… assuming, of course, you’re goin’ somewhere…

[Note from the Proprietor: As you can see, this is part 1 (obviously) of a short series on the topic of Big Change. Part 2 is, as they say in the movies, "coming soon".]

How do we get where we’re going, anyway? Come to think of it; how do we get anywhere?

Oh, sure; we make plans all the time – map out strategies, set goals, etc., etc., ad nauseum. But what if the goals you set are a bit too big to accomplish all in one go? What do you do? Move on to something else? Give up? What?

[I heard this story a while back from a fellow who claims it actually happened. Being a somewhat trusting soul, I believed him; after all, he IS a consultant. Er, come to think of it, so am I. In any case, it makes a great point. Trust me.]

Some time back, Don (the name has been changed, not to protect his identity, but because – the ol’ brain cells bein’ what they are these days – I can’t remember it *sigh*) had an important appointment at a small manufacturing facility somewhere in the mountains of central Tennessee. The nearest airport was Memphis (located on the western end of the state), which meant he’d have to drive for some distance through unfamiliar territory.

He did his best to prepare, getting directions and downloading maps of the area. Thus, when he arrived, he headed out with confidence. Unfortunately (as so often happens in life), and despite the helps, he took a wrong turn somewhere along the way and managed to get himself completely lost.

Anyway, after driving around for a while without another car in sight (somehow, he managed to get on some obscure back road), he finally came across a small wood-framed house on the side of the road. An old man sat on the front porch in a somewhat weather-beaten rocking chair, puffing away at a corncob pipe.

With some relief, Don pulled up to the house and got out of the car.

The old man took his pipe out of his mouth and blew a huge cloud of smoke. “Howdy, young man,” he said amiably. “Kin ah he’p ya?”

Don pulled out his map and joined the old fellow on the porch. “I hope so,” he replied. “I wonder if you can tell me where I am?” Together they spent some time looking at the map. Alas, it turned out the old fellow couldn’t read very well; he wasn’t much help.

“If ya don’t mind my asking,” the man finally said, “where ya goin’? There ain’t much up in these here parts worth visitin’, less’n yer a hunter.”

Don told him, “I’m looking for the XYZ facility; I have an appointment there in about an hour. I tried using my cell phone, but these mountains block the reception and I can’t get through to anyone.” [Note: the XYZ facility makes alphabet soup.]

The old man looked at him in surprise. “Oh, ah know that place,” he said. “Ah kin tell ya how to get there.” [OK; I made that up about the soup.]

Well, at least he didn’t say, “you can’t get there from here”, Don thought to himself. Aloud he said, “Great! I’d appreciate the help. Just let me get something to write on and I’ll be right back.”

The man quickly replied, “No need fer that, son; it’s ra’ht easy.” He stood up and used his pipe to point back the way Don had just come. “Ya take that thar’ road and ya go three C’s until ya come to a crossroads. Then ya go left fer one C and yer there.”

Don just looked at him blankly. “Three C’s? Gee, that’s a new one on me. How far is a C?”

The old fellow smiled. “Oh, that’s right; ya ain’t from around here. Well, young feller, a ‘see’ means ‘as fer as ya kin see’. So what ya do is, ya get on this here road, and when ya get to the top of that thar’ hill – well, as fer as ya kin see is what we call a see.” He looked at him and smiled. “Ya see?”

Comprehension dawned. “Ah, I get it. If I do that three times, turn left and do it once more, I’ll be there, right?”

“Yep,” the old man replied, sitting back down and reinserting his pipe. “Good luck,” he added, resuming his rocking.

Don thanked the man, got back in his car, and drove off, still harboring his doubts. But since he had no better ideas, he decided to follow the old man’s suggestion. To his amazement, three ridges later he spotted a crossroads ahead. Turning left and topping the next ridge, he was gratified to see the facility he’d been searching for about a half mile away.

That old fellow knew what he was talking about after all! He made his appointment with time to spare.

Long Story; Short Point

If you’ve set yourself a big, hairy, audacious goal (that’s a BHAG, don’cha know), then good for you! Having at least one going at any given time can be a good thing; it helps to keep you from getting too __________ (pick one or both: comfortable, complacent).

The only thing, though; BHAGs can be a mite overwhelming, if you know what I mean. Consequently, you can’t just finish ‘em off in one single step. Hey, I understand perfectly; it’s the nature of the beast.

For instance, let’s say you… want to write a book. (I’d say that certainly qualifies as a BHAG.) Now, would you immediately sit down and start to write? Of course not! (Unless, of course, it was for NaNoWriMo.) That’s because writing a book takes planning, outlining, research, etc, right? Most BHAGs are like that.

So what to do?

Well, you have to break the BHAG down into easily achievable steps. Take the excellent advice of our unknown mountain man: just go for a ‘see’. Once you get that far, go for another – then another. Don’t worry so much about the big, hairy, audacious part; just concentrate on getting to the top of that next ridge. Then rinse and repeat as needed. I think you’ll find that as you accomplish each little step, then what to do next usually becomes obvious, while the rest of them kinda line themselves right up for you! Pretty cool, actually.

So how about it, folks? Let’s say I’ve got a big ol’ BHAG right here in front of me (actually, it’s the one I used as an example up there: I’d like to write a book), and I’m having some trouble getting started. Hey, I’m listenin’; what would your advice be?

[As I mentioned at the top there; this is Part 1; stay tuned for Part 2!]