Successful People Focus on Outcomes

I am always surprised by the number of people I come across in work and life who seem to meander through life frustrated through their lack of success. They are not achieving their dreams and aspirations. A key reason, I discover, without exception, is that they do not have an outcome in mind when they start. No outcome means you can end up anywhere - often nowhere near where you want to be.

And I’m not just talking about big outcomes.

Big outcomes are made of little ones. No Olympic athlete or successful entrepreneur or star student gets to the top without setting and achieving hundreds, if not thousands, of smaller outcomes along the way. They understand that each big outcome relies on the success of all the smaller outcomes that lead up to it. They know they must be their best and do their best to control their outcome - each time.

I’m sure when you think about it, there have been times in your life when you achieved something you really wanted because you had an outcome in mind and were committed to it. What you focused on you brought on.

You were driven.

You wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Your ‘why’ was strong so the how became so much easier.

However, if you’re like me, there have equally been times when you have not achieved what you wanted.

Why?

Sadly, some people can be inconsistent when it comes to setting and controlling their outcomes. And that makes for a very staggered life. They have many ups and downs - up when they have an outcome in mind and down when they don’t.

Sound familiar?

The more you can control the odds, the more the outcome is in your favour. The greater your clarity and commitment to your outcome, the more in control you will be of the result.

When I’m coaching - be it swimmers or clients - I always make sure they understand their KYs:

Know Your Outcome - what you ultimately want to get. Be it just a goal for the day or for a lifetime, I do this for meetings, phone calls, workouts etc.

Know Your Self - your strengths, values, purpose, limitations etc. The better you know yourself, the better you know what you are capable of.

Know Your Stuff - to the best of your ability, what skills, talents, experience, and knowledge need to be applied. Maximize your resources to maximize your results.

Understanding and establishing your KYs helps you to understand your route ahead and where you need to adjust and/or seek help to control and ultimately achieve your outcome.

The more you know your outcome, the better you can control your outcome.