Persistence or Reinvention? 10 Ways to Explore Your Direction

One of the common themes I see professionals struggle with time and again is when it makes sense to persist in pursuing a goal and when it makes sense to try something new.

Unfortunately, the lines between persistence and reinvention can sometimes get “smudged”; however, there’s an exploratory process I like to use with clients when they’re feeling stuck about their direction. 

Ask yourself these 10 questions and explore whether you might be pushing against a slab of wood with a lock and a peephole that won't budge or whether it makes sense to hang in there and just try something different.

I've also included a 1-minute audio coaching tip for each of the questions to help you take your exploration a bit further.

1.  What barriers and roadblocks are in the way of achieving your goal?

One Minute Coaching Tip

2.  What 3 actions have you taken in the last week to move your goal forward?

One Minute Coaching Tip

3.  Do you sense that your original goal might be flawed?

One Minute Coaching Tip

4.  Do you struggle with the execution of your goal?

One Minute Coaching Tip

5.  What resources have you tapped to meet your current challenge?

One Minute Coaching Tip

6.  Does your original goal still put “color in your cheeks” when you think about it?

One Minute Coaching Tip

7.  Do you sense that something “bigger” is missing from your original goal? 

One Minute Coaching Tip

8.  What small thing could you do today to rejuvenate your original goal and rekindle the passion of the past? 

One Minute Coaching Tip

9.  Does boredom factor into whether or not to continue pursuing your goal?

One Minute Coaching Tip

10. If money wasn’t an issue, would you still pursue your original goal?

One Minute Coaching Tip

What other questions have worked for you in the past either as a coach or someone who has engaged the services of a professional coach or mentor?

Comments

[Dee McCrorey]

Thanks Troy! I see that your interest in innovation offers some great tips, techniques and interviews...sounds like we could use a Carnival of Innovation, eh?

[Troy Worman]

Dee! This is an awesome list of questions. I wish I had seen it sooner.

[Dee McCrorey]

Hey there Jenn!

Good to hear from you again and thanks for the resource--I'll definitely check out Dr. Maurer's book...

Glad you found my questions useful! I'm all about leveling the playing field :)

Here's what I did/used to record these tips:

1. I used Cubase (a higher end application) for recording. There's free apps such as Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

2. I exported as Wav file and uploaded to AudioAcrobat where it was automatically converted to an MP3...AudioAcrobat gives you other options such as recording from your computer or telephone. Check them out at http://www.audioacrobat.com

3. I added the code to the blog post and voila!

Stay tuned. This week I plan on another post (or two)on keeping the Blogher connections alive...

[Jenn]

great questions!

Might I recommend a book also,
"One Small Step Can Change Your Life" by Dr. Philip Maurer. He has based his methods on studying success and Japanese Kaizen approach to manufacturing.

and How are you doing your audio?
--Jenn (from Blogher)