5 Ways to Shift from Working Hard to Achieving your Goals

Most of us have gotten to the places we are in our careers by hard work, a bit of luck, meeting some good people, and more hard work. One thing we seem to have lost as more demands are put upon us, the economy stalls, and yesterdays strategies are no longer working is the loss of joy, simple joy in the work we are doing. As we push ourselves harder and harder (both organizationally and individually) we are more anxious and more fearful and have simply lost the pleasure of our work.

This past weekend, I flew down to San Diego and did a Book Signing for Courage and Croissants, Inspiring Joyful Living, at the Hotel Del Coronado. Once it was set up, I decided to let go of the results and focus on the simple act of enjoying the entire process; of talking to people, meeting new people, inspiring others, and sharing the book. Sure I wanted to sell books, but that was not my sole purpose. My purpose was to enjoy telling others about the book.  Guess what, I had a great time and sold tons of books as well! What I was reminded of was how we need to remember why we are doing what we are doing. Why are we in business, an entrepreneur, a professional in a certain field or a fulltime mom. What is the joy we loved and is there a way to find it in every day.

Guess what, I had a great time and sold tons of books as well! What I was reminded of was how we need to remember why we are doing what we are doing. Why are we in business, an entrepreneur, a professional in a certain field or a fulltime mom. What is the joy we loved and is there a way to find it in every day.

Old Beliefs still Drive our Current Behaviors 

If we examine more closely what drives us to push ourselves hard, it often comes down to old beliefs that look something like this.

• Rewards go to the hardest workers
• If I work hard enough I can sell more….create more… produce more…
• If I increase my productivity I will be indispensable and will not get laid off … lose business…
• If I’m not getting results, I just have to work harder, run faster, do more 

So, my thought for the New Year is to truly look at how you are working by answering these questions:

• Do you feel you are working hard, but the benefits are worth it?
• Is that hard work paying off in giving you the results you desire?
• Are you enjoying and satisfied with the work you are doing?

If you said yes to all three, great, keep on doing what works for you. However, if you said “No” or “Sort of,” think again about if the hard work is giving you what you desire both at work and in life.

Instead you might find that taking time to regroup, think, share ideas and dreams, engage in a leisure activity, balance yourself, and take care of yourself physically you might be able to obtain better results at work than just putting in more time and working hard.

Living even a bit more of a balanced life provides us with the following, which in turn produces much greater results all around.

• Increased Energy - When we aren’t run down, less serious, and take care of ourselves physically and mentally we have a less chance of burning out or getting sick. Living a healthy balanced and joyful life allows us to know when to say “no” and when to “Push ahead.” It’s all in the balance.
  
  
  
• Able to attract what we want - When we have time to think clearly we are able to attract what we want into our lives. We can catch our negative thoughts and shift them towards what we want. We are more creative, more intuitive, and basically happier.
  
  
• Increased creativity – When we sleep well, feel refreshed and alert we are more creative. Our creativity spurs new ideas that produce better and different results. If we don’t allow ourselves the time to be creative we will be working in the same old ways, offering the same old products and services, and producing the same old results
  
  
• Making Smart Decisions – In all walks of life we have to make decisions and the ability to make smart and better decisions has to do with our ability to think through the pros/cons, consequences, and facts. If we are running ragged, our exhausted mind only makes tired decisions.
  
  
• Time to be with others – Whether it is in your work, family, community, or friendships, the ability to listen, share, and mentor others is heightened when we are alert and able to listen. If you want to be there for others; clients, family members, your staff, take notice of how much more you have to offer when you are living a healthy balanced and joyful life.

 I'd love to hear from you on how you are going to shift from just working harder to focusing on achieving your goals.