priority list, or is it about time that your family takes center stage?

Not only does accomplishing a goal allow for an opportunity to rearrange your priorities, it also alerts you to the priorities you've been ignoring for the sake of the goal you just achieved. If you've been dismissing social gatherings for the sake of penny pitching for a number of months, your friends may have an issue with you keeping your finances at the top of your priority list. While your priorities are up to your own discretion, the way you arrange them has cascading impacts on those around you.

We expect to know what we want for ourselves down the road, but the direct connection between our goals and our priorities makes goal setting a much more complicated process than simply writing our dreams down on a pretty post-it note. Putting friends at the top of your priority list will have consequences for your finances and putting finances at the top of your priority list will have consequences for your friends. Achieving a goal opens the playing field again and forces you to make decisions that will have lasting impacts on how your life pans out.

It's no wonder that we feel trapped when we achieve a goal and are asked about what's ahead. Whatever our future goals may be, whether they are large or small, they require soul searching as to what we care about most and how we want to focus our time. This is not something that can be reevaluated the instant we achieve a goal and want to move on to the next one. Revising a priority takes time and it's natural to have a period of goal paralysis in the process. What at first seemed like a benign question from a friend over chips and salsa, turns into a life-changing moment in which you lay your cards on the table regarding what the various areas of your life mean to you. I would suggest ordering another pitcher of margaritas.

## Stepping It Up

We live in a world in which bigger, better, and faster are valued. If you run a half marathon, everyone asks when the full one will be. There is nothing wrong with the constant pursuit of more, but it has the consequence of requiring that each goal you set for yourself trump the last. In some ways, this is natural and is the only thing that makes sense. If you become a manager in your company, it would be strange to set your sights on the intern position. The good thing about goals is that they push us to the next step, always looking forward to the next accomplishment we can cross off the list. The bad thing about goals is that they can get out of hand and push us more than we want to be pushed.

Falling into the "what next" trap is a natural side effect of reaching for a goal that seems daunting and unattainable. If I exhausted all of my physical and mental resources reaching my goal of increasing sales by 20%, I would be reluctant to increase that number to 30%. Yes, the goal makes sense when evaluating a successful trajectory, but if the idea of doing this evokes a sense of paralysis, it may be too much too soon. This is our biological protection system working at it's best. It's logical to not want to fall head first into a lion's den and pursue goals we aren't ready for. There are times in which our dreams and society's expectations move at a faster pace than our skill sets and abilities will allow. Stepping it up is good, but stairs are hard to climb and we need to remember to pace ourselves.

In addition to taking steps that are too large to handle, we can also fall into paralysis by taking too many steps at a time. If I'm drained from planning my best friend's surprise wedding shower, I likely won't want to volunteer the next day to coordinate the wedding. Exhaustion can have a debilitating impact on goal progression and occasionally bring it to a halt. While you may love every aspect of event planning, after working 24/7, you will reach a point when you can't even look at a flower arrangement without scowling. We like to start projects strong and fast, but soon lose steam when the going gets tough and the goal is no longer shiny and new. The pressure to always be bigger, better, and faster keeps us from taking much needed breaks and pacing ourselves so that we don't get burned out. Once you give yourself the rest you deserve, it's possible that you will see the logical next step and be eager to take it.

If rest and relaxation don't fix the problem, a larger issue may need to be addressed. Reaching for ever bigger and better goals requires ever bigger and better levels of commitment. If you are feeling a sense of paralysis even after a rest period, it may be time to call it quits and focus your attention elsewhere. For example, I will be running the Boston Marathon this year, but I have no plans beyond that. When asked what's next for me, I'm prepared to say that there's nothing left for me in the running realm. A marathon is where my running goals peak and that's okay. Paralysis could be an indication that those goals have served their purpose and are ready to be retired. In that case, be proud and move on to something else.

## Dreams Are Perfect

The "what next" trap can catch us by surprise because we falsely expect reality to match the visions of our dreams. Let's use buying a house as an example. During your months of saving, you push past your impulses to spend by picturing yourself turning the key in your new door. You see yourself cooking for your family in the kitchen, you imagine the parties that will take place in the backyard, and you start collecting DIY gardening articles. It looks perfect. What you don't see is the stress of mortgage payments, the work of maintaining a house and yard, and the costs of unexpected repairs. Maybe you are as proud as you had imagined you would be, but the reality is nothing like you had envisioned for all of those years or months.

It wouldn't serve us well to daydream about pain and discomfort, as these feelings are not very motivating. I am more likely to put money in the bank tomorrow if I dream of a white picket fence as opposed to uncontrollable brown weeds. On the other hand, if I spend months envisioning paradise, I will be unpleasantly surprised by all of the discomforts that reality has in store for me. When this happens, post-achievement paralysis can manifest itself as shock. It's hard to identify the next goal when the previous one culminated in a less than desirable result. Remember that this is not often a marker of failure, but of a lack of perspective. My dreams are perfect, but my reality is not.

In order to avoid the "what next" trap, we must be aware of the differences between our desired outcomes and the outcomes we dream of having. Sometimes they are one and the same, but if they are not, it can be a hard blow. This is not to say that we must all become pessimists, but it does mean that we must be prepared to take both the good and the bad as we march towards the finish lines of our goals.

## Tunnel Vision

It is easy for goals to consume a great deal of time and attention. This puts an undeniable pressure on the other tasks in our daily lives, sometimes pushing them aside altogether. We see this all of the time in movies. Take, for example, _The Devil Wears Prada_. Andy is a new graduate who stumbles upon a job working as an assistant for a powerful fashion magazine executive. As Andy's dreams of impressing her boss and moving up the ranks increase, she soon neglects her personal life to the point of destroying her relationship with her partner. Andy puts her work first, taking phone calls late at night, abandoning her friends for special business events, and arranging her schedule to accommodate every need of her boss. Andy has tunnel vision.

There is a critical distinction between those with ambition and those with tunnel vision. Andy, with tunnel vision, is someone who does anything and everything to achieve her goals. She may not realize that she is sacrificing the other areas of her life along the way and can only see one path to success. Andy, with ambition, is someone who pushes herself to excel at her job. She spends her free time networking, finishing outside projects, and responding to emails. However, ambitious Andy understands that she has goals in her personal life as well. She sets aside time to spend with her friends, works late on Tuesday to accommodate for a family member's birthday on Wednesday, and turns off her phone during dinner with her partner. Unlike Andy with tunnel vision, ambitious Andy doesn't believe that her career is the be all end all goal in her life. While it may be number one, there are other goals that are important as well.

One of tunnel vision's sneakiest tricks is that it convinces us that the sacrifices we are making in the other areas of our lives will be worth it once we achieve our goals. Andy was deceived by visions of herself as a famous fashion journalist, attending fancy parties and living a life she had always dreamed about. The problem was, it didn't feel as good as she imagined it would. The façade began to fall away and she learned that the glitz and glamour came with a price that was higher than she was willing to pay.

Although Andy may have achieved her goal, she left the rest of her life in shambles. With a failing relationship, lost communication with friends, and little sense of what vacation meant, where should Andy have begun? Had Andy paid proper attention to the other areas of her life while also pursuing her career, she would have easily been able to switch her focus to family, friends, or leisure instead of starting at rock bottom. Like Andy, if you've experienced tunnel vision, don't be surprised if you experience paralysis when deciding upon your next goal. It's likely that you've done some damage to the other areas of your life and the decision regarding what to repair first is going to be challenging.

#  Part 2  
Strategies

#  Chapter 3  
Be Productive, Not Busy

If busy and productive are two sides of the same coin, I hope that on most days we would want it to land productive side up. Yet, when asked how we are, the most common response is, "busy." We are busy doing this and busy doing that and at the end of the day, we wonder what we've accomplished.

If this is how you're feeling, I challenge you to try a little experiment. If you are the to-do list making type, complete them and save them for about a week's time. At the end of the week, lay them out and, at the top of each list, write the goal that you made progress on that day. For example, if I have a list that consists of buying ingredients for pumpkin pie, going to the florist, and constructing garlands for centerpieces, I may write "Host Thanksgiving Dinner" at the top of my list. If that is my list and I'm agonizing over what my goal is, I have a problem.

The purpose of this exercise is to bring awareness to moments in which we allow our tasks to keep us busy as opposed to productive. If my goals don't come immediately to mind while looking at my to-do list, this is an indication that I'm unclear on what I should be doing next. While it may feel good to cross items off your list, it is all for nothing if it doesn't move you forward in some tangible way. A great deal of time in the "what now" trap is spent spinning wheels and running in circles. Sometimes our brains are fantastic at convincing us that we are making progress, when all we are really good at doing is making excuses. Look out for moments when your brain is looking for an easy way out and keeping you busy as a result. As we will discuss next, awareness will go a long way in redirecting your brain towards tasks that appeal to your greater purpose.

## Be Aware of Excuses

We are great at making excuses so as to put off making decisions about what to do next. We say things like, "Oh, the housing market will be better next year" or "I can't plan that trip because it's the rainy season." The timing isn't right, the logic doesn't make sense, and the planets aren't aligned. Heck, the grocery store is out of my favorite tea and I can't be expected to focus on anything without it. But, you know what? You need to stop. Stop that voice in your head that always has a good reason to watch another episode of your favorite show instead of fighting for your dreams. That voice isn't doing you any favors and it's about time you sign the divorce papers.

While you may be thinking this is easier said than done, I would ague that you have had little awareness that it's been happening in the first place. Our internal dialogues keep us company 24/7 and, as a result, we become accustomed to them. If we took the time to stop and scrutinize every thought we had to put one foot in front of the other, we would all go crazy. But the problem is that the thoughts we have that require careful consideration can get lost in the mundane thoughts of everyday life. "Put one foot in front of the other, check. Change the oil in the car, check. Put off my goals until tomorrow, check." Suddenly, delaying our dreams is as normal and benign as car maintenance.

Awareness is key, as excuses can manifest in both thought and action. Let's say that I have a goal of writing a novel. I spend hours at the library reading works by my favorite authors, attend online classes discussing the proper mechanics of a sentence, and take long walks on the beach waiting for the muse to hit. I spend time rearranging my office, crafting the perfect music playlist, and saving up for a new computer that will birth my creation. In my head, I'm making concrete steps toward authorship. How many words of my novel have I written? None. I've spent a lot of time being busy and very little time being productive. Our excuses love to tell us that appeasing to the fluff of our goals constitutes progress. This is natural, as the fluff is the fun part. I would much rather spend time picking the perfect inspirational artwork to put on my walls than slam my head on my desk every morning as I crank out sentence after sentence. Our excuses are trying to protect us from the hard work of achieving our goals and being faced with the next steps. They keep us busy, unaware that our busyness isn't translating into productivity.

Your brain knows how to trick you. It knows that an excuse can pass easily through the gates of your consciousness and creates a lot of them as a result. Once you are aware of the little voice in your head that works at the excuse-making factory, shutting it down becomes easy. Instead of having thoughts run down the assembly line of your brain and ship off without proper inspection, take a second to evaluate what your own mind is producing. This does not mean that you need to agonize between alfredo and marinara in the grocery store aisle. What it does mean is that you can stop weaving safety nets of excuses for your unrealized goals.

If you have a dream that hasn't moved forward in a while, ask yourself why and whether it's because you don't have plans for what you will do following it's completion. Prime yourself to be aware of moments you make excuses and be ready to fight them right then and there. Noticing excuses will do you no good if you don't actively work to counteract them. If you have had a dream of writing a novel, but your brain tells you that tomorrow will be better because you won't be as tired, grab a cup of coffee and show your excuses who's boss.

Excuses are often the best friends of the emotions keeping you in the "what next" trap. For example, if I tell myself that I will start writing a novel next year because by next year I will have done enough reading and research to understand plot and character development, it's likely that I'm feeling insecure and unsure of how to proceed. No amount of reading and research will make me feel prepared and, unless I deal with my insecurity issues, that novel will be left unwritten for many years to come. Awareness goes a long way in behavior change. If I accept the excuse that one more year of research will prepare me to write a novel, as opposed to recognizing the feelings underneath them, I will never move forward. However, once I'm aware of my insecurity, I suddenly have insight into my stumbling blocks and have a means of crawling out of the "what next" trap.

Once you are cognizant of your excuses, you will become cognizant of why you are thinking that way in the first place. Are you stuck in the "what next" trap because you're tired? Scared? Self-conscious? After you've become proficient in identifying excuses in your daily life, work on following them back to their root emotions. And, don't make the excuse that your excuse has no deeper meaning because that's an excuse. Whether big or small, every thought that passes through your head is connected to the bigger picture of your life. Don't take this for granted. Cutting your excuses may be the key to escaping the "what next" trap and doing things in your life that are meaningful as opposed to time fillers.

## One Little Step

Being busy as opposed to being productive can be an indicator that a goal is too large and needs to be broken down into digestible pieces before clarity on next steps can be discerned. If I have spent the past year rearranging my office, reading every book at the library, and obsessively preparing myself to write a book without ever having actually written a word, it's possible that the idea of writing a novel is overwhelming me to the point of paralysis.

Jumping from novice writer to best selling author is a big leap. It's likely bigger than I'm ready to handle and it's no wonder I have no idea how to move forward with it. This is not to say that I need to abandon my dream of bestselling fame. The problem is that this dream alone fails to produce a tangible road map for me to follow. It's similar to all of the talk we hear about world peace. It's easy to vocalize but much harder to achieve. Viewing goals simply in terms of large generalities without tangible action steps is a perfect way to fall into the "what next" trap and spin your wheels unproductively convinced you are working your way out of it. What, buying inspirational posters doesn't actually get me closer to my goal of writing a novel?

When faced with decisions to move forward with a goal, ask yourself what that looks like today. I don't care about your visions of yourself driving fancy cars and meeting celebrities years from now. I care about what you are going to do right here and now after you finish reading this sentence. Commit to taking one small step everyday towards your goals. Be mindful that this is a productive step, not a busy, meaningless step. If your goal is to write a novel, maybe that means committing to writing 500 words a day. Decide what that step is and take it.

Don't get sidetracked by tasks that are indirectly related to your goals. Remember that buying inspirational posters does absolutely nothing to produce writing on the page, no matter how much I tell myself it does. Be critical of the decisions you are making in this process, as falling into busyness as opposed to productivity is far too common. The easiest way to do this is to choose tasks that are obviously related. If I want to be a writer, my one small step is writing. If I want to be a singer, my one small step is singing in the church choir. If I want to save for a big vacation, I put a dollar a day in my savings account. Break down your goals into smaller and smaller steps until you feel that they are achievable on a daily basis. By doing so, you won't become paralyzed by dreams that seem too big and insurmountable. When viewed in tiny chunks, nothing is impossible and everything begins with one little step.

## Goal Focused To-do Lists

To-do lists are great tools for structuring our days and ensuring that we complete our tasks. They help us remember that we better get to the store this afternoon if we hope to use shampoo in the shower in the morning or have enough bagels to feed the family for breakfast. They are also great motivators. I can't deny that I love the surge of accomplishment I feel every time I cross something off my list. Soon, I've created a well-oiled machine of success. I cross something off, feel great, add something to the list, cross it off, feel great, on and on and on.

If we aren't carful though, to-do lists can easily transform us from productive people into busy people. I can think of more than one occasion in which my list was long, I felt great as I finished tasks, but then was left speechless when someone asked me what I did that day. Was buying shampoo really that big of an accomplishment? While everything on my list may have been necessary, it didn't connect to the larger picture of my life.

An effective to-do list is comprised of tasks that connect back to goals. For example, if I need to go to the store to buy ingredients for dinner, this is related to my goal of supporting my family by acknowledging the physical and emotional benefits of a home cooked meal. Instead of having a trip to the store be yet another task to keep me busy, it is now a small piece of the larger puzzle I am putting together of my family life.

We often fall into a pattern of completing tasks and seeing them as isolated events. While a trip to the grocery store may relate to my larger goals, if I don't recognize that, I will simply see it as yet another thing I need to do. Be intentional with your to-do lists by ensuring that everything written on them relate to one of your goals. Sometimes it is as simple as a mindset shift. Taking a second to contemplate how your goals relate to the bigger picture of your life will help you feel productive as opposed to busy and to understand why your next steps make sense.

#  Chapter 4  
Hold On To Victory

Goals tend to be as mischievous as your favorite chocolate cake. It smells fantastic for hours after it bakes in the oven, yet is gone with the last clink of the fork five minutes after cutting a slice. Hours of anticipation result in only a short period of reward. Think about how long you craved that new car only to have the new car smell wear off after a couple of months. Whether it is saving enough money to buy a new car or working day and night to finally receive that promotion, success only feels sweet for as long as you can milk it. So, might as well milk it until it's dry.

Falling into the "what next" trap can often result from fatigue and a loss of patience. If I have a goal to retire with 1 million dollars in the bank, you can bet that I will be waiting a long time before I will be celebrating the achievement of that goal. After years of putting pennies in the bank, I will eventually become tired of pursuing a goal with such a distant reward and may give up altogether. On the other hand, what if I keep the 1 million in the back of my mind, but set a goal to put 2 thousand in my savings account this year? What if that number increases by a manageable amount every year, giving me a new and achievable challenge that progressively brings me towards my goal? Although the goals are the same in both scenarios, I'm more likely to end up with 1 million dollars in my account with the second one, as I am constantly fueling my motivation and reward center.

As we discussed in the previous chapter, we can be paralyzed by goals that seem too big. As we focus on breaking these goals into small steps, we also need to focus on celebrating them. If your goal is 1 million dollars, it may seem silly to celebrate 2 thousand. However, goals are only useful if we achieve them and the only motivation that we have as humans to achieve our goals is the promise of reward. I know that 2 thousand may not be 1 million, but it's more than zero, so go ahead and celebrate.

## Recognize Daily Accomplishments

It's likely a result of our ambitious society that we place more emphasis on the large goals and accomplishments in our lives than the small. Yes, graduating from school, signing the papers on a new house, and finishing a long bike race are big accomplishments. While there's no doubt that these moments are exciting and deserve to be recognized, this is not to say that the smaller accomplishments that got you there should be swept under the rug. We do countless things on a daily basis that are worthy of celebrating.

To illustrate this point, think about the last time you, or someone you know, suffered an injury or underwent surgery. While walking may have been a mundane task prior to the incident, it likely took on a new meaning once it became difficult to do. Each step became a milestone and making it down the hallway was rewarded with applause. If you've ever had your world turned upside down in a way such as this, you know the impact it can have on your perspective. Little accomplishments become as important as larger ones and emphasis is placed on progress as opposed to reaching a designated finish line. One step leads to many steps, which leads to walking out of the hospital, which leads to getting back to your normal way of life. It is no clearer than in moments like these that appreciating the little accomplishments is the key to making progress towards larger goals.

This is not to say that we should disregard our larger accomplishments, nor should we throw a party every time we put one foot in front of the other. The former leaves us unfocused on the bigger picture and the latter eventually impedes productivity. The takeaway is that large accomplishments are a tapestry woven of many small victories. By appreciating this on a daily basis, you will regularly reward yourself with a taste of that larger accomplishment. Decide what those small milestones are and take the time to celebrate them in the way they deserve to be celebrated. This will not only prolong your enjoyment, but also keep you motivated as you work towards your goals.

## Keep an Accomplishments Journal

Yes, there's now a use for all of those journals you have stacked up in your closet from many years of birthdays and holidays. Choose the one that's been collecting the most dust, brush it off, and designate it as your "Accomplishments Journal." While you may already have a journal that you use on a regular basis, it's important that this be separate and limited solely to your accomplishments. In fact, it may be most beneficial to use a yearly planner. With a space already designated for each day, it may be easier to keep track of your accomplishments over time.

The goal of the "Accomplishments Journal" is to provide yourself with tangible evidence of your progress. This could be as simple as marking how much money is in your savings account everyday or noting that you chose to cook dinner for yourself as opposed to eating at an expensive restaurant. Instead of focusing solely on the glory of achieving your bigger goals, by keeping a daily record of your progress, you will maintain perspective of all the small accomplishments that are worth celebrating. Review your journal on a weekly basis to appreciate what you have accomplished over the week and how you have made progress towards your goals.

Another benefit of an "Accomplishments Journal" is that it can serve as proof that small steps can lead to big change and thereby can help catapult you into your next goal. Let's say that I have a goal of performing in the community theater production, but I'm wrought with stage fright and can't even imagine myself speaking in front of 5 people, let alone a whole theater. I convince myself that the goal is unachievable and I'd be better to focus my attention elsewhere. However, maybe I recently received a promotion at work. It was a large goal of mine and I used my "Accomplishments Journal" to track my progress towards success. I look back over my journal and see that on October 10th I ran a meeting with two other departments comprised of 40 people in total. I keep turning the pages and see that on November 5th I had an interview with six top executives and gave a presentation in which I relayed my vision coherently and effectively.

Although seemingly unrelated to theater, by examining my progress to my job promotion, I have proved to myself that I am capable of overcoming stage fright and effectively engaging with large audiences under high pressure. With this new evidence, theater now seems much more feasible. Don't be tempted to compartmentalize your life into work, play, family, and friends. Your skills can be used cross departmentally and achievements in one area can bolster the progress of another. Use your "Accomplishments Journal" to find these links and stay alert to the skills you already possess that may propel you towards your future goals.

## Sacrifice Isn't in Your Dictionary

While it's true that driving away in that new car feels better than turning down the expensive salmon dish at the restaurant so that you can put an extra ten dollars in your car savings fund, they are both accomplishments worth celebrating. It would be easy to feel sorry for yourself as you tell the waiter that you would rather have the chicken than the salmon. I'm sure that the salmon would be delicious and no one wants to feel deprived for the sake of a far off goal. However, remember that deprivation in one area is abundance in another. While you may be depriving your taste buds of your favorite fish dish, you are satisfying your hunger of saving for a new car. This is something to feel proud of.

There are two options in this salmon scenario. You could sit in the restaurant and pout about your meal and complain that saving money is the pits, or you could enjoy the chicken and feel proud that you accomplished a small victory in your progress towards saving for a car. When the bill comes and your contribution is half of what it would have been had you ordered the salmon, you can feel proud that your long-term goals won the battle against your short-term impulses. The salmon was probably dry anyway.

Too quickly, we can lose motivation to set goals for fear of what we will lose in the process. It is easy for this to become disheartening if too much attention is placed on what is being lost as opposed to what is being gained when these sacrifices are made. When faced with the decision to sacrifice in the present moment for the sake of a long-term goal, force yourself to appreciate the benefits of acting in concordance with your goals. If you're hoping to buy a new car, every dollar saved today is one less dollar you'll have to save tomorrow and the sooner you will get those keys in your hands. If you look at it this way, sacrifice is a word that you can remove from your vocabulary. While it may not be fun to forego today's impulses for the sake of tomorrow's gains, you are gaining more than you are losing in the long run.

Keep this in mind as you work towards your goals. By eliminating sacrifice from your vocabulary, you can view your small daily triumphs as the accomplishments they really are. Be proud that you turned down that fancy dinner and put the money to work on your dreams. By changing your mindset from one of sacrifice to one of accomplishment, you will recognize your daily stepping stones as worthy of recognition as opposed to resentment. Not only will you be happier as you move towards your goals, you will reward yourself with the feeling of accomplishment everyday, which will do more to motivate you than the bitterness of sacrifice.

## Ditch the Guilt

Have you ever accomplished a goal and not been as overjoyed as you believed you would be? You finally won that award, reached that milestone, or jumped that last hurdle, yet the fanfare isn't what you wanted or expected. You start feeling guilty, as anyone else would be ecstatic with an accomplishment such as yours. Suddenly, you don't want to move on, as you feel that you didn't appreciate the achievement of your last goal to the fullest.

You wouldn't beat yourself up for getting tired of a song that you were obsessed with two weeks ago, would you? Our preferences change, we adjust our priorities, and we move on with our lives. Although of differing degrees of importance, the feelings behind wanting to move on from your favorite song to the next hit are the same as the ones driving your desire to move on from celebrating your recent achievements to the next goal. If there's no reason to feel guilty about one than there's no reason to feel guilty about the other.

Feeling guilty from moving on from a goal is often a result of worrying about appearing ungrateful or selfish. Sure, there is something to be said for appreciating our accomplishments when others are not so fortunate. I am grateful everyday that I can walk down the street, let alone run a marathon. However, I do not feel guilty that I have achieved my goal of running a long distance and that I've moved on to other things. This does not mean that I stop being grateful, but that I don't let it hold me back from bigger and better goals.

A good way to avoid feelings of guilt is to appreciate the larger picture of your life, while letting the excitement of each individual accomplishment fade. I want to be grateful for my body's abilities to allow me to live a healthy and productive life, but I wouldn't get very far in my marathon training if every four-mile run were worthy of a celebration. The excitement of running four miles that first time has faded, become a normal part of my life, and has becomes a part of my progress towards a marathon. Now I celebrate eight miles, fifteen miles, and twenty miles. As I progress, so too do my feelings of accomplishment. When I appreciate my life, I appreciate all of those accomplishments as a whole and how they together have created a life I am proud of. I do not feel guilty that individual achievements have become commonplace, as I am grateful overall for what my achievements have afforded me.

If you've accomplished a big goal, let the excitement of it fade without feeling guilty about it. This is natural and the only way you will make progress towards your next goal. Remind yourself that this is not an indication of ungratefulness, but rather your brain's way of refocusing on what is coming next. Practice appreciating your life as a whole and viewing accomplishments as pieces of the puzzle of your cohesive life. This will not only help you develop a grateful mindset, but also keep you focused on the bigger meaning of your accomplishments as they relate to the bigger picture.

#  Chapter 5  
Make It A Habit

It's all too easy to detach goals from regular life. Reaching a weight loss goal is a task sequestered to the gym and is only seen in that context. We fail to see that everything from walking the dog to doing yard work is physical fitness and will benefit our goals. Although they all consist of raising heart rates, we have a tendency to compartmentalize our tasks and are blinded to the connections between them. My mind tells me that working out is one thing, while completing household chores is another.

Turning activities into habits is one of the best ways to stave off the "what next" trap and enjoy the fruits of your labor while achieving a goal. While we all want to throw out our sneakers after reaching our desired numbers on the scale, pulling them back out after a much-needed break is really the only logical thing to do. Did you really spend months improving your fitness so that you could have one day of achievement and then let your body wither away? You are at your peak of fitness and, now that you don't have the pressure of a goal looming, you can actually enjoy it. If your goal was to improve your health, continue to incorporate exercise into your daily life. If your goal was to finish a painting project, continue to take that art class you love and bask in your new abilities. Habits turn your goals into more than a one-time cause for celebration. They are essential in ensuring that you continue your journey and enjoy how far you've come on a daily basis.

## Change Your Vocabulary

One of the challenges we face when attempting to turn our goals into habits is the vocabulary we use while pursuing our goals. We say, "I'm trying to lose thirty pounds," as opposed to, "I'm passionate about fitness and health." While both may be true, one represents a finishing point and the other represents a lifestyle. Consider these other examples:

• I will run 15 miles vs. I'm a runner

• I need to get that raise vs. I'm improving my value to the company

• I'm going to put $5,000 in the bank vs. I'm striving for financial freedom

• I want to walk 10,000 steps a day vs. I'm active

The first statements are great when we are working towards goals. They are specific and give us an easy way to mark our accomplishments. When the goal has been achieved however, we need to switch to the second statements in order to facilitate habit formation. We tend to speak of goals as existing outside of us. 15 miles, $5,000, and 10,000 steps exist outside of us and we are able to hunt them like a hungry lion eyeing a zebra. These are concrete and undeniable numbers that we can pursue without confusion or argument.

On the other hand, habits are an important part of who we are and reflect our lifestyles, interests, and values on a large scale. Calling oneself a painter is much different than being a person that can put colors on a canvas. A habit speaks to a deep-seated identity choice, while a goal is a task to be crossed off a to-do list. Failing to recognize this puts you in a position to reach for goals that lack cohesion and don't make sense in the grand scheme of your life. For example, if you achieved a goal of starting a non-profit and then moved on to set a goal of becoming a Wall Street banker to then becoming a fashion designer, you would more likely than not experience paralysis when deciding upon the next step to take. While twists and turns in finding one's passion are expected, at some point, the disjointed nature of the goals will leave you with an identity crisis. You have lots of goals, but few habits.

Habits are the big picture, while goals are the snapshots. Similar to how goals are a tapestry woven of small accomplishments, habits are a tapestry woven of goals. By changing the way you speak about your goals, you will find it easier to make them a consistent part of your routine. Just because you have reached your goal doesn't mean you need to cease the activities that got you there. If you stop perceiving your goals as an end stop, you will be better able to craft a long-lasting identity for yourself instead of placing your worth in pages of disjointed bucket lists. If you have completed a big project, don't simply chalk it up to another busy day. Call yourself an artist and be proud of it. Change your vocabulary to better reflect who you are and see your goals become habits that will last beyond your one-time achievements.

## Know Your Limits

Turning goals into habits doesn't always mean that you pursue every activity in your life with the same intensity. If you have just completed a triathlon, turning this into a habit doesn't mean that you need to run, bike, and swim for three hours every morning. As we discussed earlier, achieving a goal often has us looking for the bigger and better goal around the corner. This is great and, by all means, start training for an Ironman. But just because you can ride a bike for two hours every day doesn't mean you should.

Working towards a goal requires a great deal of physical and mental effort. While a few months of stress may be tolerated, it is unlikely to be sustainable in the long-term without provoking injuries and health complications. Everyone has different abilities and it is important to be aware of your unique limits. What is important to remember is that this limit may be different when you are pushing for the finish line of a goal than when you are engaging in your normal daily routine.

For example, let's say that you have successfully completed a triathlon and wish to turn your training into a daily habit extending beyond the day of the race. You give yourself a week to rest and then hop back on your bike for a ride you would have done during training. You continue day after day with riding, biking, and running, completing each workout as though you had another race around the corner. Soon your body begins to push back. While it tolerated a short time of intense work prior to the race, it can't handle training at such a high intensity for the long term. You feel sleep deprived, mentally fatigued, and begin to develop chronic injuries. It soon becomes clear that what is required of you a few months before a big race is not the same as what long-term activity would mandate.

From the example above, it is clear that developing a habit requires a different mindset than achieving a one-time big goal. The objective is to find your sweet spot. This sweet spot is the place in which you can enjoy the activity and continue to see progress, while not harming your mind or body due to overuse. This requires experimentation and self-awareness. If working on your product launch fourteen hours a day leaves you feeling exhausted, like a stranger to your family, and a zombie that never sees sunlight, decrease your hours until your daily limit feels good. Whatever your goal may be, cutback time until it fits more naturally into your schedule. Unlike pursuing a large goal, habit formation requires a keener sense of the bigger picture and how all of the demands of your life fit together. If you are trying to maintain intensity in your activities but you feel tension in your daily schedule, tweak it until it is more harmonious.

Realize that turning goals into habits is often a chance to welcome balance into your life. No longer do you have to nurse injuries, turn down trips to the ice cream shop, or wake-up at the crack of dawn to respond to emails. You will have a win-win situation in which you can continue the activity you enjoy as well as welcome back those activities you have been denying. By finding the sweet spot where your love for the activity gels with how much time you want to commit to it a day, you will be able to allow it to become one aspect of your life without it overpowering the entirety of your life.

## Love Every Minute of It

Logic assumes that we pick goals in part because we love the activities attached to them. I have never had a goal to learn German because I don't plan on living in Germany and I don't have a connection to the culture. On the other hand, I have enjoyed living in Spanish-speaking countries in the past and am now motivated to pursue goals related to that. My love for Spanish is greater than my love for German.

Unless you are pursuing your goals to serve someone else's needs, your goals reflect your own interests and desires. You like to cook; you set a goal of hosting Thanksgiving dinner. While it sounds intuitive that your goals are linked to your passions, it is something that is easy to forget. Think about a medical student in her last year of residency to specialize in surgery. After four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school, and five years of residency, she is far away from the high school version of herself that dreamt of becoming a doctor. While her education has validated her love for medicine, she may need a final passion push to get her through her final year. Maybe she takes a trip to assist doctors abroad or maybe she becomes involved in a local non-profit that focuses on disease prevention in low-income communities. After years of textbooks, she has fallen away from her love of helping people that drew her to the profession in the first place and needs to reconnect with it.

Reconnecting with the spark that ignited your goals in the first place can be crucial in pulling you out of a slump. Think about every romantic comedy you have ever seen. If there is one thing we know about humans, it's that if we love something, we will fight like hell to get it. This doesn't mean the path to these goals is always fun though. Just because I enjoy learning Spanish, it doesn't mean that I won't complain when the vocabulary gets difficult. There's no doubt our medical student will have some long nights of studying she would rather trade for nights in the Bahamas. Achieving goals are hard, regardless of whether we are passionate about them or not. Being in tune with your love for your goals will make all of the hard work worth it and when the time comes to push forward to a bigger and better goal, you will find yourself invigorated instead of paralyzed.

## Stay Prepared

One of my favorites things about running on a consistent basis is that I am ready at a moment's notice to enter a race I am interested in. As running is a habit I have had for a number of years, I have been able to maintain a level of fitness that allows for this spontaneity. When completing a goal, ask yourself what level of that activity you would like to maintain so as to get the most joy out of it and be ready to engage with it at a moment's notice. If you enjoy public speaking and know that your job often requires spur of the moment press conferences, it would make sense to keep your stage presence at a level that would make it easy for you to jump in front of a crowd at any minute. There is no point in fostering a habit that doesn't suit your needs. Decide what abilities matter to you and ensure that the degree to which you challenge yourself reflects that.

Staying prepared also has the benefit of providing you with a strong foundation to build off of when you decide to pursue your next goal. If you decide to pursue a goal to double your sales, it will be easier if you have a network of potential buyers to contact and are not starting at zero. When turning goals into habits, you are building and maintaining a foundation that will become useful down the line. It's similar to performing regular oil changes and tire pressure checks on your car. While you may not be decking yourself out with a new stereo, you are ensuring you have a degree of functionality in place in case you need to drive cross-country in a moment's notice. Be aware that habits are fundamental in your progress. Being able to maintain your abilities is not to be shoved aside and can be crucial in your overall health and happiness, as well as in knowing how to pursue your next goals.

#  Chapter 6  
Never Reach the Finish Line

While it is great that we enjoy celebrating our accomplishments, it has the unfortunate consequence of making us see the completion of a goal as an end stop. This is natural, as it's much easier to reward a finished goal than one that's in progress. I don't remember the last time I went to a party for someone's almost-graduation. We like to take a snapshot of our success, glue the photo into an album, and see that chapter of life as closed. But goals should be bookmarks in our lives, not bookends marking the final page of the book.

## The In-Between

So let's say that you have a goal of losing sixty pounds. Every day you step on the scale and hope that the number you envision matches the blinking red lights looking back at you. The number gets closer and closer, but it seems like it will be an eternity until your dreams will be reality. Someday this will happen. With enough hard work and discipline, one morning you will look down at the scale and see the number you've dreamed of. But only once.

Instead, imagine that you broke down your sixty-pound weight loss goal into six ten-pound weight loss goals. Now instead of waiting for that one moment of euphoria when the scale rewards your efforts, you get six of them. You are still working towards your larger sixty-pound goal, but this time, you are celebrating each milestone that gets you there. Doesn't it sound a lot more enjoyable to celebrate six times instead of one? Just because the journey to weight loss is not always pleasant, it doesn't mean that we can't give ourselves a pat on the back along the way.

When we aren't focused solely on the finish line, we allow ourselves time to appreciate all of the accomplishments that happen between the start line and our ultimate goal. Think about the cliché that reminds us all to stop focusing on the destination and enjoy the journey. In some cases, this is easy. If you are a journalist with dreams of writing for The New York Times, you most likely have that goal because you enjoy writing. Although some mornings may be filled with writer's block, you usually find joy in the daily grind and are naturally motivated to pursue your dreams. On the other hand, goals that are born solely from desired outcomes and not passion for a specific activity can be trickier. If you dream of being a journalist, but hate every moment that you put pen to paper, it can be hard to enjoy the journey to get there. Your sights are streamlined to the vision of your name in print. If this is the case, learning to appreciate the in-between not only fuels your motivation for the long haul, but also increases your overall happiness.

The euphoria of achieving a goal only lasts a short time, while the journey constitutes a majority of your daily experiences. We only have a certain amount of time on this planet, so why not enjoy as much of it as possible? By appreciating the little moments between the start and finish, you will be better able to enjoy the pursuit, making motivation to complete your goals come naturally. You will also avoid the "what next" trap, as achieving many little goals, as opposed to few large goals, will accustom you to frequently refocusing on the next step. Whether your goal is something you enjoy working towards or something that you wish would hurry up and get you to your desired outcome, taking time to appreciate the in-between is important for your overall success and happiness and your abilities to move forward with your dreams. Every small step towards your goals is worth acknowledging and it is important to take the time to do so.

## Chaining

Chaining is a technique that can be used to help people master a new skill. Let's say that a child is learning how to tie his shoes. First he learns to cross the laces and his parent completes the rest. Next, he crosses the laces and loops them under each other to make a knot. Next, he crosses the laces, loops them under to make a knot, and uses one lace to make a bunny ear. The process continues with the boy adding one step to the process each time until he has successfully learned to tie his shoes.

Even if you can tie your shoes like a pro by now, the same principle can be applied to your goals if you are struggling to work yourself out of the "what next" trap. We have a tendency to view goals as single pieces of fabric, as opposed to tapestries made up of many different threads. We have goals to become CEOs, buy houses, have kids, and retire with a million dollars in the bank. We aim for the gold standard, instead of appreciating all of the smaller accomplishments between. This is overwhelming to say the least.

Imagine the boy learning to tie his shoes for the first time. Although he knows the overarching goal is to tie his shoes, he is told that his first goal is to cross the laces. That's doable and the boy achieves the goal with little effort. Now he is told that his next goal is to loop the laces under each other to make a knot. Using the success of his last goal as fuel, he accomplishes this next goal with ease. Before long, new steps are added and the boy is tying his shoes. It may be obvious that breaking down the goal into digestible steps is easier for the boy to tackle than the whole thing at once. Impossibility aside, expecting such a feat as tying shoelaces perfectly the first time from a small boy may even seem cruel. Yet, we do it to ourselves all of the time.

It is all too common to view life from 0 to 100 and disregard the need for success at the level of all of the numbers between. Becoming an executive in your company requires learning how to use the financial spreadsheets, managing employees, running business meetings, and much more. Each step is an accomplishment in itself leading you to your ultimate goal. Similar to how the boy needs to know how to cross his laces before he can learn to tie a knot, you need to know how to use your company's spreadsheet software before you can be successful at managing the financial procedures.

If you are overwhelmed by your goals and have lost motivation as a result, ask yourself if you are the little boy being asked to tie his shoes before knowing how to tie a knot. Begin to look at your larger goals as a conglomeration of your smaller successes and don't take any of these successes for granted. Even the greatest of CEOs once had to learn the most basic of skills. Use the principle of chaining to help each small success propel you forward. Remind yourself that progress is often a slow jog as opposed to a large leap.

## Keep Going

We all want to accomplish a goal and put it in a nice box sealed with pretty pink ribbon to be stored on the shelf with our other achievements. While this may seem nice in the moment, it leaves us reeling when trying to figure out our next steps. As we discussed in Chapter 5, goals often reflect important parts of our identities. I not only want to receive tenure, but I want to see myself as an educator. I not only want to reach the top of the mountain, but I want to see myself as a hiker. Our goals are more than static instances that are easily put on the shelf when we are done with them. They represent who we are, what we value, and how we like to spend our time. As such, we need to be intentional about what our post-goal lives will look like. Our goals are important to us for a reason and it's likely that we want to continue the activities associated with them as opposed to never engaging with them again.

When accomplishing a large goal, we need to be aware of what our future plans for the associated activity will be. If I have a goal to quit smoking, it doesn't mean that once I hit a certain amount of days smoke-free I will give myself a high five and buy a pack of cigarettes the next day. I have already decided what my life as a non-smoker will look like and am prepared to adopt a new lifestyle that no longer involves smoking. I know that I won't wake-up every morning wondering who I am and whether I should smoke a cigarette before breakfast. I've decided upon a course of action ahead of time and will be able to deflect a lot of confusion as a result.

Before pursuing a goal, have a game plan for what your life will look like following the completion of it. Ask yourself how you would like to see the associated activity or new lifestyle incorporated into your post-goal life and at what intensity. Maybe you conquer a mountain and move on to the next biggest one, or maybe you decide to scale it down a notch. Whatever your plan of attack, make sure that you decide upon it prior to completing your goal. By doing so, you will stave off a great deal of the anxiety that comes with the "what next" trap and already know how to move forward.

#  Chapter 7  
Who Says You Can Only Have One?

When it comes to things that are important to us, we are used to choosing. Do I want the black car or the red one? Do I want to be an artist or a doctor? Do I want ham and cheese or peanut butter and jelly? More often than not, choosing one option makes the other option out of reach. Unless finances and space are no issue, if you choose the red car, you'll have to wait ten years for it to clunk out before going back and buying the black one.

Goals are not this way. If I make a goal today to learn how to sew a quilt, I could make another goal tomorrow to become a millionaire. While it may not be easy, there is no law of the land saying that we must focus all of our attention in one area. Steady focus is great for completing our taxes, but not always so great for goal pursuit. When you look closely at cases of post-achievement paralysis, you will likely find that the person in question was focused primarily on one goal. Remember Andy who let her relationships slip away as she concentrated on her career? She, and others like her, put all of their eggs in one basket. Whether that basket was delivered safely to its destination or fell on the pavement halfway through the journey, the person is still left with no eggs at the end of the day.

Let's put eggs aside for a moment and imagine that you are working to win employee of the year. You answer emails at all hours of the day, are the first person to the office in the morning, and meet every deadline without fail. After what feels like an eternity of laser point focus, you achieve your goal and are rewarded with the honor of being employee of the year. You skip into the office and do a victory spin in your office chair. You feel victorious, but soon the feeling starts to fade. Now what? There are no goals waiting in the wings. Every ounce of your energy was focused on that "Employee of the Year" certificate and you didn't think about what you wanted your professional life to look like after you reached it.

Having multiple goals is not only about avoiding the "what next" trap, it is also about making the most out of the opportunities life presents you. If you focus solely on your company's yearly accolade, you may disregard your co-worker's invitation to collaborate on a project. You may never even realize that there were opportunities with other companies waiting around the corner or that getting to the office an hour later would have allowed you to join that walking group you've been wanting to be a part of. Having multiple goals opens your mind to all of the arenas in which goals can be set. Allowing yourself to have multiple goals at once keeps you from seeing new activities as off limits and instead presents them as new challenges waiting to be conquered.

## Stagger Your Goals

We all love the feeling that comes with achieving a goal. This is why we spend so much money on graduations, weddings, retirement parties, and the births of babies. In a country like the United States that celebrates everything from Thanksgiving to National Doughnut Day, we are firm believers in "work hard, play hard." And why not? Goals can be challenging to achieve and you may as well milk them for all they are worth. By staggering your goals, you prolong the enjoyment of them. Think about the people you know whose birthdays fall on Christmas Day. They are always complaining that they are getting ripped off in the present department and that their birth is wimpy in comparison to Christ's. While you may not be able to control your birth, you can control the timing on a majority of your other goals. When possible, spread out the achievement of your goals so as to enjoy them more.

In addition to increasing your enjoyment, staggering your goals helps fuel motivation. There is no better cure for post-achievement paralysis than having another goal around the corner. If you have learned how to sail a boat, but you haven't saved enough money to buy one of your own, you can celebrate the acquisition of a new skill while knowing that you still have direction and purpose. Instead of falling into questions of "what next," you can look ahead to the celebration of the next goal on your list. While it sounds strange, try not to achieve multiple goals all on the same day. It may be euphoric in the moment, but it leaves you victim to the "what next" trap and a loss of motivation. Don't be the kid pouting because their birthday is on Christmas Day. Spread out your goals and savor the achievement of each one.

## Don't Become A Hoarder

Although we have discussed the benefits of having multiple goals at a time, be sure that it doesn't get out of hand. More than once I have found myself trying to run a marathon, gain muscle on my arms, practice yoga on a regular basis, and change my eating habits all at the same time. While my ambition was in the right place, my sense of practicality wasn't.

The first thing to note is that having more goals than you can handle compromises your capacity to complete any single one of them to the best of your abilities. I don't know about you, but if I'm going to run a marathon, I want to cross that finish line knowing that I left everything on the pavement and not feeling as though I was sore from too many planks and downward dogs the day before. Don't limit your success by trying to do too much at once. While your brain may be unstoppable and have the willpower of a ninja, there is only so much time in a day and your body can only do so much. Before committing to multiple goals, ask yourself if your plan is realistic for your body, mind, and schedule. There's no point in achieving something if you run yourself ragged in the process. Be thoughtful about the goals you choose and ensure that you will be able to give each the attention it deserves.

The second thing to note is that some goals like each other more than others and putting together a nasty pair will not benefit your progress. For example, it was silly of me to commit to gaining muscle while training for a marathon. If you aren't a runner and don't know what I'm talking about, think back to your childhood cartoon days. Instead of being a sleek bird, imagine that the Road Runner has large biceps while trying to escape from Wile E. Coyote. It doesn't work and the Road Runner ends up as lunchmeat. While it may have been possible in an ideal world, achieving these two goals at the same time wasn't realistic for me given my body composition and the time I had in my schedule to devote to training and nutrition. If you are noticing tension between your goals, it may be time to reevaluate what you are trying to accomplish and if you are asking too much of yourself.

There is nothing wrong with putting a goal on the back burner, as long as you commit to revisiting it. Society tells us that we need to always push for more and that settling for less is a sign of failure. What society doesn't tell us is that taking a step back and settling for less can award us the physical and mental energy to strive for mastery in one arena as opposed to spreading ourselves thin in multiple. I bet that Picasso didn't hold two paintbrushes and try to craft two masterpieces at the same time. Similarly, you also can't expect great achievement if your attention is scattered.

If you are feeling that your goals are not in harmony, relieve yourself of the guilt that comes with putting one aside. Remember that you are not abandoning it. It's similar to leaving your dog at home when you go off to work in the morning. You may feel a tug on your heart when you see his pouting face, but you tell him that you will be back soon and will give him all of the love and attention he could ever want when you get home. And you will be back. Your goals will be there waiting for you when you are ready and, this time, you will be ready for them.

## Choose Complimentary Goals

Having multiple goals can make you feel like a mother duck that doesn't realize that the runt of the group has scurried away to the farthest rose bush. With so many things to keep track of, your attention is scattered. As we saw with my conflicting goals of gaining muscle and training for a marathon, having too many goals can leave you feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, paralyzing your abilities to take any meaningful steps towards any of them. This is what happens when having multiple goals causes tension. However, there is a happy version of this story. Committing to goals that compliment each other, as opposed to conflict, can have the opposite effect. Instead of losing all of your hair and sanity, complimentary goals hit two birds with one stone with progress in one propelling progress in the other.

Let's say that I want to save money and put down a payment on a new house. The first thing to recognize is that neither of these is easy. Finding complimentary goals does not mean that the hard work goes away; it simply means that goal pursuit becomes less complicated and more natural. Regularly contributing to a savings account is a widely used and effective financial strategy for accumulating wealth. As such, I can easily focus on both of them at the same time and know that while I move towards achievement in one, I'm naturally also moving towards achievement in the other. This will save me the anguish of keeping track of unrelated goals and trying to fit time for both into my schedule.

In order to maximize your progress, choose sets of complimentary goals that relate to tasks you need to complete anyway. If I am a busy mom and have a goal to practice yoga everyday while also learning how to rock climb, I am going to struggle to give both the same amount of attention amidst the chaos of homework, afterschool activities, and bedtime routines. While I may be able to scrape together time to devote to one goal, I have a feeling that the other will go off the deep end eventually. Instead, let's think about weight loss and nutrition. Regardless of your goals, we all have to eat. We also all know that our food choices are integral components to dropping pounds. So the next time the kids are screaming that they are hungry, ask yourself how you can make a decision that will fulfill your responsibilities as a parent, as well as benefit your goals. You were going to have to make dinner anyway and the choice to make chicken instead of onion rings helps provide the appropriate fuel to push down the number on the scale, while not taking any extra time out of your day.

Not only will choosing complimentary goals relieve the stress of keeping track of multiple goals at once, it will also make it more likely that you will see both through to completion. In addition, slipping up on one will delay progress in the other, serving as a source of accountability. If you decide to forego the healthy dinners for fast food and frozen pizzas, you will no doubt see the impacts in your weight loss and workouts. By abandoning the nutrition goal, you inadvertently abandon the weight loss goal as well. Complementary goals are like salt and pepper shakers that don't like to be separated. Keep them together and realize that your complementary goals will be easier to achieve if you view them as a team.

#  Chapter 8  
Learn a Lesson

Falling into the "what next" trap can sometimes be a result of a lack of information. If you are making banana bread for the first time, you will need a recipe outlining each step in succession. Unless you have great culinary skills, baking without a recipe will leave you scratching your head after peeling the bananas. The chance of winding up with a spitting image of the banana bread you saw in the magazine is slim.

This is not to say that picture perfect banana bread is always the objective. There's no doubt that life is about being adventurous and throwing away the recipe when excitement and spontaneity win the day. With your goals, as with your banana bread, you may be more than happy to forge your own path. If you can do so without falling into the "what next" trap, I encourage you to go forth and enjoy the journey.

The problem is that many of us decide to forge our own paths with very detailed destinations in mind. In essence, we throw everything and the kitchen sink into the oven and expect it to turn into photo shoot worthy banana bread. While it is great to dream, it is hard to reach a specific outcome if the steps to get there are incongruous and unfocused. Instead of throwing all caution to the wind, take a look around for a plan that may have worked in the past. Pick up that banana bread recipe. You may add a few chocolate chips or throw in a pinch of cinnamon to make it your own, but at least you have a base that has proved effective in the past. Yes, your goals are unique and your own, but that doesn't mean that you can't learn a few tips from the world around you about how to best reach them.

## Be a Role Model

We learn about role models long before we understand their purpose and value. In Kindergarten we are told to be role models for the First Graders and show them how to stand quietly in a straight line for recess. When a sibling is born we are told to stop jumping off the couch because the new baby is watching and might do the same. At such a young age, role modeling has to do with good versus bad. Parents, teachers, and neighbors are concerned about following the rules and that the younger kids learn appropriate behaviors from those older than them.

The idea of a role model develops as we grow up. Instead of behaving in a certain way out of fear of punishment, we realize that our behaviors impact those around us. We won't stay out until 3 am the night before an exam because we care that our younger siblings don't do the same once they reach high school. When we get older, we notice that our actions influence our coworkers, children, friends, and spouses. Our worlds expand and we can no longer want to throw fits on the grocery store floor for fear of setting a bad example.

While discussion of the nuances of being a role model is a topic for another book, simply seeing yourself as a role model has great implications for your ability to steer clear of the "what next" trap. Think about a celebrity walking down the red carpet at an awards show. Cameras pan their bodies from head to toe, with announcers noting the placement of every last diamond and jewel around their necks. Every step and smile is calculated. Every comment and laugh is watched by millions in their living rooms. Now, I am not saying that you are being as harshly analyzed as a red carpet celebrity when you are leaving for work in the morning. However, imagine if you were. I bet you would think more carefully about sleeping in if you knew it would end up in the tabloids the next day.

Even if you are not a celebrity, those around you will notice the intentionality with which you set and pursue your goals. Every moment that you ask yourself whether you are going to give up or persevere is an opportunity to either be a let down or an inspiration. Believe me, the latter feels much better. When pondering your future goals, ask yourself what others see. Do they see someone who fearlessly strives for their next greatest dream, or do they see someone who carelessly sets meaningless goals without intention of achieving them? The answer to that question will not only impact the way others see you, it will also keep you motivated when your internal drive is lacking and you are questioning the next step.

## Find a Role Model

If all of that talk about being watched every step of the way was more intimidating than it was motivational, don't worry, because everyone else is also in that same fishbowl. Yes, you are a role model to those around you, but they are also role models to you as well. Look around you and pinpoint individuals who are living lives you admire. Maybe she is a board member at that organization you've been eyeing across town or maybe he was recently published in your favorite magazine. Let these individuals serve as your teachers, opening your eyes to what is possible and how you might go about accomplishing it.

Finding a role model can clear up many of the unknowns that come with goal setting. While it may sound like a good idea to sign up for that open ocean swim, you might be more thoughtful after talking with someone who has experienced the salt and cold firsthand. Remember that there is a disconnect between your vision of completing a goal and actually completing it in reality. It is easy to write your name down on the registration form for the swim, while it is another matter entirely to jump in the water.

A role model will help you bridge the gap between your fantasies and reality. Interview them about their experiences. Find out what was challenging, what surprised them, and what they wish they could have done differently. Ask about how the pursuit of their goal impacted their daily routines, their relationships, and their overall happiness. Delve into the dark side of strained marriages, sleepless nights, and potential hazards. Explore their motivations, dreams, and future pursuits. See yourself as a traveler hoping to gather as much information as possible prior to setting sail to new lands.

Granted, regardless of how thorough you are with your research, your goal pursuit will be unique. There's no doubt that you will find triumphs and stumbling blocks that were previously undiscovered and no amount of prior investigation will prepare you for them. That being said, the value of learning from others cannot be underestimated. Put your feet in their shoes and ask yourself whether you can imagine your life unfolding similarly. Don't only consider the details of the goal, but also the bigger picture. As we've discussed, goals have the power to color the entirety of your day-to-day life. Look at your role models with an eye for whether you can imagine your life comprising of similar routines, priorities, and expectations. Did this person often turn down dinner and a movie because of an early morning commitment the next day? Would you want the same? Review every detail, regardless of how small or unrelated it may seem. You will be surprised by how much you will learn that you didn't realize you needed to know. A good role model will alert you to things you hadn't considered and help you understand what you are getting yourself into.

Not only are role models important as you prepare to embark on a specific journey towards a goal, they are also critical when deciding what to do next. Much of the "what next" trap has to do with fear of staring into the black abyss of the unknown. This fear is real and justified, as choosing an appropriate next step goal is where many mistakes can be made. It may be common sense that after graduating high school one doesn't jump into a doctoral program. However, sometimes the next step isn't so clear. Do you go to a trade school, a two-year program, a four-year university, or find a job? A role model can be helpful when deciding what to do next. What did they do and how did it go? Use their experiences as a road map guiding your own path. Even if you forge ahead in a different direction, at least you will be better informed of the options open to you.

## Mark Your Own Path

While prior research can help you bake the perfect banana bread the first time, we are going to throw our prior discussion out the window and say that at times it can be more fun to disregard the recipe and see where your decisions lead. Sometimes the problem with choosing a future goal is a dislike for the logical next steps. For example, if you've mastered the ski slope you've been working on, the logical next step might be conquering the one further up the mountain. But maybe that doesn't inspire you and you would rather switch from skiing to snowboarding or to focus on tricks as opposed to slope intensity.

Believing that you are destined to follow a certain path can leave you unmotivated to pursue your next goal. Who ever wrote a law stating that once you put on a pair of skis that all your goals now have to be about skiing? Who said that once you ran five miles you had to run ten? There is nothing stopping you from making a left turn and driving down an unmarked street. If after accomplishing a goal, you are feeling unmotivated to take the next step, ask yourself if it is because the conventional next steps are uninteresting to you. You may have learned everything under the sun about skiing from your role models, but it's time to leave that behind and be your own teacher.

When deciding to forge your own path, it is important that you are staying within your wheelhouse of skills. If I have never given a presentation before and can't even raise my hand at the PTA meeting, I shouldn't plan on delivering the Keynote Address at the professional conference next month. In situations like this, forging your own path can be dangerous. It is one thing to be spontaneous and it is another to put the progress of your goals at risk by making careless decisions. Make sure that your skills match your task and be aware of the challenges you will face. Regardless of how recklessly you seek adventure, even a five second Internet search can give you a clue about whether you are in the ballpark. Given what you find, you may need to reevaluate your plan if the goal you had your eyes on is too ambitious.

When there is no set path to follow, it can be easy to lose perspective on what the next step should be. Without realizing it, you may overreach and commit yourself to a goal you aren't ready for. As a novice hiker, I may have never heard of Half Dome and put it on my calendar as my next hiking destination without realizing the skill level required to complete such a task. When I do realize, I may become discouraged and give up on my hiking prospects altogether, as who wants to erase Half Dome and replace it with Bunny Hill Trail? Setting impossibly high expectations for yourself is one of the quickest ways to lose motivation to complete your goals. Be sure that what you choose to focus on is challenging, but also within your reach.

When driving without a GPS, there are usually more than a few wrong turns. What was supposed to be a twenty-minute trip turns out to be thirty and we know that we need to make a few U-turns along the way. This is what we expect when we drive without directions. Yet, with our goals, we somehow come to expect that driving blind into the dark will lead us to our dream lives without detour. We set a goal and become married to the vision of completing it. We set out the clothes we'll wear when we finally lose the extra weight or save a picture of the car we'll reward ourselves with when we get that promotion. While this may serve as great motivation, it needs to come with the caveat that it might change.

Have you ever heard an interview with a famous entrepreneur and been surprised to hear that they started in acting, worked at summer camps, sold real estate, dropped out of law school, worked for a failing tech start-up, and then finally stumbled upon the business that made them a success? While this may seem like a disorganized and disjointed path, it is actually a good lesson on motivation and goal repositioning. What do you think would have happened if this individual went to his first acting gig, became discouraged, and stopped searching for the next step? Forging your own path requires an ability to step back, refocus, and motivate yourself to pursue a new or adapted goal. If you can't, I can assure you that you will become more familiar with the "what next" trap then you would like to be. If you plan on taking a life path that no one has ever taken before, be prepared to hit a few stumbling blocks along the way. Don't let these derail you from your purpose. Instead, use them as an opportunity to jumpstart your motivation and inform your future aspirations.

Allowing your previous missteps to inform your future next steps is crucial in this process. Forging your own path doesn't give you the license to run away with a speeding train and make reckless decisions. Even if working at a summer camp seems unrelated to selling real estate, something about the entrepreneur's previous experience gave him evidence as to why switching goals was a good decision. Maybe he discovered that he had unrealized sales skills or maybe he saw an opportunity in the housing market that he couldn't pass up. Whatever it may have been, don't underestimate the reasons that validate taking the next step. Don't be afraid to refocus, but don't do so carelessly. Putting thought behind your curvy and bumpy path will help you stay motivated as you set your sights on future goals and prevent the slump that can occur from not knowing which way to turn.

#  Chapter 9  
Take a Break

Before we all take the title of this chapter to heart, get too excited, and throw our dreams aside, let's be very clear on what a break is and why we occasionally need one. This will most easily be accomplished by determining what a break is not. A break is not a product of laziness, indecisiveness, or a fear that the next step will be too challenging. A break is not an excuse to storm out of the office, send nasty emails to your boss, or tell your family and friends that you won't be paying the bills for the next few months. In short, a break is not something that does damage to your life.

A break is an opportunity to plug your goals into an outlet and let them recharge. A break is a product of hard work, intentionality, and a desire to return to the pursuit of your passions at full capacity. When used with the right intentions, breaks do not come with a price tag of guilt, but instead, are understood as a vital component of your ability to move forward with energy. In short, a break is something that benefits your abilities to achieve your goals.

Here's an example to illuminate the difference. Let's say that Kevin started a business two years ago selling organic granola bars. He has spent the past two years pitching his product to grocery stores, making negotiations with industrial kitchens, and working with designers to get the packaging just right. He is at the point where he is finally making steady sales, but has yet to see the boom of success that would make his product a household name. Kevin is exhausted. He has pushed his limits for two years and has sacrificed his health, relationships, and financial stability in the process. The road ahead of him looks ominous and he wonders if he should make a u-turn. Something needs to change and it sounds like a break is long overdue.

There are two ways that Kevin can go about this. One option is for Kevin to drop everything and get a last minute, one-way, standby ticket to Europe. He can leave all of the emails in his queue unanswered, have his phone calls go to voicemail, and tell the grocery stores that they're going to have to wait. It's time for a break. The other option is for Kevin to plan a trip to Europe two months in advance. He can notify all of the grocery stores he supplies so that they can order extra inventory prior to his absence. He can ensure that all crucial decisions about the packaging have been made, that his contacts are aware of the upcoming break, and that his voicemail and email have a message telling people to contact his business partner until Kevin returns.

Both scenarios result in Kevin taking a much-needed break. However, scenario two leaves Kevin with a thriving business when he gets back. He has put the systems in place to allow success to continue in his absence. Scenario one is likely to put the two years of hard work Kevin put into his business to waste. By failing to prepare for his absence, Kevin leaves his goals vulnerable to neglect. Who will be there to care if his business tanks? When Kevin returns, he will be faced with grocery stores whose lack of inventory has forced them to turn to a new and improved granola bar product. Without a proper voicemail message, potential leads will believe they have reached the wrong number and spend their money elsewhere. All of the progress Kevin has made in the past two years will crumble.

Don't be like Kevin in scenario one and have all of your hard work fall apart due to an impulsive need for a break. Yes, take time away, but don't do irrevocable damage while you're at it. Without proper preparation, you may find yourself on a permanent break from your career. And that's not a break you'll be able to afford to spend in Europe.

## Burnout

While goals can provide meaning and motivation to life, they can also be exhausting. Sometimes the "what next" trap isn't born of confusion, but of a strong wish for everyone to leave us alone and let us watch television all weekend for a change. No matter how much we love our jobs, our schools, our families, or our bank accounts, we need time away from the endless push for bigger and better.

Despite the normalcy of 12-hour workdays and early weekend conference calls, we need time for breaks. Not only do they help us keep a reign on our sanity, they reignite our motivation and make goals easier to achieve as a result. This is why it's much easier to tackle house cleaning one room at a time throughout the course of a week as opposed to all at once. In addition to taking breaks between the completion of goals and starting new ones, it's crucial to take frequent breaks while goals are in progress. Think back to a long meeting or presentation you recently sat through. There's no doubt that taking a break to stand up or move around helped you refocus and pay attention for the remainder of the time.

Schedule breaks into your day. Put down this book and flood your calendar with little chunks of "Me Time." It may sound silly, but these breaks won't actually happen unless you physically add them to your schedule. I learned the value of "Me Time" in my current job. My boss has access to my Goggle Calendar to allow for ease in scheduling meetings and work assignments. Anytime that is already accounted for on my calendar is time that can't be taken. If I hadn't physically scheduled it, the time slot in which I had planned for that yoga class would have looked wide open and waiting for a work meeting. Of course, these breaks are taken with discretion and the knowledge that they may have to be adjusted if necessary, but knowing they are peppered throughout my schedule gives me the motivation to move forward with my tasks throughout the week.

While I am lucky to have a boss that encourages me to schedule "Me Time," the same principle applies regardless of your situation. Maybe it's a ten-minute stretch break between your morning assignments or maybe it's a pledge to leave your phone at home when you walk the dog. Decide what you need in your day to feel reenergized and commit to following through with it. Not only will you thank yourself, but those around you will appreciate your refreshed attitude as well. My boss knows that I produce better work when I'm taking care of myself and would prefer that I take some moments to recharge as opposed to winding up drained and frazzled every afternoon.

Take that trip to Hawaii you've been dreaming of or spend the afternoon exploring the city. Trust me that your goals will be waiting for you when you get back. While a couple of weeks off may seem like wasted time, the energy and focus that results from this much needed break will pay you back ten-fold. You will return to your goals motivated and inspired, as opposed to fatigued and ready to quit. It's similar to finding that old CD you used to listen to years ago. Songs that became stale and boring from overplaying are now new and exciting after some time away from them. Give your goals some space. While starting that certification program may not seem appealing the day after you get your degree, two weeks away from it might change your mind. Allow yourself to take the time you need. You've worked hard to achieve a goal, the least you can do is reward yourself with a much-needed break.

If two weeks in Hawaii aren't enough, there's nothing wrong with putting a goal on a shelf for later in order to reconnect with your passion for it. After an extended period of time working towards one goal, it's easy to lose sight of why you are pursuing the goal in the first place. For example, if you have spent years trying to open your own business, you may be drained from the cold calls, hustling, and meetings with executives that are often fruitless. You lose sight of your passion for helping those around you, discovering new strategies, and making a difference in your community. Your business is no longer what you intended it to be and, when you aren't doing what you love, who can blame you for lacking the motivation to take the next step? A long hiatus may be exactly what you need to rediscover the meaning behind your goals. Take the time to focus on something else and let your previous goal marinate for a while. When you return, you will likely have a new perspective on how to move forward and better understand your intentions in doing so.

It's crucial that you don't put your goals on a shelf as an excuse to avoid the hard work that comes with any and every goal you will face in life. There is a big difference between burnout and laziness and it's important you don't trick yourself into believing one is the other. Our friend Kevin who is starting his own granola bar business needs a break because he has hit a brick wall at forty miles an hour. He has tried every option in the book and now needs some time to find a new book. A lazy person, on the other hand, may have given up during chapter one. Don't let yourself take a break when you secretly know that laziness is to blame. Be honest with yourself as you consider next steps and whether burnout is inhibiting your progress. If it is, a break is likely the healthiest thing you can do for both yourself and your goals. When you return, you will rediscover a motivation and passion you wouldn't have tapped into had you worked relentlessly. Take care of yourself. Life has no set path, so you might as well take a few detours along the way.

## Balance

Think about all of the sleepless nights you spent working to finish that project or the amount of family dinners you had to skip because of a looming deadline. At some point, the annoyance of catering to the every need and whim of a goal does not seem worth the reward of completing it. Yet, you push through, believing that you'll have time for your family, friends, and personal hygiene once you've tasted success. You reach the finish line, take a sigh of relief, and find yourself staring the next obstacle straight in the face. This goal is even bigger and more time consuming than the one before. You want to throw all of your energy into it, but all you can think about is the number of Saturday soccer games you're going to have to miss in order to complete it.

While it may be clear in the example above that something isn't right, this happens all too frequently without us even noticing it. We live in a world in which we believe we should have it all. We all want to be perfect parents, perfect spouses, and perfect friends, all while moving up the ladder and becoming CEOs of powerful companies. Now, this is not to say that this isn't possible. There are people out there that change the world every day and still have time to watch reality TV on the couch at night. For the majority of us though, this is hard. The endless pursuit of goals can take a toll on our lives and make us lose perspective on why we want our goals to begin with.

Balance is that word we love to hate. We all want it, but we criticize those who have it for not working hard enough. Since when did sleep deprivation and answering emails at midnight become a badge of honor and success? There's nothing noble about self-imposed suffering for the sake of your goals. Believe me, that promotion, new car, triathlon, or certification can wait. Your hopes and dreams will still be waiting for you when you get back from that family reunion you've missed for the past five years.

In regards to balance, falling into the "what now" trap can occur for two reasons:

1) a failure to take breaks between your goals

2) a failure to diversify your goals to satisfy your wide range of interests, passions, and values.

Firstly, we all know that distance makes the heart grow fonder. This is why kids love the last day of school before summer, but are itching for the classroom come August. Nothing is appealing if we spend too much uninterrupted time focused on it. Even apple pie loses its flavor after the first slice. Our goals are the same way. Without space from them, they lose their flavor. When we compulsively jump from one goal to the next, we deny ourselves the chance to cleanse our palates for the next bite. Start to see time away from your goals as a required component of your path to success. Once you begin to realize the power of breaks to reinvigorate your desires to pursue your goals, you will understand that only by stepping back can you eventually move forward. Take that day, week, month, or year away from your goal. When you get back, you will find that taking that next step is much easier than it would have been had you not taken a break.

Secondly, balance doesn't always imply the need for vacations or putting away the computer for a week. Sometimes balance is something that, instead of pulling us away from our goals, needs to be infused into our goals themselves. We all naturally compartmentalize our lives into a number of different categories depending on our interests. For example, my categories are work, academics, family, friends, athletics, and writing. My goals are spread across each of these categories and my goal of traveling to Kenya is very different from my goal of finishing this book. As such, I can chose to spend my time in a number of different ways while still pursuing my goals. They're balanced. If instead, all of my goals fell into the one category of work, I would spend so much time focused on work that I would no doubt lose interest and motivation to work towards that promotion.

Falling into the "what next" trap is a common side effect of stacking all of your goals into one category. Without a diversity of ways to spend your time, you'll become fatigued, lose interest, and not want to take the next step. A goal of earning a promotion leading to a goal of earning another promotion can become hackneyed. On the other hand, if your goal to earn a promotion is balanced with a goal to volunteer your time with that charity you've had your eye on, you will be energized, as your attention in one area will be recharged while it is focused on the other.

Finding balance within your life and your goals isn't easy, but it can be the bridge leading you from giving up on your goals altogether to finding the energy you need to continue pursuing them. Don't assume that it's easy and that a spontaneous trip to Vegas will solve all of your problems. Balance is something that needs to become a regular part of your life in the same way that getting dressed every morning is a part of your daily routine. Only then will burnout seem like a foreign concept, as your lifestyle is designed to evade it. Find balance wherever it may be hiding and don't feel guilty for indulging in it. It is the only thing that will energize you when your goals seem like a broken record.

## Retune Your Purpose

You start goals with certain intentions, but they turn out differently than you expect. Maybe you decided to train for a half marathon so that you could improve your health and have extra years to spend with your family. Your intentions are good, but you soon find that you're missing breakfast with your kids on the weekends to complete your long runs. What started out as a goal that would benefit your family, is now a goal that is keeping you from them. Suddenly, running and family don't mesh as well as you first believed they would.

We like to write down goals in thick black marker and post them on the refrigerator for everyone to see. They become as permanent and immovable as the days of the week on a calendar. We look at our goals, written three weeks, six months, or two years before and tell ourselves that they are still what we want. And maybe that's true. I had a goal of convincing my parents to get a dog when I was six, and I still had that goal at fourteen. More often than not though, we hold firmly to our goals because it's easy to. Reading words that are carved into stone is easier than erasing them and starting from scratch. When we believe our goals to be our unquestioned fates, we dodge the hard work of actually discerning what it is we want from our lives.

Let me explain by dissecting the running example. You've been training for a half marathon for three months and are finally starting to see some progress. Your weekly mileage is increasing, you feel strong, and you can clearly envision race day. You feel great. Conversely, you've missed three of your daughter's gymnastics classes and had to pass on a piece of your son's birthday cake because of a training run the next day. Your spouse is annoyed by the early alarms and the fact that you never have time for lazy mornings. Your relationship is littered with more tense moments than it used to be, your kids are irritable, and even the dog is feeling neglected due to the lack of his usual morning walks.

It's clear that what started out as a goal to benefit your family is doing the exact opposite. So, what do you do? You could ditch the race, throw all of your training time and progress away and commit to spending every second with your family. You could also ignore the signs of your family's duress and continue training as you have been. I mean, your son will have a birthday next year, right? Clearly, neither of these are a great option. They are both an easy way out and won't make either you or your family happy. The best solution is a lot more complicated, but will hopefully leave you with a win-win situation.

When we talk about goals, we either talk about completing them or abandoning them altogether. We forget that there's this murky middle between failure and success. We forget this murky middle because it isn't a fun place to be. It asks us to reconsider our values, be vulnerable to the needs of those around us, and possibly shift our attentions to new directions. It's much easier to write down goals and chain ourselves to them like prisoners in high security lockdown. The reality though is that life happens, and we often need to retune our focus along the way. Instead of thick black marker that we either have to honor or throw away, our goals are written with a pencil with a large and well-used eraser. They are meant to change as we change and to deny that is to wed ourselves to lives we don't intend to live. It's no wonder you've fallen into the "what next" trap if the goals you are pursuing are not leading to the life you've dreamed of.

You love running and you love your family, but your goals are misaligned with your intentions. In order to resolve the conflict, maybe your half marathon becomes a seven-mile race. Maybe you drop one training run a month to have breakfast with your family. Maybe the dog can join you on one of your easier days. You stay in the murky middle, asking yourself what is working and what isn't, until your goal of running regains the intentions of benefiting your family that it used to have. By asking yourself the hard questions, you can have the best of both worlds. All it takes is some self-reflection, a willingness to change, and an appreciation that your goals are as fluid as your life. Be constantly on the lookout for moments when you can retune your focus. It will help you avoid the "what next" trap, as you will view your next steps as fluid and you won't see every little goal as a determinant of your fate. Your goals will change as you change. Once you put down that permanent marker for that pencil, you will not only find that goals are easier to commit to, but that they are also in better harmony with your life.

## Discover Something New

I minored in Philosophy as an undergraduate student and, time and again, I hear the same story. An aspiring Engineer, Business Executive, or Physicist stumbles into a basic Ethics class and is hooked. Soon they are pouring over volumes of Aristotle and Socrates, while their old textbooks get lost under the couch. Now, let's be clear that I'm not being endorsed by any Ivory Tower Philosophy Guilds, nor am I saying that it's a subject that appeals to everyone. What I am saying is that opportunities hide behind doors we forget to open and our entire lives can pass with them waiting for us to knock.

Discovering something new is not about abandoning steadfast goals for shiny new ones, but instead about finding something that will reenergize your journey to success. It's like reupholstering your couch. While it is more or less the same piece of furniture, you've given it a new personality. If you are struggling to know what the appropriate next step is, try giving your goals a facelift and see if that reignites your energy and inspiration.

Let's say that Kevin did all the proper preparation with his granola bar business and is finally on a plane to Europe for a month of relaxation. He has no intention of thinking about work and hopes that the mental break will leave him recharged once he returns. However, Kevin finds himself wandering around an art museum in Italy and he suddenly has an idea. He spends the next couple of days visiting as many museums as he can and taking notes on café napkins. He returns to work a month later and schedules the first available appointment with his graphic designer. Soon the packaging of his granola bar flaunts different colors and designs. It's more appealing and grocery stores begin to take note. In addition, Kevin vows to donate a portion of his sales to local artists and begins to make a name for himself in the community as an ally to the artist community.

What started out as a simple break from work turned into a life-changing business insight. Kevin had no intention of using the art of Europe as inspiration for his granola bar business, nor did he expect that a break from work would prove to be the best decision he ever made in support of his success. Kevin had been stuck in a bubble of marketing, design, and traditional business strategies. Once he began to open his mind to his other interests, he began to realize that his stumbling block had been his narrow sightedness and that looking beyond the traditional methods was exactly what he needed. Not only did discovering his passion for art benefit his business, it also reignited his passion for his work.

The objective here is to use your breaks to discover interests, hobbies, and passion areas that complement your larger goals. Sometimes this is intentional or, as we see with Kevin, it is accidental. The key is to keep your mind open to the potential of new ideas informing your goals, even while on a break. Try something new and don't disregard anything that peaks your interest. Who knows, your newfound interest in road biking could lead to new ideas for fundraising for your company that no one else had thought of. One of my philosophy teachers used to tell us that philosophy was one of the best majors to prepare students for law school. Instead of the stereotypical choice of political science, he had seen far more students succeed with a less conventional philosophy background. Success often doesn't follow the alphabet from A to Z. Be unconventional, be unique, and keep your eyes open to how the most unexpected things can ultimately benefit your goals.

#  Part 3  
The Bigger Picture

#  Chapter 10  
One of Many

Let's imagine that you're at a choir concert. There are 30 singers on stage and they are harmonizing beautifully. Every note and chord change is in sync, in tune, and near perfection. It's ethereal. Then, a man suddenly steps to the front. He starts to sing a booming solo and you cringe. The balance is off, the man's voice is too boisterous, and the flowing harmonies sound like trains screeching to a stop. What was great as a whole, is grating when split into its individual parts.

When we contemplate our goals, we all too often see the boisterous man as opposed to the harmonious choir. We like to pinpoint one goal from years ago and wag our fingers at it while we blame it for ruining the trajectories of our lives. If only we hadn't wasted all that time in school, if only we hadn't used that money to buy a car, if only, if only, if only. Yes, we all make bad decisions and spend our energies on endeavors that wind up being fruitless. There is no denying that life would be easier if we were born knowing the answers to living a fulfilling and productive life. But our ignorance is a part of being human. We are born clueless and wandering. Without a guidebook on how to fulfill our dreams and passions, we are bound to make mistakes.

As a detail-oriented, nitpicky, workaholic perfectionist, I have often fallen into post-achievement paralysis and the "what next" trap by virtue of failing to see the forest through the trees. I focus on one missed goal and I fear that while moving forward I will do the same. Yes, that one bad decision is still a tree in the forest, but it's just one. It is one tree in a forest of many. There is no doubt that we've all had moments in which we wish we could go back and turn another way. Hindsight is 20/20 and we all have a clear view on opportunities lost, time wasted, and chances that we should have been taken.

While harping on bad decisions of the past may inspire you to knockout a few extra punches in the gym, it's a waste of time. Instead, consider how all of your decisions tell the story of your life and comprise an entire forest of your existence. Good, bad, and ugly, these trees make up your identity and got you to where you are today. While some may be tangled and gnarly and try to take center stage like our boisterous choir man, don't let them upset the harmony of your life story. When you have an entire forest, it's a shame to waste your time staring at one tree. Take a step back and realize that the only perfect forests are those created by Disney.

In the same way that focusing on one bad decision can derail progress, so too can the prospect of too many good ones. We can't water all of our trees at once, and the fear of neglecting one to water the other puts us in paralysis. We imagine ourselves in a bakery, afraid that saying yes to the croissant today means saying goodbye to the cinnamon roll forever. We know it's irrational, but we stand in front of the glass cabinet for twenty minutes trying to make the best pastry decision possible. What we don't realize in the moment is that there will be another choice tomorrow and, who knows, tomorrow's cinnamon rolls may even be bigger and sweeter than the last batch. We also don't realize that this one breakfast decision is one of many in a lifetime of meal opportunities. Choose one, accept it, get over it, and move on to the next one.

We view our decisions as trees with immovable roots. We feel as though our choice to devote the next six months to strive for a promotion will erase the potential to start a family down the line and that if we make the wrong turn, we might as well burn the rest of the forest down. While it is true that making a choice negates the immediate possibility of acting on another and that you will likely have to wait to start a family if you decide to focus on your career, it is not the be all end all. It is only one tree.

When stuck in the "what next" trap, take a step back and look at the whole forest. Does this tree that you are about to plant fit nicely with the forest? In other words, does your decision to strive for a promotion jive with the other decisions you have made in your life? Do you get a clear picture of your values, beliefs, and dreams? Will it be the boisterous choir man taking center stage, or will it fall into beautiful harmony with your life? More important than one single decision is the relationship of all your decisions to each other. If you value yourself as honest, hardworking, and trustworthy, setting a goal to rob a bank doesn't make sense. Take stalk of who you are, not based on one tree or one decision, but based on the whole story and the entire forest. This will help you realize that there is no need to feel paralyzed, as your goals make sense in the larger scheme of your identity.

#  Chapter 11  
Enjoy It

There's nothing wrong with wanting to choose the right goals. We all want to have meaningful lives that take as few detours to unknown lands as possible. The problem is that our obsession with driving in the right direction soon clouds us from the enjoyment we sought by pursuing our goals in the first place. How often has that vacation you rewarded yourself with been overtaken by emails and long to-do lists?

The word enjoyment is a lot like the word balance. We all want it, but we feel guilty when we get it. We pay a masseuse to force us to have 1 hour of relaxation or we buy expensive tickets to theater productions because that's what happy people do. We've lost touch of how to actually take a step back and congratulate a job well done.

When it comes down to it, goals are about enjoyment. We want to pursue dreams because they will make us better people, which will make the world a better place, which will help shape meaningful lives we enjoy. Regardless of our goals, we are all motivated by the desire to enjoy life. This is true whether our aim is to make piles of money or feed the homeless. We all want to be happy. It's as simple as that.

So if it's true that we are by and large motivated by the rewards of our goals, why do we have such a hard time celebrating them? Why must we get so caught up in the next thing that we loose sight of why we have goals in the first place? Think about how we all begin to dread birthdays as we age. Instead of an excuse for cake and presents, our birthday celebrations become a reminder of the passing of time and all we have left to accomplish in our increasingly short time on the planet. I don't know about you, but this isn't a party I'd want to go to.

While it's natural to wish that things had turned out differently or to worry about the next step, what good does that do you right here, right now, in this moment of celebration? Believe me, taking a step back to fully enjoy your graduation, your promotion, or the remodeling of your new house is worth it. The decisions and regrets can wait until tomorrow. Make the most out of accomplishments and don't short-change yourself by moving on too quickly. While we may have an infinite number of opportunities to set and pursue goals, we only have one chance to enjoy life, so go ahead and get started.

#  Thank You

Thanks for reading _What Next?_. I hope you come away with strategies for celebrating your accomplishments and taking the next step towards your future goals.

My aim is to get this information to as many people as possible and you play a big part in that. If you like what you read, please write a review. This simple step has a large impact, so I am very grateful.

For information about contacting me, my other books, and scheduling me to speak at your next event, please visit my website http://www.dianafitts.com.

#  About the Author

Diana Fitts is the author _What Next?_ and _Your Focus Formula._ She is a writer from the San Francisco Bay Area where she holds a degree from Santa Clara University in Literature and Creative Writing and is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Occupational Therapy. She concentrates her studies on the connections between mindfulness and productivity with the goal of helping others discover the simple life changes that have large impact. Diana can be found at her website http://www.dianafitts.com.

