Last week we talked about tips for how to amp up your motivation (especially if it’s in the dumps right now). On today’s menu are mountains, mediums, and molehills.
We’re still in the early stages of 2021, and so it’s a great opportunity to think about taking the reigns and directing the year where you want it to go.
Having a mountain, medium, and molehill plan – your own three M’s – can be a real help.
Let me explain.
How often have you found yourself setting some goals, maybe writing them down even (see my last post about why writing stuff down is SO important) and then, well, uhm, you simply forget about them or, if you do remember, you can’t find where you recorded the damn things?
Or maybe you set some goals, but the first- time disaster, inconvenience, or a brick wall of seemingly impossible flailed up, you ditched the goals.
I Have got a tool for you (including a downloadable worksheet at the end of this post).
Enter your 3 part goal- setting involving mountains, mediums, and molehills.
And hey, if the word goal- setting is making you retch or be squeamishly uncomfortable, just substitute something else like – “Stuff I want to do.”
Each of your goals (or “stuff you want to do”) should have three parts. You guessed it, a mountain, a medium, and a molehill.
I’ll explain each one and give you an example. Let’s say you’re thinking about designing a new course. That’s your goal.
Your mountain
- Mountain goals are your stretch goals or BHAGS, a fabulous term coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book, “Built to Last.” The acronym stands for big, hairy, audacious goals.
- This level of goal will take you to the tip of the mountain – it’s grand and exciting and energizing and can also be a tad nerve-wracking and overwhelming.
- Using our example of designing a new course, your mountain goal could look something like this → By the end of the year- you have a brand new course designed based on your favorite subject matter expertise that has a bunch of options including, a live online portion, and some evergreen (continuously available content). It’s got some audio clips, some awesome visuals, animations and a highly interactive, innovative workbook. It’s online and selling like hotcakes.
Your medium
- Medium goals are goals you have to work for, there’s no slouching here, but they’re not as audacious as mountain goals.
- You still have to stretch yourself and work hard, but this type of goal isn’t as big or as nerve-wracking as mountain goals.
- Using our course design goal, a medium goal might be looking something like this by the end of the year- you have the course curriculum written up, and you’ve pushed yourself to include three different, newly designed learning activities.
Your molehill
- Molehill goals are those tiny, wee goals that if you don’t reach them, there is something s.e.r.i.o.u.s.l.y. wrong.
- You should be able to almost complete a molehill goal in your sleep. There is very little chance of failure or flailing.
- Again, using our course design goal, a molehill goal example would be by the end of the year, you have three ideas written down related to your new course.
With mountains, mediums, and molehills – your three M’s – your chances of reaching your goals go way up, discouragement goes way down, and you can get on with doing that stuff you really want to be doing, on your own terms.
Now go on and learn, laugh and lead
Learn
- Think about something you’re wanting to achieve and then break it down into mountain, medium and molehill goals. Use this downloadable sheet to help you.
Laugh
- Having choices and options with the things you want to achieve brings surprising ease, choices and comfort. New ways forward open up and discouragement fades. Kinda like this dad stepping up big time for his little one.
Lead
- Share your mountain, medium and molehill goal with a friend and/or colleague. Share the worksheet and get them to fill it in for themselves and then share their three M’s with you.
P.S. Let’s stay connected. Free weekly coaching by email on how to use humanity and humour to problem solve, right here.
Leave a Reply