Step One.
There are a thousand things that you have to do in order to arrive at your goal.
I have found over the years those that make it to their goals have a clear vision of all the steps that are required.
In the music industry it’s easy to state that you want to be a “famous artist” or be a “hit producer”. These are great goals.
The only issue, is that it takes a thousand or more steps to get there and most people are focused on step 24 or 57 or 876 when they need to focus on step one.
How do you figure out step one?
Reverse engineer your goal. I have mentioned this idea of reverse engineering before.
Take your goal and then do research on what it actually takes to get there.
Maybe you’re an artist. You want to be a household name like Justin Bieber. The next step is not worrying about your image or who you need to tour with or if you need a manager. You're first step is researching Justin Bieber and how he did. Your next step is to write the best songs that line up with where you’re headed. I have many clients who want to be on the radio but won’t take the time to write a song that radio will actually play. I have clients who want to win a Grammy but have no idea that the Grammys are voted on by a select group of people and it's not based on sales or popularity.
There are steps for all of these things - clear paths to take to achieve your goals.
Almost everyone has a goal that has already been done in some way, shape, or form. This is helpful. It should encourage us that people have gone on the journey before us and successfully conquered their goals.
If you read about success stories, they often have a resounding echo of taking one step at a time. Not focusing on step 2 or 3 or 84, but just the next step.
You don't need a music video if you don’t even have a song recorded yet.
It’s good to keep the big picture in mind and think about the other steps, but the only way to get to those steps is taking the next step that’s right in front of you.
Within this, you may take two steps forwards and one step back. This is normal. This is all part of the process. A step backwards isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it leads you closer to the right thing. A “no” moves you closer to a “yes”.
So wherever you’re at on the journey, make sure you're always focused on the next step in front not you.
It helps me to write down what I need to get done in a calendar. I also have mentioned in a previous blog that I have a “DO THESE THINGS” list. Those are things that get my full attention each day. That’s how I keep focused on the next step.
If what you’re currently doing is not moving you towards the next step then rearrange and regroup. Jumping ahead is like trying to run before you crawl. The idea of running is great, you can travel more distance with running, but when you just focus on running when you can’t crawl, you’re stuck. For a lot of people, the idea of something is strong enough to keep them from focusing on the step in front of them or the work that needs to get done.
They will live a semi-fulfilled life thinking they are achieving things because they have been fantasizing about it for so long that it almost feels like they did accomplish their goal.
Don’t be that person. Actually putting in the work is the most fulfilling thing you can do.
I hope this week that you focus on the next step ahead of you. Keep those goals and long term visions in your head but focus on what you tangibly need to do next.