We usually focus on the mechanics of achieving our goals. I thought of shifting the paradigm with agility and focusing instead on how we should approach goals differently. I broke it down with the four values in the agile manifesto. I also summarized a number of relevant ted talks where that inspired me.
General notes before you start reading in regards of goals:
- “You act based on what you expect, not what you want.” Dr. Jennice Vilhauer. This is the reason you don’t get what you want.
- “No one will invest in you but you.” Tasha Eurich
- Do not rush because we over estimate what we can do in a day, we under estimate what we can do in a year. Small steps, iterative and incremental, and consistent.
- Less is more, focus on less to achieve more.
1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Individuals: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Jim Rohn
- Remember who are the closest to you. Write the names down of the 10-20 closest people to you.
- Write whom you want to learn from and be more like and write why.
- Actively spend more time with those whom you want to be more like.
- Reach out to new people.
- Interactions: Tell people something nice, what you believe is amazing and great about them.
2. Working software over comprehensive documentation
Action over research and analysis, results over a plan:
- No action can be perfect, but you need to start and then learn to make it better. It can never start perfect because you can always be better and make it better.
- 5 seconds rule: When you have an idea, before your brain analysis it -5 seconds-, act.
- Document your experience, daily: Spend 5-10 minutes before going to bed, write a journal. Retrospect on your day.
3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Know what want? Your wish. Write it down.
- Know what is stopping you? Your obstacle. Write it down.
- Get a team, share with people. Asking for help and advice is ok, people want to problem solve with you.
4. Responding to change over following a plan
The what: When was the last time you did something really hard? New? Different?
“Always challenge yourself and your expectation. Push your limits and gain new experiences and insights.”
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”
Summery:
- Only you can change you
- Take small steps, but always take them
- You are not alone
Videos that inspired this:
Agile Leadership: Preparing for an Unconventional Career Path | Emily Phillips
- Iterative process:
- Create a problem statement
- Build a hypothesis
- Prove/disprove the hypothesis
- Architect a solution
- Reach out to your tribe of resources
- Step back and reflect on how it went
- Tribe of resources: group of people you meet who you help and who can help you
- Get uncomfortable, daily: do what you don’t know and learn
Learning to be awesome at anything you do, including being a leader | Tasha Eurich
- Know thyself: objective measures
- Subjective: someone who will tell you the truth
- What am I doing to helping me succeed
- What am I doing that is getting in the way
- How can I adapt my approach to be better
- Pick one thing to work on (not all at once): Write the skills you want to improve, scale them from 1-10 of how awesome you will be if you only got better at that.
- Practice daily: developing a habit. What I want to improve? Then how can I get better?
- What will I practice today?
- What opportunities will I have to do it?
- How will I measure my progress?
How to stop screwing yourself over | Mel Robbins
- It is simple to get what you want, but it’s not easy.
- We know what we need to do
- Don’t just be fine, be truthful with yourself. Fine not having what you want or need to get done.
- You have amazing idea, don’t hit the inner snooze button: any area of your life you want to change, you will NEVER feel like it. “activation energy”
- When you become an adult, no one tells you it is now your job to parent yourself. Make yourself do what you don’t want to do to become what you want to be.
- Change your routine and you move from auto pilot to emergency break.
- Feeling bored means you need exploration and growth, force yourself to be uncomfortable. Outside your comfort zone.
- Doesn’t matter how you feel facing what you want.
- 5 seconds rule: If you don’t follow through in 5 seconds, you will pull the emergency break and kill the idea. The problem is we kill our own ideas.
Isolation is the dream-killer, not your attitude | Barbara Sher
- Isolation is the dream killer, not your attitude.
- We made you do what you want to do, not what you need to do
- You never know who you are talking to
How do get what you want?
- Get a team, share with people
- Know what want? Your wish
- Know what is stopping you? Your obstacle
- Even people don’t like you, if you frame it in problem, people will help you. We are problem solving animals.
- We depend on each other’s dreams coming true. It echoes.
