My coaching client said he had a hard question for me, “Which of these two important things should I do first? I just don’t know where to start.”

My coaching client is a creative, energetic, intelligent, hard-working self-starter and entrepreneur.  Like so many people, he has more directions to go and things to try than he has time for, so he called me in.

“Five Years” Is Too Long

We used to ask clients what they wanted to have accomplished five years from now.  Forget that – that’s way too long.  I asked him what he and his five employees are working hard on every day two years from now, and he started talking.  After a minute, his voice got faster, a little higher and louder, he leaned forward, and was smiling.  When he was done, he plopped back in the chair, smiling, and quiet.

We All Want The Same Two Things

I said, “All entrepreneurs and leaders want the same two things.  We want to know what comes first, and what comes second.  You’re lucky.  You already know what comes first; you just told me.  You can choose from among the rest what comes second, and delegate it to someone else, or forget about what comes second.  Just devote everything you’ve got to what comes first.”

Do you agree?  Is that a good method to choose your objective, maybe even your mission?  Please join the discussion.