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All Together Now

There's nothing quite like rush hour in London. I don't know what it is, but London seems to bustle in the mornings with an upbeat tempo. Despite the fast pace, the mood seems more civil than I'm used to here on the East Coast of the US. Londoners move quickly - but politely - by foot, by taxi, by scooter, by horse drawn carriage, and by boat.

My favorite way of getting around is the London Underground. "The Tube" is nearly 150 years old, and it's the great equalizer. Any given morning sees young and old, rich and poor, cricket lovers and snooker lovers all hopping aboard. More than 2.5 million people ride on the Underground each day. Last week, I was one of them. It was the height of rush hour and I stood with hundreds of other people, waiting for the next train. I'm no physics major, but I knew that trouble was brewing.

As a jam packed train pulled up, undaunted passengers stepped off the platform and wedged themselves into the car. Awhile back, this scene would have made me absolutely bonkers. I'm a people person in many ways, but I also enjoy copious amounts personal space. In the name of personal growth, I've tried embrace a variety of life experiences. I shrugged my shoulders and threw myself into the situation. (As the Romans say, "When in London...")

I squeezed into the car with just enough room for the door to shut. Then ten more people got on. "Cheerio. Good morning. Pip pip." My nose was buried into a particularly tall woman's back. ("Hello, Gwyneth.") A man in a football jersey was standing on my foot. We barely had to hold on to the handrails, since there was physically no way to fall over. This wasn't a trip for the faint of heart.

At that moment, I began to think about goals. I guess you could say that I've got a one track mind (Pun intended.) To the casual observer, we were simply a solid wall of bodies. A careful student of success would notice that while we were all pushed well beyond the normal comfort zones of connectedness among friends and strangers, we were also moving together as one toward our destination. It was poetic in a way.

This situation stands in stark contrast to the way many of us approach our own goal pursuits. Many of us find ourselves sitting all alone on an empty train. We're more comfortable in a social sense, but we're also more isolated. That method lacks the unique combination of energy and aftershave aroma that characterized my crowded trip. When it comes to our deeply personal goals, many of us don't try to connect with other people. We don't reach out to those who could help us.

There are a number of reasons for our solitude. For some, fear of rejection is a major deterrent. What if I ask someone for help and they ignore me? Some fear embarrassment - what if they find out that I'm not perfect or that I have things I want in life? The one that always gets me is not wanting to impose on others. They're probably busy, why would I want to bother them? (All dumb.)

If you're tired of going it alone, try this simple exercise to develop a new, healthy habit of connecting with others in order to achieve your goals:

Tell 3 - Write down an important personal goal. Commit to telling three people your goal and ask them to check with you periodically on your progress.

Ask 3 - Think about what you need to know, do, or have in order to make progress in achieving your goal. Ask three more people if they can help you or if they know someone who might be able to.

If you can do these simple things within the next 24 hours, you will greatly increase your chances of achieving that personal goal. That little bit of personal connection will increase your engagement, your belief that you can succeed, your resources, your knowledge, your accountability, your motivation, and your self-esteem. More importantly, you'll begin to drop the solo act. You can succeed in achieving your goals, but you can't go it alone and expect to get there. So reach out and touch someone!

All of that thinking about goal achievement helped me make the most of my crowded ride on the London Underground. Sure, we were packed in tightly. ("Sir, if one of your life goals was to touch my butt, mission accomplished!") Still, there was something compelling about being connected with so many diverse people. At that moment, the madness just seemed to make sense.

When it comes to joining forces in the name of goal achievement, the more the merrier!

Coaching Quickie: Surviving Setbacks

Check back next week for results!

Last Week's Results

Coaching Quickie: Surviving Setbacks
How do you respond to setbacks in your life?

(27%) Grumpy Gus - I get bent out of shape, and I'm not much fun to be around for awhile.
(27%) Melancholy Mel - I withdraw a bit until the clouds fade away.
(47%) Earnest Ernie - I try to shake it off and get back to work as soon as possible.
(00%) Determined Dan - Bring it on! I'm bigger than any obstacle that gets in my way!