doug smith training

The answer to the question "is there a better way to do it?" is always yes. There are no perfect processes. Our goal is to improve them all. -- doug smith

How many goals can you handle at one time? For me, the number should be single digits. Oh sure, the task list is longer -- dozens of tasks -- but the goals are focused on what I really want. The goals are focused on outcomes that matter to me. I haven't always been able to limit the number this way. It comes in part from years of helping other people achieve their goals, and of even achieving goals given to me that had more to do with what other people wanted than what I wanted. It did tie together. My motivation was (and is) to serve. That can be reason enough. But a list of goals a mile long? There isn't enough time for that. How long is your list of goals? Do you know what you want from each one?  Before you start working on a goal, identify why you want that outcome. What's your motivation? Then, once you've done that, the energy will be there to actually achieve that goal. What do you think? -- doug smith

Do you ever get attached to a problem? Oh, I have. A problem can get so close to you that you don't remember living without it. It can ease its way into the fabric of your life and your work and you develop so many work-arounds that it just seems to fill a void.  You don't need to fill that void. A problem is much easier to solve if you don't fall in love with it. Let go. Look forward. Set a goal. Get busy. -- doug smith

How do I know when I'm wrong? Have you ever thought about that? I know when I'm right -- don't you? But, there's my question. Don't I always feel like I'm right? Why else would I feel what I feel? Why else would I think what I think? There have been times -- well, OK, YEARS when I have clung to an idea that I thought was completely right only to discover later that it was not as clearly right as I thought. Things are usually more complicated than we give them credit for. What once made sense, over time, can take on new meaning or change completely. We're going thru a LOT of that now. Things are changing faster and faster. Ideas are morphing and transforming and fizzling and sizzling all over every day. What do we do with all that?  The more we cling to something that is wrong (inaccurate, unhelpful, disrespectful) the less good it does us or anyone else. Why do we do it? Sometimes, we don't know what we don't know.  It's like a moment in time, on

Who has been your most valuable coach? I've been so lucky to have worked with fabulous, focused coaches. A great coach helps you stay motivated. An attentive coach holds you accountable. I haven't always been happy with what my coaches have had to say, but I have always benefitted from their feedback. We need coaches because it's so easy to neglect our goals. When, what we want, is to work those goals. Keep working. Listen to your coach. -- doug smith

Is there a problem on your mind? What if that problem is just a prompt for a goal? Then you know what to do: - set the goal - get busy -- doug smith

The best goals give you room to breathe. Set a goal. Work the goal. Stay flexible and nimble in the process. The best goals give you room to breathe. What goal are you working on today? -- doug smith