Putting It All Together: Worked Examples
Theory is one thing; practice is another. Let’s walk through two detailed scenarios to see how this entire framework—from vision to daily action—comes to life. We’ll follow “Alex,” who wants to pivot careers, and “Maria,” who wants to build a fitness habit.
Example 1: Alex’s Career Pivot to Data Science
The 30,000-Foot Vision: Alex is a marketing coordinator who feels unfulfilled and sees a limited future in her current role. Her five-year vision is: “I am a confident and well-compensated Data Scientist working at a mission-driven company, using data to solve meaningful problems. I feel challenged, respected, and financially secure.”
The 10,000-Foot Quarterly Theme: To move toward this vision, Alex knows she needs foundational skills. She sets her theme for the next 90 days: “Gain a fundamental understanding of data analysis by completing an online ‘Data Science with Python’ certificate course and building one simple portfolio project.” This is a perfect SMART goal.
The 1,000-Foot Weekly Focus: In week one, Alex looks at her course syllabus. Her focus is not to “learn data science,” but something much smaller. Her weekly goal: “Complete the first two modules of the course (Introduction to Python and Pandas) and successfully load my first dataset into a Jupyter Notebook.”
The Ground-Level Daily Actions: Alex is busy, so she plans with her constraints in mind. She time-blocks 60 minutes every weekday morning before her marketing job, from 7 AM to 8 AM. Her daily action for Monday is: “Watch the first three videos in Module 1 and complete the initial setup of my programming environment.” Her leading indicator is “number of 60-minute study sessions completed this week.” Her input goal is “study for 60 minutes.” She isn’t worried about whether she “understands everything” on Monday. Her only goal is to show up and put in the time. At her weekly review on Sunday, she’ll see she completed all five study sessions and met her weekly focus goal, giving her a huge boost of motivation to plan the next week.
Example 2: Maria’s Goal to Run a 10k
The 30,000-Foot Vision: Maria works a sedentary desk job and has felt her energy levels decline over the years. Her three-year vision is: “I am an active, healthy person who has a positive relationship with fitness. I have the energy to play with my kids and feel strong and confident in my body. I regularly participate in local running events.”
The 10,000-Foot Quarterly Theme: Running a marathon feels impossible right now, so Maria picks a 90-day goal that is a significant step forward. Her quarterly theme: “Go from a sedentary lifestyle to successfully completing a local 10k race without stopping to walk.”
The 1,000-Foot Weekly Focus: Maria finds a beginner 10k training plan online. In the first week, the plan is very gentle. Her weekly focus is: “Establish the habit of running by completing three 20-minute run/walk sessions as prescribed by my training plan.” This is achievable and focuses on consistency over intensity.
The Ground-Level Daily Actions: Maria knows that if she leaves her exercise until the end of the day, she’ll be too tired. She decides to use her lunch break. Her actionable step for Tuesday is: “At 12:00 PM, change into running clothes and complete the Day 1 workout: a 5-minute warm-up walk, followed by 6 repetitions of (60 seconds jogging, 90 seconds walking), and a 5-minute cool-down walk.” Her leading indicator is simply “number of workouts completed.” She isn’t measuring her pace or distance yet. The only goal is to follow the plan. During her first weekly review, she can proudly check off all three completed workouts. She didn’t become a marathoner in a week, but she successfully became someone who sticks to her training plan—which is a far more important first step.
