Life is filled with stepping stones—moments that can either define us or simply become a small part of our journey.
When faced with challenges or opportunities, we can see them as just another step or as a moment for growth and clarity. Carl Jung once said, “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”
I recently re-watched a documentary about the Navy SEALs. Every Navy SEAL candidate faces grueling hardships: physical exhaustion, frigid cold water, mental strain, and the constant threat of failure.
Some candidates see each challenge as an opportunity, a chance to push beyond their perceived limits and grow stronger. They embrace the pain, keep their focus. They find strength in their determination and their fellow candidates. These candidates transform the hardships into defining moments, emerging on the other side as Navy SEALs.
Others, however, let the same hardships overwhelm them. Fear, frustration, and exhaustion cloud their resolve. The challenges, instead of being opportunities for growth, become insurmountable barriers. These candidates wash out, not because they lacked physical capability, but because they couldn’t shift their mindset to see the hardships as stepping stones rather than obstacles.
None of us are born with skills. It’s easy to watch some Youtube videos and think woodworking is totally doable. Any new woodworker can attest to the uneven cuts, the wobbly joints, and the frustrations that can come from trying this new hobby. But, by learning from the mistakes, honing skills through practice and even more failures, projects begin to go more smoothly. The final products are less uneven and wobbly…and the process becomes much more enjoyable.
Learning and growth come from our willingness to take lessons from every experience. Reflecting on each attempt, seeking feedback, and choosing to improve. It’s the decision to learn from every encounter that turns these stepping stones into personal and professional development milestones.
However, clouding our experiences with fear, frustration, anger, or other limiting emotions can lead us to ignore the growth opportunities these experiences present. When we let negative emotions dominate, we risk missing out on valuable lessons that can propel us forward.
It’s difficult, but essential, to manage our emotions and maintain a positive outlook to fully benefit from the lessons we can learn.
The stepping stones in our lives are all potential defining moments. It’s up to us to decide whether we let them pass by or seize the opportunity to let them shape us. We can turn every step into a defining part of our journey.
It’s not just about the stones we step on but how we choose to step on them that defines our path.
A little over a decade ago (time flies!), I wrote a post that introduced the concept of Goalprints. That post described a series of steps and questions that we should use to understand our unique Goalprint and determine if our lives are supporting (or not supporting) our goals.
I recently heard about the concept of an Ambition Audit… taking a step back to assess whether your ambitions are still relevant, achievable, and fulfilling. I realized that this concept complements the Goalprint exercise extremely well.
Here’s an updated post that integrates the Ambition Audit concept…plus I’ve added a handy cheat sheet that you can use for this exercise.
There’s a classic quote in business: “People who buy shovels don’t want shovels. They want to make holes or fill in holes as quickly and easily as possible.”
Chances are pretty good that you’re selling shovels to someone. Or maybe you dig the holes?
Either way, the planning, the shovel, the digging, and the hole itself are all merely steps along the way to achieving someone’s goals.
Are they achieving your goals? Maybe.
That all depends on whether you know what your goals are.
The funny thing about goals is that no one has the same goals. They may share some or agree on goals to pursue together. But no two people have the exact same goals.
Each of us has a Goalprint as unique as our fingerprint. It captures our passions, our dreams, and the specific goals we’ve laid out for our lives. Partially developed Goalprints live in our subconscious mind until we take the time to bring them into our conscious mind and fully define them.
Consciously defining our unique Goalprint isn’t easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is. But once defined, how do we ensure our goals remain relevant and truly reflective of who we are?
That’s where the Ambition Audit comes in—a powerful tool to regularly reassess and realign our goals with our evolving values and life circumstances. Combining the process of creating your Goalprint with an ambition audit ensures that your aspirations remain meaningful and motivating.
Here are the seven steps for creating and living your personal Goalprint, enhanced with the principles of an ambition audit:
Step 1: Define Your Passions
List the five things you are most passionate about and describe how you plan to center your life around these passions over the next five years. Are you willing to focus your life on this list? If not, maybe these aren’t really your passions.
Ambition Audit Tip: Regularly reassess these passions. Life changes, and so can the things that drive you. Ensure your passions remain true to your current self.
Step 2: Plan Your Experiences
Define at least seven things you plan to experience over the next ten years. This isn’t just a wish list—commit to these experiences. How many involve your top passions?
Ambition Audit Tip: Review this list annually. Are these experiences still aligned with your passions and values? Adjust as needed to keep your goals relevant.
Step 3: Financial Goals
Money isn’t everything, but it does make the world go around. Write down how much money or assets you plan to set aside for major expenditures in one year, five years, ten years, and twenty years. What income do you need to hit these targets? Start saving now.
Ambition Audit Tip: Revisit your financial goals periodically. Ensure they support your passions and experiences. Adjust savings and investments to stay on track.
Step 4: Define Your Future Self
Describe what you plan to be in one year, five years, ten years, and twenty years. This can be personal, professional, or anything else. Remember, being something is different than just where you choose to work. Make sure your future self supports what you’ve listed in the first three steps.
Ambition Audit Tip: Reflect on your future self regularly. Is this vision still inspiring? Does it align with your evolving values and circumstances?
Step 5: Align with Your Spouse
If you have a spouse or partner, compare, and discuss your Goalprints. What do you have in common? How will you accommodate and support each other’s Goalprints?
Ambition Audit Tip: Periodically revisit this conversation. Life changes, and so do relationships. Ensure your Goalprints remain compatible and mutually supportive.
Step 6: Hold Yourself Accountable
Commit to fulfilling what you’ve laid out in your Goalprint as you make decisions in your life. Define success on your own terms and stay true to your goals.
Ambition Audit Tip: Set regular check-ins to review your progress. Adjust your goals and actions to stay aligned with your ambitions.
Step 7: Annual Reassessment
Repeat this exercise once a year. Your Goalprint will change and grow over time—if you have the courage to let it.
Ambition Audit Tip: This annual review is your built-in ambition audit. Reflect on the past year, reassess your goals, and realign them with your current values and circumstances.
Your unique Goalprint, coupled with regular ambition audits, will guide you toward a life of purpose and fulfillment.
How about that cheat sheet? This is something I didn’t include in my original post, but I’ve had a few people ask me if a template or form exists. So, here’s an initial template that you can use. Just copy and paste this form into your favorite word processor and use it to capture your answers. Remember, there are no wrong answers in this exercise.
Step 1: Define Your Passions List the five things you are most passionate about and how you plan to center your life around these passions over the next five years.
Passion: _______________________________ • Plan: _______________________________ Ambition Audit Check: Are these passions still true to your current self? (Review annually) • Yes / No • Adjustments: _______________________________
Step 2: Plan Your Experiences Define at least seven things you plan to experience over the next ten years. Remember, these aren’t visionary fantasy goals. These are things you actually plan to do in the relative near term of the next decade (remember, decades go by quicker than we realize).
Experience: _______________________________ • Plan: _______________________________ Ambition Audit Check: Are these experiences still aligned with your passions and values? (Review annually) • Yes / No • Adjustments: _______________________________
Step 3: Financial Goals Write down your financial goals for major expenditures at different stages. One Year • Amount: _______________________________ • Income Plan: _______________________________ Five Years • Amount: _______________________________ • Income Plan: _______________________________ Ten Years • Amount: _______________________________ • Income Plan: _______________________________ Twenty Years • Amount: _______________________________ • Income Plan: _______________________________ Ambition Audit Check: Do these financial goals support your passions and experiences? (Review annually) • Yes / No • Adjustments: _______________________________
Step 4: Define Your Future Self Describe what you plan to be in one year, five years, ten years, and twenty years. One Year • Personal: _______________________________ • Professional: _______________________________ Five Years • Personal: _______________________________ • Professional: _______________________________ Ten Years • Personal: _______________________________ • Professional: _______________________________ Twenty Years • Personal: _______________________________ • Professional: _______________________________ Ambition Audit Check: Is this vision still inspiring and aligned with your values? (Review annually) • Yes / No • Adjustments: _______________________________
Step 5: Align with Your Spouse If applicable, compare and discuss your Goalprints with your spouse or partner. Common Goals: • ____________________________ • ____________________________ • ____________________________ Supporting Each Other’s Goalprints: • ____________________________ • ____________________________ • ____________________________ Ambition Audit Check: Are your Goalprints still compatible and mutually supportive? (Review annually) • Yes / No • Adjustments: _______________________________
Step 6: Hold Yourself Accountable Commit to your Goalprint by reflecting on the following: Decisions Made in Alignment: • ____________________________ • ____________________________ • ____________________________ Challenges Faced: • ____________________________ • ____________________________ • ____________________________ Successes Achieved: • ____________________________ • ____________________________ • ____________________________ Ambition Audit Check: Set regular check-ins to review progress. Adjust goals and actions to stay aligned. • Date of Next Review: _________________________ • Adjustments: _______________________________
Step 7: Annual Reassessment Repeat the entire exercise once a year. Reflect on the past year and realign your goals with your current values and circumstances. Reflection: • What has changed over the past year?_______________________________ • How have your goals evolved? ____________________________________ • What new passions or experiences have emerged?_____________________ Ambition Audit Check: Ensure your Goalprint is dynamic and reflective of your true self. • Date of Review: _______________________ • Adjustments: _______________________________
By using this template, you can create, evaluate, and adjust your personal Goalprint, ensuring that your ambitions stay relevant, achievable, and fulfilling. Embrace your journey of introspection and realignment to lead a life of purpose and fulfillment.
The pursuit of excellence is always a journey worth taking. Do you have what it takes?
It’s an unfortunate truth that a large cohort of our society defines their success as doing the minimum. For them, success means not failing (or being seen to fail).
They’re okay with mediocrity, inefficiency, and ineffectiveness. They believe they can’t make a difference anyway, so they welcome the warm embrace of the status quo. They take comfort in joining the flock of mediocrity.
Do you find success in simply avoiding failure, or are you one of the rare renegades who can’t stand mediocrity?
In a landscape where inefficiency and ineffectiveness are accepted norms, there’s a shrinking community of individuals who see an opportunity for improvement. They envision a future defined by hard work, creativity, and continuous efforts to break free from the shackles of the status quo.
These unsung heroes view mediocrity as a chance to make a difference. They are willing to undertake the hard work necessary for transformation. These passionate individuals are the driving force behind organizational change, pushing boundaries and overcoming obstacles in the relentless pursuit of excellence.
They are willing to try.
They’re willing to risk failure, often multiple times, to pull themselves and their organization kicking and screaming toward a better future.
In a perfect world, organizations would recognize and elevate these passionate individuals, recognizing their contribution.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world. Status quo is like a warm blanket. Those who threaten to take away that blanket are often seen as a threat. The well-organized flock of mediocrity is a powerful deterrent to new ideas and improvement.
Do you have what it takes to be one of the renegades? One of the unsung heroes?
Are you willing to toil in relative obscurity, pushing back the walls of mediocrity, making room for excellence in their place?
Few are up to this challenge. But organizations count on these renegades for their success everyday…even if they don’t realize it.
Grandpa Bob Encouraging Leadership 
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