It only takes a few degrees off course to keep you from reaching your goals.
In 1997, an Air New Zealand flight with 257 passengers was on an Antarctic excursion. The pilots did not notice that the flight path had been diverted by two degrees. When the flight arrived at what they thought was the south pole it, ended up being 28 miles off course and due to cloudy weather, the plane crashed into Mount Erebus, a volcano on the Antarctic continent. No one survived.
Are you a few degrees off course as you pursue your goals? The story above shows how, by not closely watching what you are doing, you may not arrive at your chosen destination.
Most of us strive to reach our goals, but we find that some of our habits are sloppy and not conducive to the process of moving towards what we desire. We can’t do everything and need to focus on the important and the urgent and avoid the not urgent and unimportant. We all have to deal with “stuff”, putting out fires, wasting time, to much focus on emails and social media, etc. You will have to be meticulous and force yourself to stay on course by organizing your life.
You’ll need to have an environment that is conducive to work; sufficient time and resources to have the tools to make progress; relationships that are conducive to help you stay focused and not be overcome by emotions. Being healthy almost goes without saying, but some of us don’t pay enough attention to our nutrition, sleep, and exercise. Spiritual energy is not something that can be ignored. Do you really know your purpose in life? If not, why are you doing what you are doing?
Time to get organized. Stop doing the behaviors that hold you back. You know what they are. Think of your life as a garden; why keep planting if you don’t get rid of the weeds? Instead of add/wanting more, more, more, see what you can prune from life, things that are not necessary or helpful.
Instead of long-term plans, say ten to twenty years, think of plans that cover three to six months. It’s more of a human scale horizon. Who knows what you will really want in ten years much less twenty. You will have to give up some things that offer instant gratification and focus on the processes that will enhance your future. Keep track of what you are doing so you can actually see progress. Metrics are important.
Reflecting, reviewing and meditation are important too. Remember the saying, it’s no use to climb the ladder of success if the ladder is placed against the wrong wall? Stop, look, listen to what is really going on. Find a quiet place to be still and comfortable place, close your eyes, listen to your breath and meditate. You don’t have to think about things and avoid chasing the thoughts that do pop into your mind. Let them go like a cloud drifting by. Just let your mind be at ease in the present. A few minutes a day is helpful. When finished, look at your “metrics”, are you seeing the progress you intend? If not, why not? What do you need to change?
James Clear in his book, Atomic Habits, points out that just a one percent improvement each day will result in a 37 times improvement in a year! You don’t have to be Hercules, just keep working with small improvements and efforts towards your goals each day.
A summary of an article in: https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/if-youre-too-busy-for-these-things-your-life-is-more-off-course-than-you-think#-organizing-your-life