After the afterglow: What do you do when you achieve a goal?

Last night I was watching an episode of Salvage Dawgs on Netflix.  It consists of footage of a crew salvaging old woods from abandoned buildings, a couple of guys going out to pick antiques out of junk yards and repurposing unworking things into useful things.  The episode I was watching had these guys working to save two huge trusses from a building they’d been salvaging for a week.  These huge roof supports were attached better than they expected for a 100 year old building and it took a ton of work, heavy equipment and problem solving skills to extract them.  In the end, they did it.
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So, that lead me to start thinking…what happens when you extract your 100 year old trusses?  What happens when you achieve the distant goal you have worked for so long on?  After the celebration dies down, it can feel, empty.  Whether your trusses are landing a big client, being promoted to your dream title, completing that masterpiece project or just starting your business, it can feel like an empty building after the back patting stops.  Then you’re just left to figure out what this means for you now. 

This happened to me last week.  I had been dreading the idea of speaking in front of a large group, but when you do what I do, it’s a necessity. So, a few years, I started putting myself out there, making a point of putting myself on camera and in front of people. I forced myself to slow my breathing when in front of a crowd and focus on being me.  Two years after I announced that I absolutely would not, under no circumstances, let public speaking get me again, I was given an opportunity to speak in from of 175 people on the topic of small business marketing. 

I went, I gave an HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTE talk about a topic I’m passionate about and I didn’t suck.  I had so many questions and a line of people to talk to me.  It’s the type of positive attention I love.  When we left, people pointed at me from across the street.  “That’s her”, they whispered. It was truly one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve had in my career. It was the high of pseudo-famous.

Then, two days later… it was gone.  I was just Maureen again. The silence after can be deafening.

So, what now?
Well, I’m not sure about you, but after my “trusses” are extracted, I ask:  “what’s next?”  To believe that we have one purpose in this life would be heart breaking.  And as a collectively passionate and goal-oriented group, we know that this is action time.  What else will make you feel fantastic?  What else will help move you along your path to your long range goals?  It’s time to sit down and strategize.  For me, it is about finding another opportunity to speak about something I’m passionate about.  There is no better thing than helping people do their jobs better.  That’s why I got into marketing into the first place…good marketing helps people do their jobs better.
So, let’s get started!