In my neck of the woods the weather is turning and a new season is starting to show its colors.

These seasonal transitions are great moments to ask ourselves questions about where our life is going. Do you currently have a clearly defined goal, target, mission that “come hell or high water” you are committed to with your heart, soul and mind?

The world we live in seems to offer a constant bombardment of distractions. These distractions are typically life stealers. They often rob us, not in overt ways, but rather through covert time and energy wasters. Without a plan we will default to the temptations of these life wasters. Interestingly the question around a clearly defined goal, target, mission is not reserved exclusively for CEOs or Presidents but is available for any one of us in any of our varied life pursuits.

I’m sure you have heard and most likely have used the phrase, “this is not a hill to die on.” Meaning, to me this is not core, foundational or central and therefore I can let it flow by. The concern is as we are being bombarded with a never ending flood of both small and profound sound bites our brains are being conditioned to simply passively observe or if we are lucky to be mildly entertained with the “this is not a hill to die on” onslaught of noise.

And then one day, we awaken from this trance and discover that the clock did not stop but rather we are 1, 5, 10 years down the road but unfortunately not further developed. Perhaps taking the time to create clearly defined goals, targets, missions would have put your life into a very different trajectory.

Some organizations have this whole process dialed into their culture with leadership programs, mentorships and the opportunity to step into short term details exposing folks to new people, places and things. If you are part of one of these organizations like the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Interagency Wildland Fire or National Parks and others I encourage you to focus on your goals and take every chance offered to advance your life.

If your organization does not offer these opportunities I encourage you to take the time and reflect on your life. Do you have a target, goal, mission that “come hell or high water” you are committed to advancing? Do you have a “hill worth dying on?”

Switchback Systems is a good example of a program that helps individuals, teams and whole organizations discover or dust off their goals, targets, missions. The process is simple, clear and profound.

Even if the weather wasn’t changing I would still encourage you to take some time to re-write at least one of your goals, targets and mission.

Your brain will thank you as will your future self.