2027 is almost upon us, and I spent a good chunk of today writing down everything I’d like to accomplish between now and the end of the year.
Some of these things need to get done before I fly to Miami next week, whilst others are longer-term goals that might stretch well into 2027.
And let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like getting everything out of your head and onto paper (or, in my case, a whiteboard) to make you realise just how much stuff you’ve been carrying around in your brain.
But as I looked at my list, something occurred to me. A surprising amount of what I’d written down wasn’t actually about achieving goals. It was about developing the skills I’d need to achieve them.
Big Goals Are Sexy. Sharpening the Saw Isn’t.
There’s a concept I first came across in one of those classic personal development books called “sharpening the saw.”
The idea is simple enough. If you’re going to spend your day cutting down trees, you’d better make sure your saw is sharp. Otherwise, you’re going to spend an awful lot of time and energy working harder than you need to.
I experienced something similar recently when I replaced our old hedge trimmer. The difference in efficiency was remarkable. What had previously taken an exhausting amount of time and effort suddenly became considerably easier.
Same person. Same hedges. Better equipment.
Now, think about how most people approach setting goals.
“I want to make a million dollars!”
“I want to get into the best shape of my life!”
“I want to win Miss USA!”
That’s great. I’m all for setting ambitious goals. But here’s my question: what are you doing to develop the skills necessary to achieve them?
Because there’s a rather large difference between wanting to achieve something and actually being equipped to achieve it.
The Boring Stuff That Actually Makes a Difference
Looking at my own list, I’ve got quite a bit of reading to catch up on. I also want to digitise the passages I’ve highlighted in my physical books so I can reference them later, including when working with AI.
Then there’s the small matter of keeping up with AI itself.
Now, I’ve been interested in AI for longer than most people. In fact, my final-year college project was on artificial intelligence, and I’ve been using ChatGPT increasingly since its launch.
But even I was surprised recently when I started exploring some of the newer AI productivity and brainstorming tools. Capabilities that I’d previously assumed weren’t possible had suddenly become available.
Which got me thinking: if I’m finding it difficult to keep up with developments in an industry I’m actively interested in, what about people who aren’t paying attention at all?
And this applies to practically every industry.
If you’re a personal trainer, you should be continually improving your understanding of exercise science and nutrition. If you’re a life coach, you should be learning how to become a better coach, not simply collecting motivational quotes to post on Instagram.
Whatever your chosen field, the question should be the same: what skills do I need to develop to remain valuable, not just today, but five or ten years from now?
Confidence Is Great. Competence Is Better.
One thing I’ve noticed about the personal development world is just how much attention we give to confidence.
Believe in yourself. Dream bigger. Think positively. Manifest success.
And whilst I’m certainly not against confidence, I think competence is wildly undervalued.
Think about it. ‘Self-efficacy’ is that particular type of confidence that comes from knowing you really know your stuff. You don’t need to constantly remind yourself how amazing you are because you’ve put in the work to become genuinely good at what you do.
It’s a quieter, more grounded form of confidence, and I’d argue it’s considerably more valuable than simply trying to convince yourself you’re capable of something.
Here’s the thing: if you’re setting massive goals without developing the skills to match, you’re essentially writing cheques your butt can’t cash.
Eventually, reality is going to catch up with you.
What Does This Mean for Pageant Contestants?
Let’s say your big goal for 2027 is to win a particular pageant title.
Fantastic. But rather than spending all your time thinking about the crown, I’d encourage you to ask a different question.
What skills would you need to develop to become the kind of contestant who’s capable of winning that title?
Maybe it’s your communication skills. Maybe it’s your ability to think clearly under pressure. Maybe it’s your stage presence, your ability to connect with people, or your understanding of how to use AI to become more effective and productive.
And, importantly, how much time are you actually setting aside each week to develop those skills?
Because you can spend all day writing down goals, making vision boards and imagining yourself wearing the crown, but none of those things automatically makes you more competent.
It’s the boring, repetitive, often unglamorous work that develops the skills you need to succeed.
What Happens When Your Skills Become Obsolete?
There’s another reason I think continually improving your skills is so important, and it’s one that concerns me considerably.
Technology is changing at an extraordinary rate, particularly with the development of AI.
Skills that were extremely valuable just a few years ago may become considerably less valuable over the next few years. And people who don’t keep up could find themselves in the uncomfortable position of needing to learn an entirely new set of skills, urgently.
Now, I know there are legitimate concerns about AI, including ethical and environmental issues. I’m certainly not suggesting we ignore them.
But I do think there’s a difference between raising legitimate concerns about a technology and simply rejecting it because you’re uncomfortable with change.
I’ve seen plenty of the latter, including within the pageant industry.
And whilst you might be able to ignore technological change for a while, that doesn’t mean the rest of the world is going to stop moving forward.
The good news? You don’t necessarily need to spend hours every day studying.
Even thirty minutes a day, or a few hours each week, deliberately developing valuable skills can make an enormous difference over time.
Tony Robbins calls it CANI, or Constant And Never-ending Improvement. It’s closely related to the Japanese concept of kaizen, which emphasises continual, incremental improvement.
Not particularly sexy, perhaps, but enormously powerful.
The Homework: Make Time to Sharpen Your Saw
Here’s something I’d encourage you to do before 2027 arrives.
Write down your most important goals for the coming year.
Identify the skills you’ll need to develop to make those goals achievable, particularly skills that will remain valuable in the future.
Block out some time in your weekly calendar to deliberately work on those skills.
And here’s the important bit: don’t simply leave it until you’ve finished everything else on your to-do list.
Because we have a tendency to prioritise what’s urgent over what’s important. And when we ignore what’s important for long enough, it eventually becomes urgent.
That’s usually when the crisis begins.
I’d much rather spend thirty minutes a day sharpening my saw than discover, twelve months from now, that I’ve been trying to cut down a forest with a blunt one.
Wouldn’t you?
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Best,
Adrian.
