I was on vacation the past 5 days in Cape Charles, Va.
Here’s an aerial image of Cape Charles=>
It’s the best kept secret in vacation towns so I shouldn’t even be telling you this! It’s a sleepy little beach town on the southern tip of the Chesapeake Bay. It’s not overrun with tourists. There are just a few restaurants, a couple ice cream shops and a beautiful beach. The kids love it because they can walk out 100 yards and it’s still only a few feet deep. Parents love it because it’s easy. You can drive everywhere in a golf cart or a beach cruiser.
Trips like this remind me why we do what we do.
You don’t go to work to work. You go to work so that you can have amazing experiences– like catching a sting ray off the dock or kayaking around the Chesapeake Bay.
We all want to get ahead. We want to make more money, get the raise, feel more significant. And you know what you have to do to get there. (You think you don’t, but you do!)
You have to get clear on your goals and then stay hyper-focused on attacking your goals every day. Every moment.
But we don’t. We lose focus . We lose focus when we’re in the middle of another workday or traffic jam or when we fail at getting the promotion or lose the sale or somehow screw up. Every time you get sucked down a rabbit hole of self-pity or the time suck of internet wasteland, you’re taking time away from what really matters most.
Family.
At least, that’s what matters most for me. Everything I do is in some way tied back to them. In fact, writing this post is part of it. It’s part of my content creation strategy that is helping to build this business that is giving me the freedom to do more of what I love. It’s giving me the platform to show my children that you can live your passion. It’s keeping me accountable to myself that I must stay focused on my goals– the right goals– so that I can create the life that I want for my family.
Because I’m so clear on my goals I am able to stay focused, even while on vacation.
I worked out every morning in Cape Charles. I managed to record a short podcast episode (this 6-minute SUDDEN SUCCESS episode (on How to Not Suck at Stuff ). And then I was able to shut down the outside world and focus on my wife, Ali, my kids, my parents, my sisters, brother-in-law and nieces and nephew.
It was bliss.
The more you stay focused at work– at life– the more bliss you experience.
Take the time today– or maybe over vacation this summer– to get clear on your goals so you can live a focused life.
Download the Goal Setting Template here.