This is such a seductive phrase. “I am going to…” makes us feel confident that we are a person of action. That’s what everyone says we are supposed to do. So we become comfortable in thinking that we are doing the right thing in the right way.
Then we do something. Our results sometimes are good, other times fair, and many times poor. But we don’t really stop and grade ourselves. Being distracted, we just move on to the next thing and hope for better outcomes.
One of the most difficult things to do is to question how we are going to do something. Are we taking the right steps? Do we have the necessary skills to do what we say we are going to do? Are we missing something that will lead us to fail?
Just today, I talked to someone who is knowledgeable in selling at a specific trade show. He shared with me some techniques that I had never used, in the way he was suggesting, yet I have sold at trade shows for many years.
You see, “I am going to…” is full of possibility but also full of uncertain outcomes. It is as dangerous as every time we say “I know” for as I age, I find that we never really totally know.
The steps we take when we say “I am going to” are never perfect. We can re-arrange them, substitute for some of them, or take totally different ones the next time we say “I am going to…..” to reach a certain outcome and then make the necessary adjustments.
The leverage comes when we are able to talk to someone who has had greater success in reaching the type of outcome we are looking to enjoy and having the humility to listen as we share with them what we did when we said “I am going to….”
I’ve seen many who share but don’t listen or adjust. What they miss out on is the exploration for expanding both your skills and life if only you would try what you have been told.