[caption id=“attachment_1859” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo, NM[/caption] Working on 5-10 goals and not making much progress on any one?

Stop working on nearly all of them. Instead, focus on 1-2 wildly important goals.¹

Here’s why.

How broad is your beam?

Most people, most of the time, try to do too much. Accomplishing anything takes time and energy, and your time and energy are both limited resources. The more goals you’re working toward simultaneously, therefore, the less you’ll move the needle on any one goal.

[caption id=“attachment_1851” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] Photograph 035 by Lauren Mancke found on minimography.com[/caption] You probably don’t like conflict at work.

Most people don’t. Conflict is stressful! Even minor disagreements with friendly colleagues can be difficult to navigate, especially when tempers flare.

While conflict can be frustrating, it’s often a good thing: it helps teams work out kinks in the plan and brings long-simmering feelings to the surface, where they can be acknowledged and addressed.

[caption id=“attachment_1833” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] This schedule turned out to be a little optimistic.[/caption]

Don’t begin the activities of your day until you know exactly what you plan to accomplish. Don’t start your day until you have it planned. — Jim Rohn, Leading an Inspired Life

Are you crazy busy yet constantly behind on the really important stuff? Help is on the way. Read on.

If you’ve ever given a speech or performed for an audience, you know how hard it can be to gauge how you’re coming across.

Writing a blog is the same way. It’s surprisingly difficult to know what your readers are finding useful. What’s resonating with people? What are they tired of reading about? What would they like to see in the future?

In other words, how can I add value to my readers’ lives?

[caption id=“attachment_1793” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] On the road to Cloudcroft, NM[/caption] We all know John F. Kennedy’s most famous quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

This isn’t just advice for being a good citizen. Paraphrased, it’s excellent career advice: “Ask not what the world can offer you—ask what you can offer the world.”¹

This idea is a great guiding principle when considering larger career moves, but in this post, let’s consider its usefulness as a day-to-day philosophy.