If you are in business, then almost by definition you are goal driven (otherwise you won’t be in business for long).  Goals are important as they give us direction and purpose for our energies. Their size and whether we achieve them or not is a fundamental measure of our progress, growth and success.  Yet it is how we react when we don’t achieve them that determines just how successful we ultimately become.

Anytime we work on achieving a goal, we are acutely aware that there two possible outcomes: we either achieve it or we don’t.  And for most people, the more intensely committed we are to achieving our goal the sweeter the taste of victory when we do, and likewise, the more bitter taste of defeat when we don’t.  As a result, the greater the effort and commitment expended, the more we tend to become attached to tasting the sweet and avoiding the bitter.  This approach makes achieving big goals a rather tense affair, even to the point to where we don’t bother because we can’t stand the possibility of not achieving them.

Now what if we took an entirely different approach to achieving any goal or objective, no matter how big.  Imagine for a moment being totally and completely committed to achieving a big goal where you are giving it everything you got.  And, (this is the important part) not being attached to the outcome.  In other words, you truly become indifferent to the whether your goal is realized or not.  Kind of makes your head hurt doesn’t it.

Being totally committed to every endeavor without being attached to the results of your efforts is one of the most powerful secrets to true and lasting success.  Here’s why:

• You have more energy available to achieve your goal – that’s because you don’t waste any of it on worrying about what will happen if you don’t achieve it;
• You have more creative resources to achieve your goal – being unattached puts you in the present moment like nothing else.  No longer are you concerned about the future.  This empowers you to focus on the “right now” which is where any goal is ultimately achieved.  Also, being in the present allows you to access other creative possibilities that you may not have considered if worrying about the future outcome.
• Failure becomes a stepping stone to success – not a gauntlet of self-doubt and incrimination to be avoided at all costs.
• It’s a lot more fun! – when you are in the moment working on something important without worry of the ultimate outcome you will simply enjoy your efforts that much more.

A straight line from point A to point B is rarely the quickest path.  We often run into many detours, road blocks and alternative routes that at first seem to take us further away from where we want to go.  Yet these are all part of any process to achieve anything worthwhile.  How you react to these unexpected twists and turns and whether you choose to treat them like the adventure they are, or barriers to your progress will ultimately determine how fast and often you reach your goals.

Commitment without attachment to outcome is a skill that can be developed.  Start practicing with small goals first just to see the relief it give you.  Then work up to the big ones –your life will never be the same.