Motivation and focal point: BHAG vs 25 paces

Back in the early ’90’s my girlfriend (now wife) lived in Denver.  I visited (often) from Chicago and we hiked frequently and strenuously.  Being midwestern flatlanders, we took vigorously to bagging prominent peaks, with a focus on Fourteeners.  Even being in our twenties and very fit, these were difficult hikes, often over 15 miles round-trip, with plenty of elevation.  

We would attempt Fourteeners in the summertime, when the days were long, because one needs to summit before noon.  (In the afternoon, the thunderstorms roll in on the mountain tops, no matter how nice it is in the valleys).  So we set off before dawn, around 4:30am.  We would each carry a liter of extra water, find a bush about two or three hours up the trail, and stash/cache the liter so we wouldn’t have to carry it the whole day.  We carried plenty of food, because bonking is just not good when on a big hike.

Other than the outlandish effort, these hikes was straightforward, we had our goal,  resources,  skills, map, milestones, and deadline.  And, unlike the movies and unlike the projects that we face at work, things generally went as planned.  All we had to do was keep walking.

And walking

And walking.

And the combination of fatigue and boredom would be brutal.

At times on these hikes, the destination peak, the “BHAG”* was in view, but no matter how much we walked, it moved no closer.  And so, rather than have my motivation be soured by this optical tyranny of focal point, I would put my head down and look only at the trail 2 feet in front of me for (say) 25 paces.  And then I’d look up.

Frequently, I’d notice a small change in the view of the destination peak.  Maybe the path curved, or dipped, or a tree was in the way.  Or maybe not.  But regardless of the view of the destination peak, in 25 paces, the path itself typically changed in some interesting way.  And I noticed progress.  And by noticing progress, I got a little motivation.  And a little motivation gave me a little  energy.  And so I’d put my head down for another 25 paces.  And repeat the cycle… which gave me a little more progress… etc.

And you can see where this leads.  Straight to achieving the BHAG.  The top of that Fourteener.

The message here is that we need the motivation symbolized by both distances of focal point: the long-range of out toward the peak and the short-range of looking down over 25 paces of trail.  Lacking long-range motivation, our short-range effort will be frittered away in an uncoordinated manner.  Lacking short-range energy, our long-range aspiration will lack the kinetic power to be achieved.

As you plan your 2015, I hope you consider how to manipulate focal point and motivation to your advantage.  (And if you have the chance, I do recommend both of Collins and Porras’ books: Good to Great and Build to Last)

* BHAG := Big Hairy Audacious Goal  a clear and compelling goal with a clear finish line, from the book “Built to Last"