Believing & Knowing, Planning & Results

Posted by on Feb 5, 2010 in Personal Development | 0 comments

We’d all agree being an optimist is much better than being a pessimist. A mindset that is positive is preferable to one that is negative. I’d like to define optimism, not as some happy-go-lucky, let’s sing “we are the world” together state of being. No way. In-fact, that state of being is a weird disease. How so? It makes everyone sick, except those infected! Optimism is simply a belief and knowledge that things will turn out for the best and that you will be successful in reaching your goals.
Optimists also understand that plans and goals are two different things. Goals are simply the desired destination. Plans are an attempt to map out how you will get there. You can plan all you want, down to the last detail and things will still not go right. Just think about some recent “plans” you made? How many of those plans went exactly the way you hoped they would? If you answered honestly, you’ll probably agree – not many.
Goals are more powerful.
The end result is more powerful than the plans. Think about this scenario. If you hire someone to take care of your lawn and keep your grass trimmed that’s your desired result – your goal. Beyond getting the initial “scoop” and educating yourself just a little on how this landscaper was going to give you the best lawn in the neighborhood, you really don’t care “how.” You just care about the result, the goal!
I did some consulting for a  CPA firm. The owner was so set on how she only charges fifty dollars per hour for on-site bookkeeping services. However, if she ever finished her tasks in less time she would get angry and confused looks from her clients about not “staying the whole hour.” I told her it was all in how she positioned it. I asked her what “results” her clients were after? I went on to explain that if she sells results, goals and desired outcomes instead of an hourly service she won’t have this problem. She agreed because she knew what matters to her clients are results.
It’s easy to be thrown off and become pessimistic when your “plans” get off track. The problem is this reaction can eventually become a habit pattern that is hard to break. If you don’t catch it  early it can lead to you ending up a pessimist without even realizing it. So be careful.
Stay optimistic by focusing on the end result. Your positive attitude will help you discover better plans. Get your ego out of the way. You’re just like everyone else and your plans don’t always work out. But I believe your goals will if you keep at them!
There are two kinds of optimism. One is healthy and the other is dangerous.
Optimism that exists in your mind just for the sake of “existing” is dangerous. Optimism that is left alone is dangerous too. Optimism that doesn’t run side by side with action is the most dangerous of all.
Healthy optimism is backed by action. When you take action toward your goals you end up with belief. More importantly,  you end up with positive knowledge that you’ll get to where you want to be.
So accept the fact that most of the time your plans will go hay-wire. Keep taking action to fuel the cycle of belief, knowledge and action. Then, wash, rinse and repeat.

We’d all agree being an optimist is much better than being a pessimist. A mindset that is positive is preferable to one that is negative. I’d like to define optimism, not as some happy-go-lucky, let’s sing “we are the world” together state of being. No way. In-fact, that state of being is a weird disease. How so? It makes everyone sick, except those infected! Optimism is simply a belief and knowledge that things will turn out for the best and that you will be successful in reaching your goals.

Optimists also understand that plans and goals are two different things. Goals are simply the desired destination. Plans are an attempt to map out how you will get there. You can plan all you want, down to the last detail and things will still not go right. Just think about some recent “plans” you made? How many of those plans went exactly the way you hoped they would? If you answered honestly, you’ll probably agree – not many.

Goals are more powerful.

The end result is more powerful than the plans. Think about this scenario. If you hire someone to take care of your lawn and keep your grass trimmed that’s your desired result – your goal. Beyond getting the initial “scoop” and educating yourself just a little on how this landscaper was going to give you the best lawn in the neighborhood, you really don’t care “how.” You just care about the result, the goal!

I did some consulting for a  CPA firm. The owner was so set on how she only charges fifty dollars per hour for on-site bookkeeping services. However, if she ever finished her tasks in less time she would get angry and confused looks from her clients about not “staying the whole hour.” I told her it was all in how she positioned it. I asked her what “results” her clients were after? I went on to explain that if she sells results, goals and desired outcomes instead of an hourly service she won’t have this problem. She agreed because she knew what matters to her clients are results.

It’s easy to be thrown off and become pessimistic when your “plans” get off track. The problem is this reaction can eventually become a habit pattern that is hard to break. If you don’t catch it  early it can lead to you ending up a pessimist without even realizing it. So be careful.

Stay optimistic by focusing on the end result. Your positive attitude will help you discover better plans. Get your ego out of the way. You’re just like everyone else and your plans don’t always work out. But I believe your goals will if you keep at them!

There are two kinds of optimism. One is healthy and the other is dangerous.

Optimism that exists in your mind just for the sake of “existing” is dangerous. Optimism that is left alone is dangerous too. Optimism that doesn’t run side by side with action is the most dangerous of all.

Healthy optimism is backed by action. When you take action toward your goals you end up with belief. More importantly,  you end up with positive knowledge that you’ll get to where you want to be.

So accept the fact that most of the time your plans will go hay-wire. Keep taking action to fuel the cycle of belief, knowledge and action. Then, wash, rinse and repeat.

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