Want more success? Focus on the big picture
Bottom Line: A lot of life's lessons are true in multiple ways. Take my first rule of money, never let your money and emotions cross paths. Research shows that people who make emotional decisions with money make mistakes over 90% of the time. But it's also true of a lot of non-financial decisions, too right? How often is it a good idea to make important decisions when you're highly emotional? With that in mind think big picture, work towards that big picture and you're likely to have a lot more success along the way.
It's a blessing and a curse being macro minded. On one hand it's natural for me to goal set and see the big picture. On the other hand, I've temporarily lost a pen in my left hand (I'm right handed). In this context it's more helpful than not (being macro minded – not absent minded). According to a 13-year McKinsey Global study companies that plan and execute against long-term goals, more than 2 years out, fare 47% better, on average, than those that have a short-term (under 2 years) plan they're executing against. That's huge! Who wouldn't want to be 47% more successful in business. As is true of the earlier example this is likely true in your personal life as well.
Most of us are linear in our approach to life. We often focus on what's next rather than ensuring we also have big picture goals we're working towards. It's the difference between having a plan that you execute rather than moving in a straight line hoping that it all works out. That will rarely work in business, as it lacks vision, and is a common reason why many startups fail quickly, and many others have trouble adapting to changes in trends. If you think big and plan big you'll have a road map that'll include all of the interim goals on your way to the big ones and importantly you'll likely be around 47% more successful in the process.