It’s amazing, the number of people who can get their priorities straight. Amazingly few, that is. People seem to need a lot of help understanding what their purpose in life really is. This lack of clarity as to purpose in life always translates into fuzzy career and business purpose statements as well. Goals for the current times and seasons become blurred and in many cases unrealistic. Everyone seems to know the “Time Management” quadrants, including Stephen Covey’s, but so few actually apply what they claim to know.

Knowing our purpose in life and living it forms the raison d’etre for our businesses. This then translates into having what we all know as “S.M.A.R.T.” goals. Now, goals are appropriate in so far as they are expressions of our raison d’etre. If they are allowed to become anything else, we will soon become enslaved to goals that may no longer be relevant. For example, a CEO may desire to have “work-life balance” and purpose to have a goal of leaving the office at 5 pm every working day no matter what. This works out fine if the CEO has young children, but may become irrelevant as the children grow up, start going to school and have their own schedules. What should have been “work-life harmonization” then translates into a policy of “I must leave the office by 5 pm every working day”. If the environment, purpose and circumstances have changed, the “goals” should change as well. Most people can’t handle this well. They get stuck trying to fulfill goals that serve no useful purpose any more. Goals need to be adjusted or even totally changed when necessary.

Well, do take a look at:

1. What is your purpose in life? Has that been translated into how you conduct your business?
2. What are your current goals? Are they updated?
3. Do you know the times and seasons? Is what you are doing appropriate to the season?

I trust it would help you get some useful handles on your business.