Enhance the Success of New Year’s Goals 6: Limitations

This continues our series on turning New Year’s resolutions into goals and success

Joan decided to be a writer at 11. Her parents repeatedly said “You can’t do that!”. So, she worked for an advertising agency as scheduler—not copywriter. Eleven years  later she quit her job to write. She worked as a freelance production assistant on commercials 13 hours a month and moved rent-free into her parents cabin.

Every 3 months she called her coach and cried “I can’t do this!” The coached enquired how much she had written, how much money she earned doing commercials, and invited her to meet. She reported how many stories she wrote, that she had earned more money than at the agency, and chose not to meet.

Two years later, she finished writing, moved back into town, and worked for the same agency—writing copy. She had written 120 short stories and 2 books. She achieved her goal. She happily continues to write advertising copy. She never published, because her goal was writing not publishing.

3 Types of Limitations

You will encounter both intended and unwanted limitations. I suggest 3 categories:

• Intended limitations define your scope. For example, a goal to go on a Disney Cruise in the Caribbean intentionally limits you to a desired company and geography.
  • Intended limitations are good, make sure you include them
• Real limitations include lack of time, money, skills, disabilities, or other limitations.
  • Planning eliminates real limitations: working on the Disney Cruise to eliminate the cost, or taking online courses gains new skills.
• Windmills (illogical limitations) appear real but are not. Joan’s windmill came from her parents brainwashing her “You can’t do that”. She encountered the windmill every 3 months even though she was doing it quite successfully.
  • Windmills require illogical solutions because they are illogical. Joan had to remember that 1) she was writing and 2) she was earning enough money. She did not eliminate the windmill. She bypassed it every 3 months.

Coaches and your GoalsWork Team help you handle all three types of limitations.

Friday we will describe how GoalsWork (or Mastermind) teams ensure your success