How is your goal-setting in January going? Do you have a feeling that something is missing, but you just can’t put your finger on it? Smart insight!
That’s what happened to a young guy I know. A surprise windfall gave him plenty of end-of-year cash to spend. He already had a truck bookmarked and took his sensible Mom to help with the paperwork.
The truck was just as he described it when they got there: Tricked out and candy apple red. But when Mom walked to the passenger side, she noticed a rust hole. Her son’s enthusiasm had blinded him to a critical detail. No surprise—they quickly left without signing on the dotted line.
What no one tells you about jump-starting your intentions is how important it is to pay attention when your gut whispers that there’s something off. Your instincts are trying to steer you away from rush decisions and distractions. But an a-ha moment doesn’t mean you should cross that goal off your 2022 list. It simply means taking a breather to make sure everything is in order before you go all in—just like that fancy truck.
Let me tell you how an award-winning designer avoided a costly mistake by putting his keen eye for detail to work.
Nate Berkus was elated to get the breakthrough call from the Oprah Winfrey show. At last, an offer transitioning from one-off appearances to a series of small space makeovers!
But the more they talked, the more his stomach churned. The pitch seemed straightforward: They had identified the first location, and Nate would load his journeyman artisans into a van and get them on the road to Boston. That afternoon.
Nate didn’t have a “Hell, yeah!”, even for Oprah. Instead, he gave them a “Yyyyyeah—let me call you back.” That time-out gave him space to figure out what made him so grumpy. Then it hit him—the idea was good, but the structure was unbalanced. After 10 minutes, he calmly called back with a counter-offer.
Instead of Nate scrambling to lock in contractors, Harpo Productions would reach out to a retailer who would identify local tradespeople of the same caliber that Nate used. Harpo would handle all the shoot details, from hiring to contracts and payment. That work split would allow Nate to focus on what he did best: Designing.
Getting the details right the first time paid off—the model was so successful that they kept it for the next 12 years.
You might think setting goals or intentions is about having a vision and then jumping in with both feet. But sometimes, the road to success includes a healthy push-back—whether that’s walking away from a beautiful truck with a rust hole or, like Nate Berkus, speaking up for yourself in a situation that isn’t equitable. Thinking less-than results will magically improve will take you in the wrong direction. If the details aren’t right from the start, you’ll eventually rewind or reboot. And you don’t need that kind of frustration!
Pushing back can feel awkward, but soft skills can help. Lean on a positive sense of self as well as what your instincts are telling you to make a wise choice. Here are three ways to practice:
Even though we’ve just started a new year, your passions may be shouting to get going, or you might be watching someone else’s results on social media. But whenever you feel like jumping ahead this week, remind yourself that the year has only begun. There’s plenty of time to refine, review, adjust, and get it right.