Navigate: Navigate through obstacles on your way to success.

*  To navigate is to plan and steer to reach your goal.

Whenever we go on a journey to some place where we have not been before we have a road map to help us to get to the place. When we go on a family holiday someone would say ‘I will drive. You navigate.’ Every ship on the sea and every plane in the air has a navigator on board, plotting progress and projecting the direction.

Setting a goal for a project, whether it is in a company, an organization or in our personal lives, is also the beginning of a journey to a final destination, the attainment of the goal. The first step is to develop a roadmap in the form of a Project Plan.

On the road to attaining a worthwhile goal, however, there are bound to be sharp turns, crossroads, steep inclines, obstructions, potholes, boulders and delays.

We will continuously have to navigate the progress of the project to observe and detect possible impediments ahead. Some impediments on the road may have been foreseen and planned and budgeted for in the Project Plan. The more challenging impediments are the ones that were not foreseen in the Plan and it can be assumed that they will occur. They may be anticipated to occur in the near future or they may appear unexpectedly. These impediments may be minor obstacles which can be quickly fixed or circumvented. Others can be major obstacles which will require serious attention, action and even adjustments. We will have to navigate our way through and around these impediments in order to reach the goal.

There are three powerful positive words which will help us to navigate successfully towards the destination, the goal. They are the words visualization, determination and resilience.

The first positive word is the word visualization. This word entails the ability to see the end result of the goal in vivid images of final reality. During the planning process a visual image of the goal should be created to regularly see and to be reminded of during the duration of the project. When the goal is the construction of a physical structure it is easier to create an image or even a model of the structure. When the goal is the development of a process an image symbolic of the process can be created.

The image of the goal should also convey the purpose of the project clearly, for example, a satisfied customer. The image, whether real or symbolic, should be vivid in our minds.     

The second positive word is the word determination. It is determination that turned the idea for the project into a Project Plan. It is determination that forges a commitment to attain the goal. Determination is the gas that provides the driving force to overcome the obstacles on the way to the destination, to keep on going. When the foot is lifted from the gas pedal the car will come to a halt. Simply put, determination determines what is going to happen.

The third positive word is the word resilience. It is resilience that enables us to be creative, to deal with impediments, to make plans, to solve difficult situations and to cope with adversity. It also entails the ability to be flexible and adaptable to handle changing circumstances and still keep the goal in mind. A resilient person has an inner buoyancy to recover readily and to bounce back after a setback.

It is important to continuously visualise the end result, to keep the foot on the pedal with determination and to be resilient with creative ideas.  Visualization, determination and resilience is a strong triumvirate with which the road towards the goal can be navigated through and around the obstacles until the final destination is reached.  

The Positive Dictionary Ebook and other ebooks are  available from Phil's website as shown below.