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Choosing a direction

We've discussed some high level strategic concepts in the past few articles, and there are a lot of possible directions to go in and actions to take. How do you choose?


One of the basic concepts is determination. How badly you want to succeed and what needs to be done to make that happen. However, you also have to take into account the resources that you have available, physical, mental and emotional, and how long you are willing and able to utilize them for this goal. 


To accomplish your objectives, you might want to:

  • Study in the evening to get a degree

  • Move to hollywood to audition for movie roles

  • Take a job that you don’t want to gain experience for the job you do want

  • Buy a new wardrobe or car to give yourself the appearance of success



Before actually starting any of these things, you need to take a step back and think about the amount of time you expect that it will take you to accomplish your objective versus how long you can actually keep it up. To take the example of getting a degree in the evening:

  • How long will night school take you to complete? 

  • Are you willing to sacrifice spending time with your wife, children and/or friends in order to accomplish this?

  • How much will it cost? Are you willing to sacrifice buying/doing things that you want for this goal?

  • Are you willing to go into debt in order to accomplish this? Paying off a student loan may take 20+ years


 

Is a degree an absolute necessity for the promotion you want? Is there a quicker way of becoming qualified for the position you want without spending all your free time for the next X years studying?  Let's say you finish the degree and don’t get a better job. Can you afford to pay back the student loans you took out? On the other hand, even if you can get to the next level without a degree, what about the one after that? What are your long term career goals?


You need to come up with a list of pros and cons for any actions you take that impact your life and/or lifestyle. There is often a ripple effect of consequences that you didn’t think about when you started on a specific path. How long can you keep it up before getting burnt out. How many gotchas, obstacles and failures can you handle and still continue on the path to success. Remember, the actions we are talking about are not the objective itself, but a way for you to get to that objective.


The longer an action will take to complete and the more resources (monetary, time, effort) that you put into it, the greater the danger that you will run out of those resources. When thinking about what needs

to be done to accomplish your objective, take a lot of time thinking of alternatives that are less costly. This is not to say that you should never put in a major, long-running effort to accomplish your goals. Rather, you need to understand the resources needed for your plan and to determine if you have enough to see the entire thing through.


Running out of resources is not the only challenge, there is also a danger in it taking a toll on your spirit. The longer it takes to accomplish something, the less excited you are about it. This will cause you to slow down and not put in a full effort. While you spend a lot of resources to properly position yourself, it's possible, even likely, that you will watch other people pass you by. The opportunity you were gearing up for may not even exist after years of positioning yourself to specific qualifications.


Your strategy plan should include small, accomplishable steps that don’t take too many resources. Each step in this plan should provide a benefit unto itself, so that you can take advantage of what you’re doing without having to wait until you finish. Keeping with the example of schooling, with every class that you take, try to incorporate that into your position. Show the value of what you learn every day, while letting people know that this new idea you have came from the additional studying. Don’t wait until you have the final degree and hope that this will be the full catalyst to accomplishing your objectives.


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