Rethinking the Rush to Goal Achievement

Rushing towards results, to reaching our goals often has the opposite effect than what we want. It can start as the promise of possibility in setting the goal, moving into excitement about reaching the goal.  And that excitement and promise can quickly turn into eagerness and urgency to get to the end.  When we don't know what to do with that eagerness and urgency; it turns into rush.  When in rush, you can start to believe you are  behind or will miss out if you don't hurry.   This can lead to discouragement either taking hurried action to "get there faster" or less action because you are "already behind".  And regardless of the reason, rush can actually delay results and always projects an inadequate lens of what's working and what isn't.  

So what is rush all about?  Rush is a symptom of scarcity and unmanaged emotions. 

Let me explain.  With goals it is completely natural to hold hope, belief and excitement alongside fear, doubt and uncertainty.  When setting the goal, the hope, belief and excitement are in the forefront.  When taking steps towards accomplishing the goal, fear, doubt and uncertainty start to move forward.  They can all coexist, and do.  However, if you make it mean something has gone wrong when fear, doubt and worry are louder; you may hear them as a reason to delay or even quit.  And sometimes to hurry up and move forward- rush.  Rush is an attempt to clear uncertainty and an urgency to create more certainty by rushing to the end result. "If I get there faster, I can prove that this is a good idea", or "the right choice" or "I know what I'm doing". But rushing creates anxiety and overwhelm and a sense of being behind, even when you aren't.

I have had the honor of working with many amazing humans facing hard deadlines to accomplish a goal. As soon as rush sets in, time becomes the enemy and they can't see that they are standing right at the door to goal success. They can't see how everything they have done and are doing is working towards the goal. They are often blinded by the judgment of the time they wasted or shame around how long it has taken instead of how all of it is a part of their ultimate goal success story.

That rush can become the lens through which we view where we are in relation to our goal - making a task that takes longer than planned a sign that you'll never get there. A postponed or moved appointment mean that it isn't working. A client cancelling becomes proof it never will. The rush lens tints everything from the perspective that nothing is happening fast enough or well enough and sometimes leads to the belief that it won't.

The antidote? It's to allow your emotions and create certainty. Allowing your emotions doesn't mean ignoring them nor does it mean you wallow in them.  It simply means you allow them to show up and not make them mean anything has gone wrong.  Excitement can be felt and not acted upon.  So can doubt and fear.  Acknowledge that these are normal feelings on the path to achievement.  Remind yourself of what's possible and your belief when setting the goal.  And then create certainty.  The type of certainty that creates results, not the kind that you wait for in the results. The kind that comes from owning your successes and lessons to this point as an example of your ability and capacity to continue to succeed and learn. And then using that certainty to create more by making a solid plan. A roadmap of what it takes to create the result you want including checkpoints along the way to evaluate and adjust as necessary. This type of roadmap is exactly what we create using my proven 3E success method to streamline goal success in The Self Trust Lab, and it's what we use to filter any thoughts about being behind or needing to be in a rush.  That way your picture of where you stand in relation to your goal is accurate and objective, not in response to unmanaged thoughts and feelings.  

Certainty in yourself and certainty in your plan creates better results in the right time, no rushing needed. If you believe you are going to reach your goal, like really believe it, then how do you want to get there? Rushed and frantic trying to beat uncertainty? Or purposeful and intentional following your plan from certainty? Both are available to you. You choose.