Promotion? Wealth? Love? What are you searching for?
There is a popular saying that if you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there BUT I remember driving to Shagamu a few years ago. I stopped to ask a man on the road where to turn off the express only for him to say, in shock "Madam! you have already reached Ibadan toll gate!"
"I knew where I was going and I still ended up at a wrong destination. Has that ever happened to you?"
Have you ever surprised yourself by doing something you never in my wildest dreams thought you would do? Well, if you want to be better at predicting the future, here is my advice: Take note of the milestones along the way.
Chichi, an intelligent young lady gave herself a target of 6 ‘A’s in her 300 Level, 2nd semester. It was three weeks into the semester and she just got 3/10 in an assignment, yet she was not fazed. She declared to her best friend "Shade Continuous assessment is just 30% of my grade, I will jack non stop two weeks before exams. If I get 60 - 65 out of 70 in the exam I just need 10 or 15 from Continuous Assessment to put me at 75% for my A!"
She was surprised to see a disappointed expression on Shade's face
“Chichi! You are not getting 6 A’s this semester.’
"What do you mean by that Shade? Back to sender!’
‘Chichi, just because you have a strategy for getting an A, does not mean it is the right strategy. Your continuous assessment scores show your understanding of a course. If you are not passing them, then you are not on the journey to an A and you need to change your direction as soon as possible. Figure out why you got 3/10 and start working towards getting 10/10, then you will be on your way to an A.
Shade is a good friend isn’t she? So like Shade let me say: If you want to know if you are on your way to getting that promotion at the end of the year? Check your milestones.
Are you going to meet your target next quarter? Your weekly reports can predict that.
Is your business going to be bigger next year? Client feedback can tell you.
Are you going to lose 15Kg this year? Your last 7 meals are a good predictor of that.
"Spend less time trusting your future self more time pushing your current self."
If your relationship keeps having the same issues don’t wish them away, take note of them and do something to solve it.
The things you are doing every day are a better prediction of where you are going than the things you would like to do someday. We can all predict where we are headed if we take note of the milestones along the way. If you hire a driver and he bashes the car and lies about it in the first week, money is missing the second week, he missed 2 days of work the third week and he tells you in the fourth week that he filled your tank for N20,000 (when you usually fill it with N5,000), do you have a right to act surprised if by the 6th week he runs away with the car completely?
I THINK NOT!
So, Don’t ignore the signposts on your way… Observe Them
If your milestones indicate you are going in a direction you don’t want… Turn Around
Your short term results are a good indication of your long term outcomes… Check Milestones
Every dream and every goal has milestones along the way but they won’t all come screaming out saying ‘here I am’. Don’t wait till your reach your destination before you find out you had the wrong strategy. You will know when you are veering off course if only you decide to always take note!
Its lovely to be back, remember to get it touch with your comments or questions.
Keep Winning!