As I write this, it’s the first week of February - intentionally late for cliche New Year’s Resolutions. I don’t have anything against them but the prevailing expectation is early dispatch and a shoulder shrug. Maybe next year.
I listened to a podcast yesterday and the guest differentiated between a goal and a quest. I found it useful. A goal has a measurable objective, execution plan and clear success or failure. A quest has an objective but the journey is less clear and a successful destination can move around over time.
For example, I am going to learn guitar so I can play in our church worship band by June. That’s a goal. The implementation will require regular practice, help from a friend who plays, and commitment to the deadline.
As a quest, I plan to run trail races in multiple states this year. I’m already scheduled for a couple in Texas and one in North Carolina. I may run in others or I may not. I certainly have no expectation of how I run other than finishing. Unlike the podcast guest, I don’t have to love something for a quest to be worth the time. I actually dislike running but love trail races. It’s hard to explain but the discipline required to do something I dislike and challenging is more rewarding than something I might be good at naturally. I’m probably weird that way.
Tests has two distinct and relevant definitions for this discussion. First, if I hope to improve something, I need to measure before and after using the same methodology. That’s one version of test. The second is to challenge the limits of what might be deemed possible. That’s the second version of test in this context. Sometimes they coexist. For example, let’s say I wanted to improve my vertical jump. I’d want to measure before and after at the same time of day, using the same activity to test it, eating the same foods and hopefully, getting the same amount of rest the nights before. Second, we’re not supposed to improve our vertical jump in our fifties. I might like to test that presupposition. Make sense?
While not an exhaustive list, here are a few things I made note of to work on this year:
Goals
Play guitar in our church worship band by June.
Recruit service-minded and productive real estate agents to my company.
Publish two books.
Quests
Run trail races in multiple states.
Get stronger.
Schedule more public speaking opportunities.
Tests
Dunk a basketball for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Improve short-term memory.
There are others and the list may change as life and circumstances dictate. But it’s a checklist and I can see where I stand. What are your goals, quests and tests?
Love this bro..