When You Need Help

John Maxwell writes, “One is too small a number for significance.” If you can accomplish your goals by yourself, your goals may be insignificant. Significant goals require the significant involvement of people who have the skills, resources, and inclination to help you achieve your major objectives. Here are a few things to consider as you set out to secure the help and cooperation your significant goals require for their attainment:

--Don’t focus only on what you want to achieve, but envision the impact that your achievements  will have on your life, your family, your organization, your team, and the world around you. The more people you want to influence with your work, the bigger you must dream, and the more help you will need in pursuing it.

--Goals require an effective strategy for their fulfillment. People buy into you at two levels. First, they are attracted by the significance of your dream. Help them to see what it can mean to them and to others. Second, they want to see a viable plan for achieving your vision. A sound strategy gives them a road map to your destination. If they are going to travel this road with you, they want an idea of how they will get to the desired destination.

--Know who you want to take this journey with you, then approach them with the information they need to evaluate the dream and the strategy. Spell it out so they can check it out.

--Get excited about what you want to do. Enthusiasm is contagious.

--Keep your promises. Do what you say you will do. Sometimes your best effort will fail, but never be guilty of failing to give your best effort.

Remember that if you are above asking others for help in achieving your major objectives in work and life, then you will succeed only to the limits of your personal skills and resources. With the assistance of others, you can far exceed those limits and achieve a higher level significance.