In a recent presentation, Marcus Buckingham, author of Love + Work observed that in a world of constant change, setting a goal of something that doesn’t change, that’s balanced – like work-life balance – doesn’t make sense.  That applies to both our personal lives and our businesses.

In  The Imagination Machine, Reeves and Fuller note that “contrary to popular belief, the ideal can and should evolve over time, as things change.” Using Alibaba as an example, they note that everything in the company, including its vision and goals should evolve. In the 1990s, its initial goal was to be an” e-commerce company serving China’s small exporting companies. As the market changed in the early 2000s, with the explosion of Chinese consumption and technological advances, the company expanded the scope to “the development of an e-commerce ecosystem in China. Fast forward another decade, in response to the physical and digital channels, the company changed its goals again to: “We aim to build the future infrastructure of commerce.” 

Similarly, on a personal level things change constantly.  The single teenage student evolves into an early adult, with an interest in finding a significant other, starting a family and beginning a career. Over the years, the family grows, the cost of living in the new home increases, technology improves and markets change, prompting new career decisions. Still later, rather than retire for a life of leisure, faced with the opportunity to enjoy a productive, healthy and fulfilling, 100 year life more changes take place in personal and family relationships as well the nature of work for income, passion and/or purpose. 

In both cases the gap between the ideal set initially and the current reality constantly changes. How do you close the gap? By changing your ideals and the personal goals, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to meet the next idea.  Personal and business life constantly changes, and to keep up – and try to stay slightly ahead you constantly have to be just as dynamic. 

With an “Age Brilliantly” mindset, you understand that as time passes and you age through different lifestyles and work styles, conforming to rules and norms set in prior time periods are likely to stifle your ability to continue being fulfilled now and in the future. Are you developing this mindset for all aspects of your life? If not, find out at AgeBrilliantly.org.