Long Or Short – Which Are You?

If you're anything like me, whenever someone says, "To make a long story short," I immediately think, This is going to take a while.

It also reminds me of a piece of advice I heard years ago at a management conference: "Shorten the storm."

At the time, I thought it only meant, Don't drag things out.

Today I hear it a little differently.

This isn't really about telling a long story or a short story. It's about taking the long view and the short view.

I love people with big-picture thinking. They dream big. They see possibilities the rest of us miss. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and sometimes they become visionaries.

Oftentimes times . . . they're simply dreamers.

On the other hand, you've got the small-picture people. They're great with details, but they can get so wrapped up in the next tiny step that they never actually leave the starting line.

Neither approach is enough by itself.

Big dreams need small steps.

The long view has to be broken into today's assignments. Otherwise it's just a wish with no plan attached.

That's what "shortening the storm" means to me now. Step back from the grand vision long enough to ask, "What can I do today?"

Because today is the only place where progress happens.

Yesterday is history. And tomorrow is a dream. 

People who live only in the long view often overlook what's right in front of them. They become so captivated by the destination that they neglect the road that gets them there.

But living only in the short view isn't the answer either. If all you ever see is today's task, it's easy to lose sight of why you're doing it in the first place.

You need both.

The long view gives you direction.

The short view gets you there.

So here's the long and short of it:

Whatever your dream is, you can keep your head in the clouds if that's where your inspiration lives – but keep at least one foot on the ground.

Because every big dream is built one ordinary step at a time.

All the best,

John