The Taj Mahal and the Logistics of Long Term Goals

I had the amazing opportunity to visit the Taj Mahal when I was in India earlier this month. Even a thick haze of air pollution wasn’t able to dampen the awe and inspiration I felt as we toured the famous mausoleum.

I was obviously impressed by its beauty, symmetry, and size. But I was more fascinated by how it was built. I learned that construction on the Taj began in 1632 and took over 15 years and the help of 20,000 artisans to complete.

Building it Faster

In my mind, the Taj was a great representation of how long term goals are achieved. Brick by brick, little by little, we slowly build momentum. Small wins compound over time until we look back and surprise ourselves with what we accomplished.

The thing with long term goals is that they require persistence. The Taj wasn’t built overnight. Accomplishing big ideas requires perseverance. The only way to get there faster is to start now, focus our energy, and avoid distractions disguised as good intentions.

Start Now

We need to start now because great ideas alone are useless. Ideas must be combined with action. The best thing we can do is lay that first brick.

It’s like investing our money in the stock market. We cannot time the market. If we want to reap the greatest long-term benefits, our best move is to buy-in now.

Waiting for the best time to start is nothing more than an excuse to procrastinate.

Focus Our Energy

The 80/20 principle says that in almost everything we do, 80% of the results come from 20% of our activities. The key then is to identify what activities make up that 20% and focus on doing more of those things.

Young professionals often fall into the trap of doing a lot of unnecessary activities. They don’t yet know the best way to focus their time and energy on value-add work.

When we say no to the unimportant, we free up time and energy to focus on the things that really matter.

Avoid Distractions Disguised as Good Intentions

We should avoid the tendency to over-research, over-plan, and over-assess the best course forward when it gets in the way of making progress.

One of the best things about the internet has been it’s liberation of information. Google makes it so easy to dive in and find mountains of data, advice, and research on any given topic.

But sometimes we need to avoid getting trapped in the learning cycle to the point that we’re distracted from doing the real work.

I could always read another article online as I prepare notes for this blog. The temptation to spend more time researching and gathering notes is there every time I open my computer.

Why? Because learning is easier than doing. It’s less risky.

But if my goal is to help young professionals be the best at what they do, then I need to post great content every week. The only way that gets done is by writing. Putting words on paper is the 20% that gets me 80% of the way there.

Moving Forward

It took nearly two decades to build the Taj Mahal. Big ideas for big success take time. They don’t happen right away.

But our ideas won’t happen at all if we don’t take action now. Focus your energy on tasks that matter. Learn and plan as you go, but never let learning get in the way of taking your next step.

Tactical Advice

1. Make a list of your long term goals. Then identify one next action you can take today to move it forward. It doesn’t need to big. But it will be progress.
2. Ask your manager, mentor, or someone else at work that you trust to identify one thing that you spend too much time doing. Use that time instead to double down on the work that really matters.
3. Don’t be afraid to jump in and try it. Trust that you’ll learn more from the experience than you would from an online forum.