Choose Your Anchor
We just returned from my daughter's college graduation and it was wonderful! It was so nice to be on the beautiful campus and meet people who were instrumental to her college experience. Now that she has graduated, she is off to Europe with a friend.
Planning the trip to Europe came at a particularly busy time and she and her friend had limited time to figure it out. They set up a planning call with zero direction and way too many options. Together, they determined that money was a primary factor in their decision making so they began by researching the cheapest flights. They determined that flying in and out of London was the cheapest, so that became their anchor. From there they figured out what other cities made the most sense to visit based on their proximity to London. In the end, they chose Edinburgh, Dublin and Amsterdam as their trips since they sounded like great places to visit and they were relatively quick flights from London. Done. This anchor allowed them to move forward and figure out the rest of their trip. An anchor is usually something that is determined because of a necessity or a strong preference and that propels the rest of the decisions that flow from it.
A client of mine is an empty nester and she is trying to figure out where to move next. When the entire world is your oyster, you need anchors or else your head will spin. Together we figured out her non-negotiables and they became her anchor. Population size, proximity to mountains, and demographics were the most important. Putting these anchors in place she could narrow her focus and then feel more in control of her search.
When working with clients on their career, we often find an anchor to help narrow down the job search. The anchor could be flexibility or location or job title or company culture or pay. Narrowing down the anchor shapes the process from how to research and network to which questions to ask at an interview. Having an anchor also lets you know where you may have to be more flexible. It is counterproductive to have too many anchors. Having anchors requires flexibility as well.
Choice is a wonderful thing, but it can also cause overwhelm and cause us to freeze. Having an anchor can be clarifying and help you get unstuck. It can help shape a path and make decision-making easier. Choosing an anchor is liberating and should be deeply linked to your values and priorities. Be aware that anchors will fluctuate, so evaluate the anchor you are choosing and make sure you are not just recycling an old anchor. Make sure it reflects your life now.
If you are having trouble making a decision or moving forward on a project, ask yourself about your anchors. Do you have an anchor, does it make sense, do you have too many anchors and need to have a little more flexibility? I would love to hear your stories. What anchors have you used in past decisions, how did that work out? Are you struggling with a decision now? If so, what anchor are you adopting?
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Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash
