One of the key characteristics of highly successful and motivated people is that they practice the fine art of long term thinking. Donald Trump always has had a five year plan. Many successful athletes and business people have commented in interviews about their long-term plans. Many famous football coaches have five year plans that they discuss with the press when they are hired. Of course, most of them are on five year contracts!
I recently read of an Asian businessman who is a multimillionaire. He was being interviewed by a reporter about the plans for his company. The reporter was amazed that the man had a five year and a twenty year plan for his company. The reporter thanked him for the interview and as he was leaving the business man said “Yes, but you haven’t asked me about my “100 year plan”. The businessman had a 100 and a 300 year plan laid out for his company and we wonder why he is so successful?
Go Long
One of the essential ingredients for success and for staying motivated is to have a long-term plan. This will allow you to think long term instead of short term. Think of your life going forward as a giant chessboard. If you were able to stand above the board with a five-year view- would it affect the moves you made? Of course! Long-term thinking is the act of moving many moves ahead. This has an impact on your decisions because they get easier with an eye toward the results in the future not just the present.
Let me give you an example. My wife and I for many years ago wanted a house but we couldn’t afford a down payment on a standard house. Using long- term thinking we found a deal on a small modest townhouse. We made an offer and the offer was accepted. We didn’t want a townhouse at all, but we knew the townhouse was the road to a free standing home later down the road. A few years went by and we sold it and moved into a “regular” house. Using long-term thinking we were able to use the “trade up” theory to finally reach the destination we wanted in the first place. The first house was not the house we always wanted but it was a good step in the right direction. Finally we bought the home we live in today and we could live here the rest of our lives and be happy. The journey from townhouse to the house we really wanted was done in three moves. (Townhouse, House #1, House #2)
If you had to get up very early every day and in order to get the work done, and you had to work late every night in order to finish your work, after a while you would lose your motivation and it would start to fade. However if you know with absolute certainty that in only five years you would be paid one million dollars, you would be willing to do the hard work with that long term thought in mind. You would cheerfully and enthusiastically do the work. That is the magic and motivation of long-term thinking. It is the fuel that keeps you going when others stop.
Let’s take a look at Arnold. You know the Arnold that I mean- the muscle bound body building champion, actor, producer, director of drama and comedic films. He practices long-term thinking and always has. When he was growing up in Austria, he always told his friends “I am going to America to become Mr. Universe and then I am going to be a big movie star in Hollywood.” His friends all laughed at him of course, but Arnold practiced long-term thinking so he just smiled because he had a master plan. He moved to America, became a five time Mr. Universe and a star was born on the silver screen in Hollywood.
This was all accomplished despite hardships and great odds. He had to battle against the handicap of a heavy accent. Next he was told he was good in action films but couldn’t do comedy. Of course he defied all the odds and succeeded beyond all expectations, all because he practiced long-term thinking. Here are some tips on getting started with long-term thinking:
•Take a step back
Pick a quiet part of the day when you can really think without being rushed. Think about your life up to this point. Where have you been? What have you done? What was it that got you there? If you were to draw a map of your life up to this point- what would it look like? Now, look forward and ask yourself the same questions with a forward perspective. Where are you going? What do you want to do? After you answer these questions, use it to formulate a plan and start today.
•Start practicing daily long term thinking
When decisions come up on a daily basis, ask yourself the following question “Does this tie into my long-term plan?” Let’s say you get a call from an old friend who is starting a brand new business venture. He is looking for investors and needs about $20,000.00. The business is a great concept and if it succeeds you can triple your money in one year. If it fails you can lose all your 20K.The question must then be asked does this tie into your long-term plan? Does the money being made tie into your plan? If the money is lost does it affect other long-term plans that you have made? It may relate to a long-term financial plan, a long-term entrepreneurial plan or some other plan that you have. This makes the decision a little easier.
•Look at your life in bigger “chunks”
We have a tendency to calendar our days very tightly and that is a sign of excellent planning and preparation. However the problem with looking at a calendar is that we are looking at next week, next month, but rarely at next year or the next three years. I often ask people in a conversation if the opportunity presents itself about their “five year plan.” When I ask that most people look at me like I am balancing 50 plates on my head. Most people don’t have any idea and 9 out of 10 have never thought about the next five years. I believe that one of the keys to motivation is having the courage to ask the right questions and sometimes, difficult ones. The quality of the answer is only as good as the question.
•Just because you have a long term plan doesn’t mean you can’t change it
At one time in my life I decided I wanted to be an actor. I saw a play and I was truly inspired and decided to change my major to drama. I was in an acting class my senior year and I experienced what I will call a “Lightning Moment.” This is when the obvious strikes you like a powerful thunderbolt and you “get it”. I realized I was sitting in class being taught by a brilliant man who was a British academy award winner. It occurred to me at that very moment that if he couldn’t make a living acting then I knew I couldn’t make it, as an actor, and more importantly, I didn’t want to pursue it. It struck me like a huge universal truth and I changed my long-term plan then and there. It is O.K. to change you plans because after all it is your plan!
•This is messy
Practicing long term thinking and having a plan is messy and it is not perfect. It is a process. You will stumble and start over. You may change your mind, several times. But remember that in order to get motivated and stay motivated you have to be working from a long term thinking mindset. Do you remember the hidden pictures that became popular several years ago? The picture where you stare at it and a long time and eventually a picture “reveals itself?” Long-term thinking is like that. If you keep at it a picture will emerge.
•Be patient
Don’t get frustrated. The essence of long-term thinking is that it is LONG TERM. It is not a sprint, it is a marathon. I get frustrated because today as a society we are in the instant gratification mode and everybody wants everything… now. The reality is that nothing worthy happens quickly. The stars that we all see that are “overnight sensations” have worked for years before they hit the “big time.” As the old saying goes “Rome was not built in a day.” This also applies to a life and a career.
•Visualize
Practice long term thinking by constantly visualizing where you are going. If part of your long-term thinking is to own a big huge mansion, then visualize that big mansion. Where will it be? What will the architecture look like? How big is it? What color will it be? How about the carpet? How about the ceilings? The deck? The pool? You need to visualize that mansion over and over. Better yet find a picture of the mansion of your dreams, cut it out and display it where you can see it. Find a mansion in your town that resembles the dream home you want and drive by and see it every now and then. (just don’t go by too often, you may make them think you are a stalker!)
•Change your language
When you talk out loud or talk to yourself (I know you do) then make sure you are talking in a way that keeps you motivated. Instead of saying “If I become a manager” say, “when I become a manager.” Remember that your subconscious is listening to everything you say and everything you do. Create a positive self expectation that leaves no room for doubt. Just be careful about how you use this technique. Some of the negative people in the world would love to misinterpret what you are saying as “cocky” or as egotistical. Ignore them those people behind that curtain! They dare to question the great and powerful you?
•Set benchmarks
In order to stay motivated, it is important to set benchmarks along the way. If for example you wanted lose fifty pounds, you would be much more motivated if you set benchmarks along the way. It may be benchmarks relating to number of weeks working out, weight loss at the end of one month, number of days on the diet. These benchmarks will let you track your performance along the way; if you walk in baby steps you can be more motivated as you achieve each step. Another idea is to write down the steps to your goal. Let’s say there are 15 steps to reaching the goal. After you have achieved each step you can check it off the list.
So now you can see the utmost importance of long-term thinking. It is valuable and important for a very compelling reason. The reason is that practicing long-term thinking is really the way to make your life count. As most of us know, we only have and the idea is to squeeze it for all it is worth. Ideally when you are older and appreciating the golden years of retirement, you want to look back on your life and say, “Wow… what a life I had and I did some great things.”
To me the biggest tragedy of all is not when someone dies early. The biggest tragedy of all is when someone dies of old age having squandered their maximum potential.
Shawn Doyle is the President of New Light Learning and Development
(http://www.newlightlearning.com) a company specializing in Leadership Development and motivation. He is a sought after motivational speaker and coach.He has also authored five books on leadership sales and motivation. His latest book The Manager’s Pocket Guide to Training has just been published by HRD Press. Sldoyle1@aol.com
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