We are bent on getting what we want, but sometimes it’s too much about us. Meaning, we have needs, desires and goals that are important, but sometimes they feel too selfish to justify – so we either do them and feel guilty after, or we abandon them and feel cheated later. Is there a better option? Yup.
Last time, we talked about putting more meaning into the things we do and the goals we set. I tied meaning into giving something to someone. We took a step further to create the ultimate win-win for us by connecting the things we love to do with helping others. To read that article, click here.
Creating meaningful goals has a lot to do with striking a balance somewhere between “lofty” and reasonable. If you are a true dreamer, you will hate this article. I know, there’d be no iPhone, no Amazon, no Facebook – without the “dreamer” dreaming. But let’s pull the curtain back a bit; every inspirational dream has a process with steps and goals. And if you want to know what to expect from an effort, you need a reference point based on comparative data. That’s when benchmarking is important and meaningful.
Benchmarking is described as “the process of comparing one’s business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and best practices from other companies. Dimensions typically measured are quality, time, and cost.” (Wikipedia) But benchmarking is not just for business.
I love Strava. Strava is a social fitness network that uses GPS data to track cycling and running exercises. It’s free too. And it allows benchmarking. For example, today on one portion of a community bicycle training ride, I completed a portion of the ride [called a segment] and was told that I ranked 76 out of 9,574 riders on that segment. That is in the top 20%. But, when compared to riders my age and gender, I was number 7 overall. What’s my point? Meaningful goal setting and achievement gets REALLY MOTIVATING when you understand who and what to compare it to.
Once you’ve benchmarked, you can set your expectations accurately BEFORE you drill down on the details – which we will talk about next.
And speaking of benchmarks, let’s all hope the U.S. 30 year treasury bond yield doesn’t fall below 2%!
Punch line? Some people are too pie in the sky when it comes to setting goals, while others have no real objective approach to achieving success. Benchmarking helps us gain better perspective for setting and achieving meaningful goals. Do the homework!
This is part three of a ten-part series taken directly from “The Rewired Group – Coaching Experience“.