Accomplishing Goals is as Easy as Breaking it Down into Chunks

I was going to make the title of this post even longer but it would not fit.

I thought about this post as I ran my first marathon on Sunday. The race was an incredible feat, not just because of the length-26.2 miles-but more because of the weather conditions: it rained and was windy for a steady 4.5 hours. IN fact, we only did not have rain from mile 20 to mile 24, and then it began again as I crossed the finish line.

I had a lot of time to think as I ran up and down the PCH with 999 other marathoners and many halfers.

During my run I spent a lot of time thinking about, of course, the race.

Even during my training period I equated running with owning a company. The two are so totally similar. Business ownership is a lot about setting goals and breaking those goals down into steps that need to be tackled before the goal can be accomplished.

I have said a lot of times when writing about business that running a business is a lot like driving and that you need a map if you want to know where you are going to go, how you are going to get there and when you have arrived.

As I ran my race on Sunday I realized that in addition to this map-this set of goals-you also need to understand that a large part of business ownership is breaking down these sets of driving directions into chunks, and focusing on one chunk at a time. These chunks should all lead to the ultimate goal.

When I run long distances, anything over 15 miles, I break my run into chunks. I think this way: Okay, I need to do six miles, and then six miles later I think, Okay, another four and I will be at the pier. Then when I arrive at the pier I think okay, now I only have three to go until I turn up my street. And then when I turn on my street it is Okay, only a few more to go and I will be home, fixing eggs and bacon and visiting my family.

During the race I broke the run into chunks. Okay, if I get to ten miles it is only another ten before I hit twenty. Okay, if I get to seventeen miles i Only have nine more to go. Once I was at twenty I knew I could finish the race, because by then it was six miles, which was broken down into two miles at a time.I mean, anyone can do something for two miles right?

If you have not broken down your company's goals into smaller chunks, it is  time to do so. What is your larger goal? Where do you see your company in one year? Now, break that down into smaller steps. Where can you really be in two months? Five months? Half a year?

If you cannot envision this, it is time to start. Really, you won't get far if you don't know where you are going . . . or once you get there you'll have no idea you have arrived! Get your map in place and start running!