Three ways to actually make it easier? Continuing the discussion.

I've talked about goal setting in earlier blogs, and of course, there are many books on how to set goals. For the more discerning goal setter, there are SMART goals, and Simon Sinek suggests that adding WHY behind your mission is a valuable ingredient to baking the perfect goal. But after you craft the well thought out goal, take a breath. The most obvious path towards reaching your goal may not be the most accessible path, and easier is more sustainable. So, pause, chant, do whatever, but look at your plan with fresh eyes and consider what will make it easier for you to reach your goal.

A few years three FBI agents conducted a raid on a New Jersey home. Unfortunately, the house was surrounded by a six-foot metal fence and gate. The first agent carefully pulled himself up and over the gate that closed off access to the house. He maneuvered first one leg then the other over the spikes topping the entrance, careful not to rip his suit pants. As he dropped down onto the pavement, the gate swung open behind him, and the other two FBI agents sauntered up the driveway to the house. A local news station caught the action, and you can see it for yourself. https://youtu.be/y8dLOM8StKQ.

The agents' goal was clear. Get to the house and begin the raid. The first agent saw the gate and took the obvious, but the herculean effort to climb over it, to achieve his goal. What makes the video so funny is his wasted effort. He never needed to climb a six-foot fence to do his job, but he didn't stop to examine his options before setting forward. You might approach a challenging goal with similar, but unnecessary enthusiasm. Before you scale incredible heights, risk your health with late nights and bad food, deprive yourself of personal time, make sure there the gate isn't unlocked.

Another way to find ease is to scrutinize self-imposed rules. I love hosting parties, but I had a long-standing practice that I must prepare all the food for these parties. And since I was working full time, had kids, other obligations and was kind of tired most of the time, I didn't have time or energy to cook for a crowd. That meant despite longing to host a gathering, I rarely had people over. My rule kept me from my goal. Fortunately, I came to my senses and abandoned that stupid rule. Now we frequently socialize, but I'm not doing all the cooking, we share the fun and host potlucks.

Sometimes finding a more natural way means you have to question other's rules. A Zoan is a word puzzle used in Zen Buddhism's teachings. One Koan describes a hypothetical scenario; a young goose has a glass tube placed on its neck, so his head protrudes out of one end of the cylinder and his body out the other. Over time, the goose grows larger, and the bottle can no longer be pulled over his head. The Koan asks, how do you remove the cylinder from goose's neck without either killing the goose or breaking the glass?

The answer is "You break the cylinder." The puzzle is a reminder that sometimes to achieve the goal, you must not abide by other's rules.

Find the easiest way to accomplish a task. Preserve your energy in any way you can, whether it's opening the gate instead of scaling it, or examining limited personal beliefs or ignoring other's rules. Reaching your goal will take work, but don't make it harder than it absolutely has to be.

I must thank Jason Goldberg, the author of Prison Break for the story about the FBI and Koan. Jason's book is a must-read for anyone interested in making a big change in their life.