SALES IDEA OF THE MONTH
Goal Posts on Wheels
By: Michael Aun, FIC, LUTCF, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame
Past President – Central Florida NAIFA
Out here in the real world we keep score. It is what free enterprise is all about, i.e., winning and losing. How do things change when the goal posts keep getting moved?
Rigging the rules is nothing new. It happens multiple times a day in politics. One could make the argument that is what politics is all about. Still, it never made it right.
What do we say to our offspring when we constantly move the goal posts? Afterall, it is difficult to score when you cannot define it accurately. Moreover, how do we define happiness if we constantly rig the rules?
So that this does not get too confusing, we all must start our day with reasonable expectations. Life is unfair and yes… the goalposts will move regardless of how high or low you set your own hopes.
Just like in football, goals become critical to all success in life. And if we learned nothing more from the NFL playoffs this year, you could spend all game long moving the ball up and down the field and not score. Just ask Aaron Rodgers.
“First-est with the most-est” was what my old high school coach J.W. Ingram used to say. Often that requires a reset or adjustment. The great ones in football call “audibles” at the line of scrimmage to change the play, usually because of something he sees on the defense.
Wouldn’t that be moving the goal posts? Who says you must go with the play you “thought” would work in the huddle?
Life is a series of restarts. Do not cry about it. Nobody cares about your excuses and reasons. Sometimes, ready, fire aim is the best approach.
As opposed to hoping there is truth in reaching your goal (like an innocent child trying to take their first step) you must admire the humility and honor that prevails in their effort.
What if we just changed our perspective and saw the goalposts as mere steppingstones to even greater heights? What if the greatest lesson we learn from that challenge is that we would be raising our own game regardless of the process?
(MORE)
The great dual sport star Bo Jackson said: “Set your goals high and do not stop till you get there?” I take some exception to that. I would suggest set your goals “too high” because you might satisfactorily stop with accepting mediocrity instead of excellence.
Focus is the key to all goals. Too many targets confuse the issue, which makes focus even more relevant. Among other things, goals give us purpose and meaning in life.
To be fair, goals drive and liberate your energy to inspire you to hope for more from your life. Goals accomplished inspire greater objectives and opportunities.
Why not just put goal posts on wheels? That seems to be what the so-called “woke” crowd wants. Why not just keep rigging the rules, not to keep the winners from winning but from keeping the losers from losing? To what end?
My granddaughter Ashley recently advanced to the State Meet in weightlifting, a goal that she had set and accomplished twice. To be fair, I was more impressed that before she lifted her weights, she and some of her teammates lifted their violins to play the National Anthem.
Balance in life is the key to addressing all goals you may have. Remember, as we grow older our abilities are governed by our capabilities.