How we pursue our goals matters. It matters perhaps more than what our goals are in the first place. I realize that this might be controversial. Or perhaps a good line for Twitter. And it may make you a bit uncomfortable. But when looking at our goals, dreams, hopes and aspirations from The Creator Mindset, then this becomes paramount.
We all know stories of someone who has gotten to where they are, seeped in a tale of stepping over and on top of anyone they could. We know the stories of the cheaters, the shortcutters, the unprincipled. The ones who achieved their goals by acts that are perhaps unscrupulous or at best questionable.
And then the immediate question becomes if they have gotten to where they are with little or no ramifications – little or no consequence or accountability for how they got there – then why in the world is my approach to goals more important than the goal in the first place?
And when this question is looked at creatively, something very interesting begins to emerge. Because creativity is so in line with who we are as humans – and so innate to our central and unyielding identity, it becomes an expose of truth. Almost like a light onto the darkness where the scary monsters hide.
But what is it that makes us so drawn to stories of the fringe – elements of the occult and strange and immoral?
Why are we drawn to these things? It turns out that our minds are programmed to see the element that does not fit in. Quite naturally, we are programmed to recognize the fringe instead of the everyday glory. Our brains are focused on seeing the margin. The extreme. A pattern of normalcy that is disrupted.
And that prevents us from seeing the everyday hero. And it’s a shame. Because in the regular view – without looking at what is on the nightly news or on your app – you can see the guts, glory and the grit we should instead be recognizing.
And that is why it is so important to understand how we end up pursuing our goals. Because creatively, the path to the goal is a far more noble pursuit than the arrival. Sometimes, the point of a journey is not to arrive. Sometimes, it’s to learn a thing or two along the way. For how you pursue your goals takes on a whole lot more meaning in the long term when viewed creatively.
Because along the way to pursuing your goal, a number of things might happen. You may get derailed. You may miss your goal entirely. Or you may encounter hardship after hardship. Or you may never reach your goal. Most folks don’t. So what are we to do? Quit?
The Creator Mindset allows you to recognize that there is plenty of good you can take away from just about anything. And even when we fall short of our target, there is creative gold there if we are just willing to take a look. Life is full of these stories. Businesses and companies are no different. And the approach to how you deal with things when they go wrong is more important than your preparation for the realization of your goal in the first place. Because in these areas, you will find fuel for real creativity. Real solutions. And real sustainable success.
