“Sometimes the most important conversations are the ones we need to have with ourselves.” - Curtis Scaplen
What do you really want?
Seems like a pretty simple question, doesn't it?
But when was the last time you actually stopped and gave it some serious thought?
I've spent some time recently facilitating goal-setting sessions with entrepreneurs and real estate professionals. We talked about growth, performance, creating opportunities and building momentum.
One of the things I wanted to challenge everyone to consider was whether we're actually clear on what we're working towards.
Before we get too focused on what we want to achieve, we need to understand what we're trying to create.
It's easy to get caught up in the activity. More meetings, more opportunities, more commitments and more things on the to-do list.
Sometimes we're incredibly busy without feeling like we're making much progress.
I talk a lot about getting the elephants out of the room. Sometimes the biggest elephant is the conversation we haven't had with ourselves.
Are we building what we genuinely want, or simply getting better at doing what we've always done?
Here are six questions I think are worth asking ourselves, both personally and professionally.
1. What Do I Really Want?
Not what your business needs, what others expect or what you think you should want.
What genuinely matters to you?
What excites you? What gives you energy? What have you been putting off?
Sometimes we spend so much time meeting expectations that we forget to question whether those expectations are even our own.
Give yourself permission to be honest about what you want.
2. What Does Success Look and Feel Like?
I love this question because it forces us to think beyond the numbers.
Financial goals matter. Growth matters. Performance matters.
But what does success actually look like in your everyday life?
What would a great Thursday look like? Who would you spend time with? How would you feel at the end of the day?
Success is personal. The clearer we are about what it means to us, the easier it becomes to make choices that support it.
3. What Am I Willing to Give, and What Am I Not Willing to Give?
Every meaningful goal comes with trade-offs.
Building a business takes time.
Developing as a leader takes effort.
Creating financial freedom often requires sacrifice.
The same is true for our personal lives, relationships and families.
There will be seasons when we choose to invest more heavily in one area of life than another.
That's okay.
The important thing is making those choices intentionally rather than looking back and wondering how we ended up where we are.
4. What Needs to Stop?
We spend a lot of time talking about what we need to start doing.
But sometimes the biggest opportunity for progress comes from deciding what we're going to stop.
What commitments are no longer serving us? What distractions are consuming our energy? What conversations or decisions are we avoiding?
Creating capacity for what's next often starts with making room for it.
Sometimes progress is about doing less, but doing the right things.
5. What's Within My Control?
One of my favourite reminders is to control the controllables.
We spend an incredible amount of energy worrying about things we have very little influence over.
The economy, the market, competition, other people's decisions or what might happen tomorrow.
What can we control?
Our effort, attitude, preparation, consistency and willingness to take action.
I often remind myself that I don't need to solve everything today.
I just need to identify the next best thing I can do.
Then do it.
6. Who Do I Need to Become?
This might be my favourite question of all.
Sometimes achieving what's next isn't just about changing what we do. It's about becoming the person capable of creating it.
Maybe that's becoming a more confident leader, a more disciplined entrepreneur or someone who's more comfortable making difficult decisions.
I've come to believe that confidence isn't something we need to wait for. It's something we build.
I like to think of it as earning confidence credits.
Every time we follow through on a commitment to ourselves, have an uncomfortable conversation or take action despite uncertainty, we earn another credit.
Those credits add up.
We begin to trust ourselves more. We become more comfortable with discomfort. We create momentum.
Confidence comes from doing, not waiting until we feel ready.
So, What's Next?
Maybe you're looking to grow your business, create more freedom, develop your leadership capabilities or pursue something you've been putting off.
Whatever it is, I'd encourage you to spend a little time with these six questions.
You don't need all the answers or a perfect plan.
But I do think we owe it to ourselves to be honest about what we want and what we're prepared to do about it.
Be easy on yourself, but tough on your ego and excuses.
Clarity creates intention. Intention creates action. Action builds confidence. Confidence creates momentum.
Start with the next best thing that's within your control.
Progress over perfection.
Built for What's Next.
Turn reflection into a starting point
These six questions clarify what you want. The next question is whether your business is built to deliver it. The Value Builder Score takes about 13 minutes and shows how your business performs on the eight drivers that determine its value, and where it depends too heavily on you.
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