Synergistic Goals

"Synergy" is an incredibly overused word in the business world, but sometimes it makes sense to use it. I have a case where that's the case.

I'm developing a new theory that the reason that some people are incredibly successful is not so much about having goals that are individually more difficult to achieve, but rather that they find ways to have their goals around otherwise disparate activities play off one another. In other words, they develop a synergy between those goals.

This blog and my hiking activities are an example. I started blogging to get better at writing, both in terms of the quality of my writing and the ability to overcome the inertia that blocks me from writing in the first place. In the last year, I've made great strides in both areas, although the quality goal is not as directly measurable by me.

My hiking and the new Seattle City Walk project are designed to establish a regular exercise program. Goals such as hiking every hike in a particular guidebook or walking every street in Seattle are great SMART goals.

What I've noticed, though, is that I've been enthusiastic about blogging because I enjoy describing my hiking and sharing the pictures. At the same time, there have been several times already where I considered turning back on a hike because I was tired, but kept at it and completed the entire hike because I thought about how much better a blog entry about a completed hike is compared to an incomplete hike. Despite the lack of a direct connection between the two activities and their goals, I've effectively created one and each is more satisfying than what they would be individually.

Imagine how powerful an effect this synergistic increase in value would be if I had, say, six goal-oriented activities, all of which built upon each other. Perhaps this is how deeply successful people become that way.