Check the goal.
I once alighted from a train at Fenchurch Street Station many years ago. As I walked past the ticket office, I found a young man handing out ‘free’ yoghurt pots to everyone. The first thought was why? What is he or the company he represents trying to achieve? What is their goal? I soon found out their intent.
One of the lessons you will learn in executing any project is to have a goal or objective and then work towards achieving it. It is not the other way round. You may have seen actions that are similar many times, but aimed at achieving different goals. Also, they could be activities which are different but geared towards the same objective.
The easiest way I found to explain this is to try to answer the question, ‘What do I want to achieve by doing this activity?’ For every action you copy or desire to copy, you should be able to answer that question in sincerity to yourself. If you decide to follow a successful lawyer and become one, you may not understand his goal and therefore not understand what he sees as success. Assume his goal is to help the helpless to get justice, and he eventually became famous and wealthy as a result. Many others may copy him and become prominent and affluent, but their goal may not be to help but become affluent. The goal is different; this will be evident in the process because the actions will be towards the goal, which is wealth and not help as in the case of the successful lawyer. The lawyer is successful when the helpless get justice, but those that copy him may not count it as a success until they become famous.
There are so many times we see people invest in charities because of their desire to help people; as a result, they get acknowledged, rewarded or famous. On the other hand, some copy them with a different goal in mind, which could be to become famous, get tax relief, get rewarded, take advantage of vulnerable people or get a position of CEO with fat salaries. The goal determines the actions that follow; the activities does not necessarily tell us the aim. One gets satisfaction when the needy get the help they need, while another is not happy until they become known, affluent, acknowledged or rewarded.
You may have seen so many people and love to do what they do. However, you may struggle to understand why they do what they do or what they intend to achieve. Someone may volunteer his/her skills with the hope that it will give him/her juicy opportunities to learn his desired skills within an organisation and get better opportunities within the organisation or connections that could help with desired progress. Another might do the same, but with a different goal in mind which could be to contribute or give back to society or help others that are in a vulnerable position.
What you desire to achieve determines what you do and how you do it. You work from the goal because you have to start from the aim and then decide the action that can help you achieve your goal. If you do any activity, you are likely to end up achieving any goal but not your aim. If you do not have an end in mind, you may never know when you get there. A lot of people copy others and achieve something. They remain unfulfilled because they never had a goal. There was no end to look forward to neither was there any way to have a sense of satisfaction. They do not even know when or by what to measure what they have achieved.
Goals are helpful but could also be destructive. It could also mean achieving one thing at the expense of so many others. A lady may attempt to do a job usually done by a man to prove that a lady can do it. If she succeeds, it could mean some other things have suffered for her to achieve her goal. The same could also be the case for a young man. A teenager could disobey the law to prove to his friends that he is daring and fearless. A lot of people indulge in reckless behaviours to please a few, make others happy or feel accepted. There are so many young lives behind bars because of this type of goals. They copied, but their aims were wrong, and they ended up in trouble. What do you want to achieve? Why do you do what you do?
What you copy should be a function of what you want to achieve. Check the goal before you copy from others. The action may look good or impressive, and the result may seem pleasant, but the goal or objective for doing it may be different from yours. The aim may give a different meaning to the actions.
Have you ever wondered why some people do what they do? Why do you get ‘free’ yoghurt pots from a train station? Why do you get free vouchers from your favourite store? You may have witnessed people with the same or similar actions but with a different goal. There is usually an aim behind what people do. I found that the ‘free’ yoghurt pots was not ‘free’ but a way of marketing the new product to create awareness and generate interest.
A traveller in the medieval times, came across three stonemasons in the course of his journey. He approached the three of them one at a time with the same question. The question was simple, ‘What are you doing?’ Their answers reveal what they intended to achieve by doing what they were doing. It exposed their goal. The first man answered, ‘I am cutting and laying down stone, I can’t wait to finish.’ The second stonemason responded, ‘I am building a wall. I am grateful to have this work so I can support my family.’ The third had the opportunity to answer the same question, and he said, ‘I am building a cathedral.’
They were all doing the same thing at the same time. The first stonemason’s goal was to have a job and get paid for what he does. That is the end of his goal. He is happy and satisfied when that happens.
The second, had a different goal, which is to have a career and a means of livelihood to support his family and probably meet all his expenses. That is why he does what he does daily. He is excited and fulfilled when he achieves that goal.
The third, also had another goal, which is to be part of history and a lasting legacy by contributing his quota to the future of others. His goal defines the reason behind what he does. He may not be worried about the pay or the career but the contributions that he can make that will live after him, gives him a greater sense of satisfaction.
The same activity, using the same type of skill but different goals. They also have the same initial reward, but the satisfaction of each one is different.
John F Kennedy once visited The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) headquarters, and he saw a young janitor mopping up the floor. He asked him, ‘What is your job?’ He replied, ‘I am helping send a man to the moon.’ His goal was more than a job or career. He was contributing his part in his little way towards the future.
We all do so many things, and we can learn from so many things other people do, but it is very vital to have a goal and work towards achieving that goal. If you set a goal, focus on your goal, there will be a different approach to what you do, even though it is the same as some others. You can also find out the aims of others to help you make better choices on what you copy and how you copy from them.
You may not always know what other people would like to achieve by what they do; you should know your aim. You can set your own highest goals based on your future and desired destination. Be wise and first check to see if you have similar objectives. The energy that fuels the actions of people is a function of their goals. Let the goal come first, and then the activities that follow will be powered and sustained by your goals. Declare objectives that will lead you to your great future, not one that will rob you of it. Do not copy others without understanding, set your goal and work towards it. They might have a different aim which could lead to the wrong destination.
To be continued next week, don’t miss it.
I hope you have found this post valuable, please leave a comment below and share with others. Send in your questions or contributions as well if you have any, I will be glad to hear from you.
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