How audacious are you?

The BHAG stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal, an idea conceptualized in the book, “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by James Collins and Jerry Porras. According to Collins and Porras, a BHAG is a long-term goal that changes the very nature of a business’ existence.

As you can see, the A represents the world audacious, but what does it mean to be audacious? Well, let’s dive back to the dictionary and see what we find. Audacious, showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks. Surprisingly bold risks, now doesn’t that sound lovely.

When was the last time you took a surprisingly bold risk and pursued an audacious goal?

Depending on you who you are and your personality, there’s an obvious range both in surprising and bold. But when was the last time you did something totally out of character, totally beyond what you or anyone that knows you thought you would do? And yes, for the sake of this conversation we’re talking about actions that in most cases would be considered legal and not deliberately harming another person.

So, why the need for an audacious goal?

Because pursuing audacious goals pulls you forward and requires that you take bold action. They require you to break current molds and behavior patterns and drive yourself into new unknown territory. They require you to risk failure and dwell in uncertainty.

Audacious goals are not for the weak of mind or heart. They require courage. They require you to take the first step without being sure where your second step will land. They require you to take risks with the potential for disappointment. They require you to leave behind your current you for the new, different version of you. None of this is easy, but this is the price you have to pay if you want to achieve your audacious goals.

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