One of the best principles that I learned from David Allen (Getting Things Done) was to make amorphous goals concrete by asking myself, "If I were working on that right now, what would that look like?" The genius is that sometimes a next step can be identified even if a whole plan can not.
More recently, I picked up another question from Seth Godin (Icarus Deception) that takes this approach to a whole new level: "What is this scariest part of this project?"
Of all the possible next steps in a project, I try to identify the pivotal, the kernel, the crux, the essence, the uncertain. I separate these from the peripheral, the obvious, the pedestrian, the known. The latter have their role, but too often they become a comfortable place to avoid the daunting steps that would make all the difference. Tweaking the logo won't figure out why the prototype isn't working! And, significantly, the logo won't matter if the prototype is never fixed!
The essential and the uncertain are "scary" because they require creativity, ingenuity, inspiration, concentration, persistence. They involve risk and vulnerability. They involve confronting self-doubt and fears. They require courage. For the same reasons, these pivotal tasks are also the most exhilarating and satisfying. They represent creative expression, contribution, achievement.
"Scary first!" has moved some of my longest-standing and most valued ambitions and pursuits off the back-burner and into my life. "Scary first!" is waking me up to just how much a day is worth in terms of what we want to do and become.
Have a fantastic day!
