Zoom Out To Meet Your Goals: Refocus on the Big Picture When You Get S

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Zoom out to meet your goals

Refocus on the big picture when you get stuck

Perspective and encouragement to the perfectionists, high achievers, and over achievers among us

Two hikers walking together side by side on their journey through life, just like coaching with Move with Courage Coaching

Written by Coach Tina

Last Updated: 07/11/2024

If you are an achiever, you are no stranger to the SMART goal, and you would probably cite your calendar app and weekly planning habits as key to managing your time, and your success.

We all know that the key towards success and fulfillment is having a goal and having a plan. The more specific the goal the better, that way you can measure and keep an eye on your progress. This can also be helpful as you can estimate when the outcome can be delivered.

Nothing new here- it’s that sort of common sense idea that we all know on some level.

In my life I have gone through phases of this, and it has indeed helped me. Whether it was practicing for my college violin auditions, improving my teaching, writing my Masters thesis, getting healthy, or increasing my business’s revenue- measurable goals, strategic planning, and daily accountability have got me there.

There have been times where those goals do the opposite.

They demotivate, they nag, they highlight the lack of outcomes.

They feel short sighted, limiting, and even impossible!

Imagine it, you’re rewriting your resume to begin a new career after being laid off.

As you type you’re thinking, “Ok once I finish this resume, I’ll send it out, and then I’ll get an interview, then I’ll have a new job, then things will be OK.” This reminder feels motivating at first- keeping you focused. However, after repeating this process for a while with little success, your frustration and impatience escalates your tone to vaguely frantic- “I gotta get a job! I need to finish this now so I can get a job! The bills are piling up as I type!”

Your palms sweat, your heart races, and you still don’t have that job.

Your worrying starts to connect with your fear of what is not known- “Am I hirable?

Am I wasting time? Is this all for nothing? Is this even possible?”

The cycle restarts each time you remember you still don’t have a job.

Before you know it, your resume is still not done and your outlook and your confidence have taken a hit. And it’s only been 2 weeks...

Logic will tell you- this process takes time! The average hire spends 5–6 months going through their complete job hunting process. Some deep part of you knows this.

But the fearful and frustrated part of you has a louder voice.

Zoomed in to goals- what happened?

After zooming in and hyper focusing on your goal to yourself and not seeing progress, your voice escalated to frustration, fear, and worry. Focusing on the outcome you want is hard to do without feelings- especially when this outcome is tied to feelings and fears about our self worth, and very practical pressures like finances and the future.

How can we not be affected by this? How do we not focus on the outcome?

Because your attachment to the outcome is high, you don’t need to be reminded of what you want, and what will happen when you don’t get it. You know in every inch of your body and soul that you need that new job. You probably stay awake thinking about this, and if you fall asleep, you probably even have worry dreams about it! You don’t need a reminder, you won’t forget.

All of those repeated reminders will demotivate as you type, and focus you on what you don’t have yet, creating that feeling of desperation and grief.

Instead of zooming in your focus to a goal, you need to zoom out to focus on where you are going- your path, or your direction.

Tap into the wise part of you that has a vision and a plan for your life. That part of you can see the whole path, and the patience and resilience needed to navigate it.

Zoom out- Focus on your path instead of your performance

Instead of thinking “I need a job now! I need to finish this resume NOW so I can move forward and meet my goals tomorrow!”

What if you took a step back and thought about the birds eye view of your path:

“I am moving towards my next phase in my life. Each step brings me closer to where I will be. I am moving in the right direction, and I will do my best to make one small step a day towards where I want to be.”

Your mind would clear, as you are reminded that you are moving in the right direction.

Your heart will ease, as you remember you are doing your best, and you can be no more than you already are.

Your focus will move from what you don’t have, to where you are now- you are here, and you are moving towards where you want to be, in the best way you know how.

Your vision will be focused on the desired experience of where you want to be- reinforcing a positive connection to your path.

And all of this relaxed strength will free your brain and heart up to complete that resume, and begin preparing for the interview, where you will bring this relaxed, assured strength into your next career!

I have seen this many times- coaching clients performing at much higher rates when they held to their intention over holding to their goal. The intention gave them enough wiggle room to go above and beyond what a specific and committed goal task could do- working towards the outcomes they wanted because they were more connected and aligned with their direction.

It is also true that sometimes we need that accountability and structure of the more formal goals, and sometimes being as narrow, specific, and consistent as you can is the best way there.

But other times, when we are very attached to the outcome and feel urgency- we need to connect with our belief in our journey more. This is where this thought helps:

“I am moving in the right direction.

I might accidentally step incorrectly, but I will fix it and continue on my path forward, which is the right direction for me. Where I am headed is what is important and valuable to me, and represents the best part of who I am.”

Because we use goals for a wide range of efforts- from weight loss to quitting smoking, to job performance, to starting a business- we bring multiple emotions, motivations, and attachments to these goals. It becomes clear that we need more than 1 approach in our goal toolbox. What has worked for one project may not work for another, and what once motivated you may not now!

The next time you find yourself in one of these positions, consider the following:

Questions to ask to find out if you need to zoom in to your goal or zoom out to your direction:

1.How emotionally attached am I to the outcome? (Very attached? Direction. Less attached? Goal)

2. Am I leaning my success or happiness on one outcome?

(Yes- Direction. No-Either!)

3. Do I need this broken down into smaller steps so I know where to start? What are those steps? (Yes- Goal. No-Direction)

4. Am I hyper focused on each detail? Do I panic if a detail is wrong? (Yes- Direction. No-Goal)

5. Do I feel pressure to complete this now, bully myself to hurry, and feel frustrated it’s not done? (Yes- Direction and a hot bath, No-goals)

6. Do I feel pressured to go to the next thing, and not celebrate the win I just had? (Yes, Direction and a celebration, No-Goals)

Closing Encouragement & Perspective

Don’t be afraid to change your plan if it’s not working for you. Remember every goal has a different connection to our thoughts, feelings, wants, and experience, and might need a different strategy. It could be feedback that you are sitting too close to the issue or maybe too far away. It could also be that your goal is not reflective of your direction, or maybe that your direction isn’t aligned with who you truly are. Either way remember that you are the expert on your life and where you want it to go, and take courage in your steps towards your right direction!

About:

Coach Tina enjoys zooming out to look at earth and our life in it, and zooming in to look at heart led character and leadership. Maybe this is because she began life as a Type B big picture thinker, learned to be a Type A details thinker to perform at a high level, and is gradually reclaiming her Type B roots, which feels the most natural. Her favorite people are those that are kind, thoughtful, achievers who lead themselves and others with courage and heart. These are the leaders the world needs!