“We choose to go to the moon… we choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win…”
- John F. Kennedy
July 20th, 2009 was the 40th anniversary of the Lunar Landing and I have been thinking about what it means in terms of audacious goals – big, hairy, audacious goals (BHAGs).
What kind of goals are you setting for yourself, your career or your company? Are you setting goals at all? If you are, are they bold ones? Are they stretching you beyond your comfort zone?
Forty years ago, John F. Kennedy gave America a very audacious goal. He committed America to breaking the ‘surly bonds of earth’ to land a man on the moon and he was in a position to write the check to back it up. It had some of the key elements of a properly structured goal – it was specific, measurable and time-constrained.
Your goals may not be as big or require the same investment of time and money but they can still be audacious for you. It could be losing ten pounds, getting a promotion or doubling your company’s revenue. Take a moment and either watch or read Kennedy’s speech for a little inspiration then reflect on your current goals and see what resonates with you.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go try to double my company’s sales.
