You've hit on the key challenge of this idea – making sure "direction" doesn't just become a "vague goal." The distinction is subtle but crucial, and examples are a great way to explore it.
Here are a few:
Example 1
Goal: Run a marathon by the end of the year. This is a specific target. You either do it or you don't.
Direction: To be a person who moves their body consistently and enjoys physical activity. This direction guides daily choices. Today, that might mean a power walk, tomorrow a bike ride, and so on. It doesn't preclude running the marathon, but the direction remains available even if you get injured and can't run the marathon.
Example 2
Goal: Launch three new features by the end of the quarter. This is a specific, measurable output. And, again, you either accomplish it or you don't.
Direction: Build a product that is simple, flexible, and reliable. This is an actual example from one of my own projects. This direction has sometimes meant that we develop a specific feature, but other times that we deliberately avoid building a feature (if, for example, it will take away from our product's simplicity). Yet other times, it has meant that we invest in developing instructional material to help our customers use the existing product more flexibly.
Example 3
Goal: Write a book.
Direction: Do deep work exploring and sharing about topic [X] . I am currently engaged in just such a project (since early May). Each day, I write for at least two hours about [X], and dedicate at least one hour to read about [X]. With this direction, I have amassed nearly 100 pages worth of book material. But if I decide against -- or if circumstances don't allow -- the creation of a book, I will still publish this material in other forms. In other words, I hold myself accountable for the quality and quantity of my daily effort heading in my chosen direction, and not for whether a book results from it.
Example 4
Goal: Achieve profitability within the first year.
Direction: To build a financially sustainable company for the long term. This direction might lead you to reinvest early profits back into the company to strengthen its foundation, thereby delaying personal profitability. It prioritizes long-term resilience over a short-term financial milestone. This is another example from my own ventures.
I do not mean to imply that the above examples are the only way to accomplish good outcomes, but that our daily habits, processes, and incremental improvements (informed by the direction we choose) more often than not lead to good outcomes that weren't necessarily goals that we set far in advance.
Please let me know if this helps clarify things for you.
Alternatively, you can email me your goals and "vague" directions, and we can review them in depth.
You've hit on the key challenge of this idea – making sure "direction" doesn't just become a "vague goal." The distinction is subtle but crucial, and examples are a great way to explore it.
Here are a few:
Example 1
Goal: Run a marathon by the end of the year. This is a specific target. You either do it or you don't.
Direction: To be a person who moves their body consistently and enjoys physical activity. This direction guides daily choices. Today, that might mean a power walk, tomorrow a bike ride, and so on. It doesn't preclude running the marathon, but the direction remains available even if you get injured and can't run the marathon.
Example 2
Goal: Launch three new features by the end of the quarter. This is a specific, measurable output. And, again, you either accomplish it or you don't.
Direction: Build a product that is simple, flexible, and reliable. This is an actual example from one of my own projects. This direction has sometimes meant that we develop a specific feature, but other times that we deliberately avoid building a feature (if, for example, it will take away from our product's simplicity). Yet other times, it has meant that we invest in developing instructional material to help our customers use the existing product more flexibly.
Example 3
Goal: Write a book.
Direction: Do deep work exploring and sharing about topic [X] . I am currently engaged in just such a project (since early May). Each day, I write for at least two hours about [X], and dedicate at least one hour to read about [X]. With this direction, I have amassed nearly 100 pages worth of book material. But if I decide against -- or if circumstances don't allow -- the creation of a book, I will still publish this material in other forms. In other words, I hold myself accountable for the quality and quantity of my daily effort heading in my chosen direction, and not for whether a book results from it.
Example 4
Goal: Achieve profitability within the first year.
Direction: To build a financially sustainable company for the long term. This direction might lead you to reinvest early profits back into the company to strengthen its foundation, thereby delaying personal profitability. It prioritizes long-term resilience over a short-term financial milestone. This is another example from my own ventures.
I do not mean to imply that the above examples are the only way to accomplish good outcomes, but that our daily habits, processes, and incremental improvements (informed by the direction we choose) more often than not lead to good outcomes that weren't necessarily goals that we set far in advance.
Please let me know if this helps clarify things for you.
Alternatively, you can email me your goals and "vague" directions, and we can review them in depth.