Member-only story
Are There Really Any “Highly Effective People?”
I Thought I Was One, But Then…
Put-together.
On-task.
Moving-forward.
I described myself with these terms after divorcing my husband, moving to a new city, taking a new job, and leaving my unhappy married life behind.
After all, I had endured an obviously unsatisfying existence for quite some time, and had my shit pretty much together, but then — wow — I had really gotten my act wrapped up and started to really accelerate. I envisioned nothing but upward trajectory. Even when I announced that I was leaving my old company, they took me out to lunch and wished me well on my new endeavor. Things were looking good!
But…
How things look and how they actually are can tell very different stories.
The double-edged sword of being a “highly effective person” is that there is truly no offswitch. It’s a constant. Being effective means being effective all the damn time. Goal-setting is something we do on the daily. It’s unreachable.
I set the goal of being on my own, single. Okay, did that. But then I needed to be ahead a month or two in my rent. Got it, done. Ahead in my car payment. Okay. New, more exciting job. Great. New city. Yep. Buy a house. On it. New car. Deal…
