What, not How

Everyone has goals. Even if your goal is to not have serious goals, you still have to make choices and accomplish things in order for that to happen. With goals come methods, which are of course important. But sometimes, we get so bogged down in the methods that we start caring more about them than we do accomplishing the goal. By shifting to a more results oriented way of thinking and working, you stay focused on what matters: the goal.

Your Way

We all have our own ways of doing things. And on some level, they tend to work. They have to, or we wouldn't keep using them. But often times we get hung up on things needing to be done our way. After all, if it gets done our way, that means we had the right right idea. That we're smart, that we're the best. Right?

Only if it actually works, which isn't nearly as often as we probably would like to think. It working doesn't just mean the job got done. There are plenty of ways to get the job done. But if you avoided or ignored a better way just because it was someone else's idea or method, that is purely your pride speaking.

Swallow your pride, and learn from the ways and methods of others. Yes, even the people you don't like. In fact, ESPECIALLY the people you don't like. We are often so focused on disliking someone and WANTING to think they are worse than us at absolutely everything that we refuse to learn anything from them. Stop making this mistake immediately. You'll be amazed at how much more you pick up.

Focusing on the Results

In the end, the only thing that matters is that you get the results you need. How you get them, as long as you're not breaking the law or doing something flagrantly immoral, is largely irrelevant. 

Always look for ways to innovate your process, even if it means completely abandoning something you came up with and were proud of what. Your great idea was great at the time. Wonderful. There's always something better out there. And if there isn't yet, congratulations, you get to find it. Even if that means putting your past glory to shame.

The point is, only getting the job done matters. If you're not taking shorter and shorter routes toward better and better results, you're allowing yourself to get stagnant, lazy, and complacent. Focus on what you're accomplishing, not how it gets accomplished.  

How Well do you Adapt

As always, I want to hear from all of you. Tell us about a time that you swallowed your pride and did something the way that worked, even if it wasn't your preferred way.