JimCarroll

“Set a goal so small that the mere act of achieving it will convince you that you can achieve a bigger one!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

Sometimes you need a win.

You need a measure of success.

You require a sense of accomplishment.

You must believe that you’ve made some progress.

Not every project or initiative that you take on needs to have some grand challenge, bold idea, or transformative opportunity behind it. Sometimes doing simple things will help you accomplish those greater things – simply because it will give you a much-needed mindset of achievement.

That’s why it’s always a good mindset to believe that the more small things you can pursue in your day-to-day life – and see real achievement – the better positioned you are for the bigger things. Success is built through a series of small actions, suddenly cumulative in their impact – because when you are chasing the small wins, you are actually learning, practicing, focusing, attempting, and trying. Call it the cumulative success that comes from a relentless focus on small steps.

That’s why achieving small steps on a regular basis can help to achieve the big win. As with everything, balancing your mind against the goals is critical to helping you achieve what you need to do. Consider these mindset moves:

• always remember that it is the accumulation of a lot of little things that make big things happen
• keep in mind that breaking things down into small steps will most definitely help you see the bigger picture
• small steps will help you avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed and helpless in the face of big change
• pace yourself – remember to keep in mind that it doesn’t matter how fast you go as long as you do not stop
• stop trying to do everything at once – break things down into manageable chunks
• remember that the simple process of trying to do small things helps you accomplish a big goal because you are prioritizing action over inaction
• while habits are often a barrier, they can be an ally – establish a routine of regular small steps that when taken together, add up to a giant leap
• moderate your expectations – learn to be content with what you achieve with your small steps and forget about your big goals for a time
• take the win – it’s important that you establish some small victories along the way to your eventual massive win – in order to keep your motivation on track
• don’t be discouraged by the pace of your progress with the small steps because, in the bigger picture, they are moving you towards your bigger things!
• keep in mind that every single small step is as important as your big goal
• take a moment to learn something from each small step as to how it relates to the bigger goal
• don’t focus on the success of your big goal but on what you accomplished with your small steps
• with that in mind, take a moment at the end of the day to reflect on what you accomplished with your many small steps
• then think about what new small steps you might take the next day!
• develop a routine: make it a habit to focus on all of your small steps

Small steps = big wins!

Take the small win – because it’s actually a bigger win than you might think!

“Nurture an insane optimism!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

This was a comment made on stage yesterday by the outgoing Chairman of the Western Growers Association. He was making the point that in the face of a volatile industry – with challenges related to weather, climate, costs, labor shortages, and more – the typical farmer must be insanely optimistic at all times.

With that in mind, think about the honorable profession of farming — it’s been around almost since the beginning of time. And it’s a profession that has involved a lot of trial and error; failure and success; and a heck of a lot of innovation.

Often, during a keynote, I will tell the story that there are really two different types of farmers in the agricultural industry. And I make the point to the audience that their attitude towards innovation should be considered in the light of the attitudes carried by each type of farmer.

The first type of farmer is what we might call the ‘apathetic minority’, who share these attributes:

• they are not optimistic about the future
• they tend to seek the “same old advice” from the “same old sources”
• they have a high intolerance for risk
• they’re not convinced they can continue to make a comfortable living despite all the contrary evidence
• they’re skeptical of their potential since they feel they’ve seen too many ups and downs in the industry

Then there is the second group we might call the ‘future positive‘ type of farmer. They share these attributes :

• they’re quite optimistic about the future
• they’re very business-minded, using all the latest tools and ideas at their disposal
• they are very innovation-oriented, willing to approach everything in a new way with new ideas
• they are very collaborative for advice, seeking ideas from anyone and everyone
• they’re often focused on planning, profit, and growth, with clear objectives in mind

So here’s a good question: when it comes to you, or the organization that work for, what type of farmer are you?

Do you nurture your mind with an insane amount of optimism?