In Part 1 of this Four-Part Series on Sustainable Success, I want to introduce the overarching metaphor outlined in my book The Fourth Moon.
In the book, I use a powerful metaphor around famous Italian Astronomer Galileo Galilee’s discovery of Jupiter’s Moons. His discovery of four moons orbiting Jupiter disproved the long held belief that the planets revolved around the earth when they of course revolved around the moon. This discovery led to huge turmoil as the leaders of the time fought to hold on and protect their existing paradigm with the earth as the centre of the cosmos.
Holding on to an existing paradigm that doesn’t deliver you sustainable success is just as crazy as the Italians wanting the planets to orbit the earth. Like Galileo, I encourage you to pick up a more powerful lens that magnifies your view of your business. Look through a new lens and adopt a new paradigm for success.
The four moons in the metaphor represent the four stages on your journey to sustainable success – Strategy, Implementation, Maintenance & Leverage. These will be introduced in this Four-Part Series.
Each moon represents an important stage in your journey and requires the abandonment of old habits that no longer serve you and the adoption of new forever disciplines that will take you to new levels of success. The key to the metaphor is the understanding that you need to not only visit all four moons, but to re-orbit them consistently over time as you periodically change your business strategy.
Expanding on the metaphor leads us to the First Moon of Io (the moons are referred to as Jupiter’s Moons or the Galilean Moons with each having its own name).
The first of Jupiter’s moons, Io, represents Strategy in the metaphor. The planet Io is the fourth largest moon and most geologically active object in the solar system with over 400 active volcanoes painting the surface in numerous shades of yellow, red, white, black and green. It is quite fitting that Io is so big and geologically active because so is Strategy. Strategy is vast and is the foundation of our vision. Our Strategy pulls us between the other three moons of Implementation, Maintenance & Leverage.
First Moon thinking around Strategy is about thinking really big and being active.
Business owners typically object to being challenged to devise and document their strategy. Claims such as “It’s in my head” or “Everyone here knows what we are trying to do” are classic objections from time-poor and exhausted business owners who feel they don’t have time to stop and define their strategy, let alone document it.
“What a waste of time” and “We’re too busy” they shriek in denial.
But these objections generally are a smokescreen used deftly to distract them from the need to look at their business calmly, objectively and honestly. Fear and uncertainty often lies beneath the surface, leading to defensiveness around being challenged to assess their strategy. To see the truth.
“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”
Galileo Galilee
So why do you need to look at your strategy through a new lens?
Because the current one isn’t truly alive and working optimally for you. You must constantly review, develop and document your strategy regardless of how long you’ve been in business. If you don’t, you risk being one of the multitude of business owners that bounce along in a constant blur of chaos and mediocrity.
Without a clear strategy you will never achieve the rewards you deserve from your entrepreneurial skills, risk-taking and endeavor.
Stop and think about this question for a moment.
Why would you intentionally spend time, money and resources – effectively your life’s work - on implementing an inferior strategy?
Take the first step now and allocate some time to reviewing your Strategy and documenting it in a Strategic Plan (or Mission Plan as I refer to it in my book). A great Strategy starts by defining your Top 5 Goals for the year ahead. I call these Mission Goals.
Next is Part 2 of the Four-Part Series in which I introduce the Second Moon of Europa where you will Implement your strategy.
To start creating sustainable success in your business and life, download a copy of my eBook 'The Success Algorithm' which details my process to work less and earn more. You can get a free copy on the Giveaways page of my website. Plus some bonus videos from my Fourth Moon video series to reach your goals sooner!
All the best,
Darren K Bourke