Remember the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray? Everyday was the same thing over and over again. Sometimes we feel today is the same as yesterday and the same as the day before. We feel like we really haven’t accomplished much and if we had to recall what happened yesterday, we can barely remember anything significant. I sometimes feel trapped in this merry-go-round more often than I’d like to admit. Do you?
Mind Filter
Here’s my take on why this happens. We, as humans, don’t like change, we’re built to return to the familiar. We want order in our lives whether consciously or subconsciously. Our minds work like a well-oiled machine that filters out noise and provides a semblance of continuity and order. For example, your mind filters out most commercials on TV as you focus on the TV show, it can also filter out your watch as you focus on the time (most people can’t draw their watch). If you’ve ever spent a lot of time buying a car, after you bought it, most people are surprised how many of those exact same cars are on the road - your mind starts to remind you of the familiar. Our minds let in what we either set as important or subconsciously think is important. Why not set what we think is important?
The New Normal
Earlier this week, I listened to a speaker talk about the “new normal.” Normal is what our brains are predisposed to follow and filter for us. If we don’t set a “new normal” our minds returns to the familiar and we go about our lives like Groundhog Day. We need to set a “new normal” or a BHAG - “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” that we can visualize in our minds and that is very uncomfortable. Do you have a BHAG? Is it so ingrained in you that it has become the “new normal” and that your body never feels comfortable until you’ve achieved the “new normal” in reality?
The Benefits
If you truly set a “new normal” and really believe it, you’ll start seeing things that you’ve never seen before, your mind starts working for you rather than being on auto-pilot on the “old normal.” Your creativity starts running, your energy starts building, your hearts starts really beating. You can’t sleep unless you’re able to get to the “new normal.” That’s passion, that’s fun! Every day becomes a day to learn, create, and you remain uncomfortable until you’re able to reconcile your new goal with reality.
My New Normal
What is your “new normal?” How do you avoid Groundhog Day? I’m setting a BHAG and “new normal” to be 25,000,000 pageviews/day at my web company. I’m also setting a “new normal” to eradicate poverty for 1,000,000 extremely impoverished people. Is that big, hairy, and audacious enough? I think so, and I have absolutely no clue how I’m going to get there. That’s ok, by setting that in my mind, I believe that my subconscious and conscious mind will work at reaching that as the “new normal.” I’m dreaming, thinking, strategizing, breathing the “new normal.” No more Groundhog day here!
Get to it!
I think most of us have heard the same thing before from Napoleon Hill’s book, Think and Grow Rich or The Secret or from some fancy seminar. Intuitively, it makes sense and it’s nothing new. But, why is it then that most of us don’t have a BHAG or a “new normal”? When are you going to set it? I hope it’s today 
Share with us what your BHAG is below.
This is a great article.
It certainly is true that people will listen but won’t do anything. Only few actually do it while the rest wait and see and then they follow.
Also, I think it is simply a habit of doing something new, and if it feels right, you should do it until it becomes second nature.
Thanks Tom - it’s all about doing!
Very well written, Andy. You are right, particularly about CHANGE. Not only do we humans don’t like change… nothing likes change. For example, to build a house, the land doesn’t want to be changed from the state it previously was. That’s why it’s so hard to yield. Take a good look at almost every aspect of this world… a lot of effort is what’s required to make any change in every aspect. Things don’t just change by themselves or with little effort - it’s a great deal of effort that’s required for change to happen.
So, yes, we should do a lot to make things happen. I remember Les Brown, one of the topmost American motivational speadkers, saying recently that “Life is fight for territory… if we don’t take care of our health for instance, sickness automatically takes over… if we don’t fight to get rich, poverty automatically takes over…” Indeed, life is really a fight for territory. Thankfully with ““new normal” or a BHAG - “Big Hairy Audacious Goals”” as you have set, we can do a lot to fight RIGHTLY for territory. I like the BHAG you have set and yes, they are inspiring. Thanks for sharing, Andy.
Thanks for the comment. It is most definitely a fight and the good things in life don’t come easily - it takes time and hard work!
Indeed, Andy, it really does take time and hard work - which, sadly, lots of people aren’t willing to put in.
Great article. This reminds me of the saying “go big or go home.” I like to think that as I strive for the stars, whether or not I make it, at least I have (hopefully) achieved reaching the moon. If you can stay grounded, by going for those big audacious goals, you’ve done a lot compared to home base.
My BHAG is to continue to come up with ideas AND to initiate/develop/launch them, regardless of the circumstances. It’s really exciting going from a random idea, converting it into a full out project in a matter of hours, and giving each one a simple goal - change the world. That’s what keeps me awake at night.
Thanks for sharing! Kick some butt!
In ground hog day, he was able to take the daily grind and improve on it. Every day wasn’t exactly the same. After he broke free from the original shock of the daily grind, he was able to take that rut and improve it incrementally until he was eventually able to break free from it. If your life is predictable, us that predictability to improve your circumstances.
Good point
haaaa! That movie was great!! Reading this post, however, makes me realize that there was a lot more to that movie than I thought .
Sometimes BHAGs are relative (or the big part at least). Im in pre-launch for a website. My general goal was to use facebook to begin to develop a user base (or fans) before the launch. I started by asking everyone that I knew if they were willing to be a beta tester. I expected maybe 25, 30 tops. I got 100. (whoo hoo!) I then created a fan page and, again, invited everyone I knew, this time with the explicit goal of reaching 100 members in 3 days. I used all of FB’s various features to beg, plead and cajole - I even promised to reveal one of our products should we reach that goal - we hit 125 members. And I kept my promise. Now im planning the next driveto double that number. And i’ll being revealing another product when we get there.
I really enjoyed this post! BHAGs! BHAGs!
Thanks Andy!
ps - being specific about the number of people I wanted was very very helpful - it kept me focused on a measurable and achievable goal (never fly blind!)
PPS -if any of you are on facebook, you are welcome to join!
I neglected to mention that what made my BHAG bhag-ish is that we haven’t launched yet! Thus revealing the products serves more than one purpose.
“PPS -if any of you are on facebook, you are welcome to join!” ha ha ha, sure, why not?
Cool, thanks! I dont want to spam Andy’s blog, so just click my name and it will take you to our FB group. Im going to announce my BHAG to the group in a few days.
very cool, I get pumped reading your post. keep pushing!
25,000 Unique Page Views per day.
rock on charles!
BHAG - To start earning to help myself and to help others.
Past 9 months I am working hard but results in terms of finance almost 0(zero) but yes may be I need one/two more years to achieve what I want to achieve to start earning to help myself and to help others.
Yes, I am learning day-by-day.
Yes, I need blessing too.
Yes, I have BHAG
But yes, there is a word “Destiny” too.
don’t we create our own destiny? stay with it!
Thanks for the post, reminded me of an idea I had several years ago (jogged my memory - I will have to write that one down).
My goal is simply to keep getting up 2 hours early to work on my site - yes Hairy & Audacious since I like my sleep
Not sure my other goals will come through since they were made before I started the site and before I learned a lot more on several subjects, but we will see - will just keep plugging away.
i love the goal, johnny. consistency will pay off in the long run!
Andy the sad part is many people will read this post and still do nothing… (this wont be me … as this year we are changing things up and going for gusto)
I have no doubt you guys are going to kill it and this year is the year to do it.
Good post Andy. My BHAG is to make 50K in additional income over the next 8 months (hairy and audacious with a full time day job ;-))
Thanks for posting Harnish, we’re pulling for you!
My BHAG (I love Jim Collins’ work) is to have my company split our work 50/50. The first fifty percent for paid work, the second fifty percent not for profit. By the end of this year!
great article. Changes is a hard thing to do, but we have to keep doing this to get our life always something “new” and “today is better than tomorrow”
Hey Andy - I’m new to your blog and am appreciating the way you dig into the juicy stuff seeping out from under our protective skins.
As Escalate said above - the thing about BHAGs or whatever we name the big stuff that gets our juices flowing - is that many people just won’t do them.
Why? Sometimes these are just so big & overwhelm occurs. Remember that it is indeed a ONE Groundhog DAY AT A TIME process.
It is being in alignment from the core of your deepest yearning and letting that core lead your action.
If you don’t know how to lead from your core - try the podcast on my site - “Purpose in Action”.
ps. Like ‘Tee’, I don’t want to spam your site either and I am new to this forum so let me know if this is rude and I won’t do it again! I’m a teacher and its hard to get me not to guide.
I hope this prints: My new normal…
In the last 2 1/2 years, I have lost my business; my savings; my career; my father; two cats and my dog; my gall bladder and my husband almost died and spent two months in the hospital. Sigh…but we’re still here…I’m not weeping any longer and I have always wanted an English Knot Garden. So I bought a bunch of boxwoods on super sale and I planted this wonderful little knot garden. I want to garden again. I feel alive when I do. New normal.
…oh, by the way…how did I find your website???Gardening today in that English Knot Garden, I nearly had a heart attack by a creature I have not seen in the 32 years I’ve lived here. What the…? So my husband said groundhog…looked it up and sure enough! They aren’t supposed to be from here, which is perhaps his BHAG! So by happenstance, I found your article - while looking for picture of groundhog. So very weird…
Just like Helen…and how did I find your website? Strange animal in my garden. I eMailed a naturalist friend who said “groundhog”…went looking for a pix to confirm… and there you are with this brilliantly written premise, so in sync with what I needed that it feels miraculous. I will share this with my son, with friends trying to break out of their “old norms” that are SO limiting and constraining.
And remind myself again… and again.