If you commit to an impossible goal with an unreasonable deadline, what would you have to do differently today?
This is the challenge raised by Dr. Benjamin Hardy and Blake Erickson in their book, The Science of Scaling. The book lays out a cohesive strategy to, as the subtitle states, “Grow Your Business Bigger and Faster Than You Think Possible”.
It starts with the simple but profound insight that if you set reasonable goals based on what you’ve already done, you will get reasonable or linear results. You may continue to grow incrementally by working harder and getting marginally more efficient, but you won’t change your fundamental growth trajectory.
Instead, the authors recommend setting an impossible goal with an unrealistic timeline because “They force extreme filtering in the present, requiring you to let go of all ineffective pathways and select only the most powerful and potent ones” that could lead to that impossible future.
Making the goal clear and urgent allows you to quickly filter out the tasks, products, marketing channels, customers, etc. that don’t lead to that outcome. By eliminating the unproductive distractions that occupy your time today, you give yourself the possibility of creating that future that once seemed impossible.
I’ve read a lot of business books over the years and this one stands out because it immediately got me thinking about how I would apply its recommendations to my own business.
— How am I settling for linear incremental business growth today?
— What clients am I taking that aren’t part of my long-term future?
— If I set myself the goal of 10x’ing my business next year, what would I have to immediately do differently?
This powerful framework makes me question my current path and take a look at my situation with fresh eyes. By inspiring me to think bigger about an “impossible” future, I am questioning what I’m doing today that might be blocking me from that exponential growth.