The ability to take meaningful action is required if anything (and we do mean anything) is going to change in your life.
Whether you are in the throes of life changes, holiday demands, or leading into your career future, as executive coaches for a combined 40+ years, we’ve seen the difference that meaningful action can make in the lives of individuals, and in the trajectory of organizations.
Most of us know how to see what’s wrong. Our brains scan for that. For much of human existence, it’s what kept us alive. The difference between the most successful people and less successful people is seeing what’s wrong and then taking meaningful action to do something about it.
What do we mean by meaningful action?
Simply put, meaningful action is a series of steps or activities that bring you closer to a desired outcome.
Yes, it’s that simple but not always easy. Staying the course can be challenging especially when you haven’t articulated what you want to change and the steps to achieve your desired outcome.
For example, we worked with a client, Julie, who was very unhappy in her work setting. She had a boss who wasn’t very skilled as a manager and as a result our client believed that she wouldn’t ever be able to progress in that organization. Julie came to us exasperated by feelings of helplessness and anger.
In our first meeting, we determined that Julie’s goal was to advance to a more challenging and strategic role in the organization. And when we looked at what she was doing, she realized that instead of taking meaningful action she had gotten sidetracked by being angry with her boss.
She had made the feeling of being angry with her boss a full-time job—she devoted lots of attention to the ways that she had been slighted and the ways her boss was mismanaging the organization.
Julie was busy being angry, but she wasn’t taking meaningful action to make a difference in her life.
Julie worked with us over the course of a year and made significant changes in her life and work experience because she started taking meaningful action. As a result, she worked her way into a new role and set a new trajectory for herself that she continues to enjoy today.
She’s a strong leader and she no longer wastes time being angry with what isn’t working. Instead she gets clear about her objectives and establishes meaningful action steps that get things done.
Do a quick scan of your life and make sure that you’re taking meaningful action to get yourself to where you want to go in big ways as well as in your day-to-day. If you’re not, spend some time mapping the steps you need to take to reach your desired outcome. It’s time.
If you find yourself unable to take those first steps, give us a holler. We’re here to help.
Hugs,
Your Coaches and Allies at Carpenter Smith Consulting
Need more guidance on how to take action towards your goals? Click to see how we could be your accountability partner.