Big Goals Lead to Big Success

How to set goals is a question that is asked constantly. It’s a great question to ask because goal setting is one of the most important steps to becoming successful. Setting goals for yourself gives you a chance to outline all the things you need to do to get where you want to be. It’s like a road map to all the dreams you’ve ever had about achieving more.  We’ve all heard either “ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer” or on the more positive side of things “as a great question to get a great answer”. Setting goals works the same way. If you set a big goal you will achieve big dreams. Now you may be asking “what is goal setting and how am I supposed to be doing it?” Well to start the goal setting definition is the process of identifying something you want and setting up measurable goals and timeframes to to achieve what you originally wanted.This sounds simple enough but it can be difficult depending on what you dream about achieving. Here are some goal settings examples that you may have heard of before.

• Become a millionaire
• Be self employed
• Spend more time with friends and family
• Vacation more often
• Retire early
• Buy a new house
• Buy a nice car

In reality the list can go on forever. If we were going to list out everything we want in life it would take us a lifetime of writing and we still wouldn’t finish. Now you can see there are different types of goal setting too. Not everyone wants to run a business, move to a new house, or become the next Bill Gates. That’s where we get into the different types of goals to set and how to set them.

How to set what kind of goal?

Now you may be wondering what kind of goal should I be setting? The answer is it depends. If ask a million different people how many types of goals there are you will get a million different answers. Short term goals, long term goals, personal goals, professional, artistic, financial, relationship… I think you see what I mean by a million different answers. What you need to remember is a goal should have 3 main characteristics. First goals should have time limits because it creates urgency. Second they should be attainable because if it’s not possible you won’t do it. Third goals should have a specific topic because you need to know what you’re working on. Now with that in mind we need to talk about how to set goals and achieve them. There are many different methods to goal setting. Everyone should try different goal setting methods until they find one that works for them. I’ve found that the most empowering goal setting methods are SMART goals, picking The ONE Thing, or using the 10x Rule. These methods will all have different steps to set goals but they will all have the 3 main characteristics of a goal.

SMART Goals

  SMART Goal setting is one of the most common types of goal setting. Many people actually credit Peter Drucker for its invention. Using SMART goals makes sure you have every aspect of a goal that is needed to achieve it. SMART is actually an acronym. Although there have been different words used this is the most common way you’ll find it.

S.M.A.R.T.

• Specific

A goal should be specific. If the goal is not clear it will be hard to stay focused. This is one of the situations where using the 5 “W’s” can be beneficial. Goals are not meant to be broad pick something that is extremely specific like learning 100 german words.

• Measurable

 Goals need to be measurable so that you can track progress. This measuring will also create excitement if you think about how close you are to finishing. The most important question to ask yourself is “How will I know when I’ve accomplished my goal?” Find a way to measure that answer.

• Achievable

Your goal needs to be possible but it needs to push you to your limits. Don’t pick something like make 10 trillion dollars this year. That goal won’t be possible and it will hold you back. If you want to increase your income look at where you are at now and decide on something that will be difficult but achievable. A great question to ask is “how realistic am I being and how will I achieve this goal?”

• Relevant

Pick a goal that is relevant to the things you enjoy, other goals, and what matters to you. If you don’t like cars don’t make a goal of learning to rebuild an engine. You will lose interest. Goals are about finding things that are relevant to you and sticking with them until you accomplish them.

• Time Bound

Goals need to have a time limit set on them. Eventually is not a good example of a time limit. If you want to achieve a goal pick a time that will keep you motivated. Ask yourself  “Can I do this in X months, in X weeks, in X days?” only you can pick a time limit for your goals.

The ONE Thing

This method of goal setting comes from Gary Keller’s best seller “The ONE Thing”. It has set new standards for what people can achieve. It has also become one of my personal favorite books. If you get a chance to read it you should. Using this method of goal setting you still need to follow the 3 main characteristics of a goal. It needs to be attainable, specific, and have a time limit. When you are picking your “ONE Thing” you still need to keep those characteristics in mind. Your “ONE Thing” is going to be the only goal you focus on once it’s picked. Which means this goal needs to be the most important thing to you. This goal also needs to be bigger than you can imagine. A good way to do it is to go 10 times bigger than what you want to achieve. Your “ONE Thing” will be broken down into many smaller things as you go. The best way to describe this method is with a list.

What is your “ONE Thing”?

• What is “ONE Thing” you can do this year? 
• What is “ONE Thing” you can do this month? 
• What is “ONE Thing” you can do this week? 
• What is “ONE Thing” you can do today? 
• What is “ONE Thing” you can do right now? 

Each step must lead to the next step when using “The ONE Thing” method. Your goals will be set from the end to the beginning one step at a time. This method is very flexible because as you learn and get closer to your “ONE Thing” you will be able to change what you are doing for each step. I highly recommend reading “The ONE Thing” by Gary Keller if you want to get the full experience from this method of goal setting. It is really a lifestyle more than anything.

10x Rule

The 10x Rule is a lifestyle that Grant Cardone lives by. In his book “The 10x Rule: The only difference between success and failure” he talks about how you can achieve success through putting in more effort than anyone else will. This method of goal setting is more of a lifestyle than any other method mentioned. The 10x Rule is about setting goals for yourself that are 10 times as big as what you want to accomplish. When you pick a goal that is 10 time bigger you will have to put in 10 times the effort. Going for such a big goal and putting so much effort in means you are guaranteed to at least reach your original goal. The 10x Rule is about getting away from average. You want to be the best at your life. This is the simplest method to use for goal setting because you are going to change your entire lifestyle. Anything you do needs to be 10 times what you expect. If you aren’t putting in the effort to be extraordinary you are being average. It is easy to be average but average people don’t live extraordinary lives. Grant Cardone does a much better job at explaining the 10x Rule than I could ever do. I highly recommend reading his book and getting involved in the 10x lifestyle.

Follow Through With Your Goals

You have gone through the effort of learning about goal setting. You’ve sat down and taken the time to make your goals. Now it is time to follow through with your goals. This is not the time ask “how to achieve our goals in life” or “how to achieve goals successfully”. This is your time to get out there and follow through. By now you will have created a list of goals to set for yourself. These are the things that you have always dreamed of. Why would you want to let yourself down? Take action and start living your dream, reach your goals by following through. You now know of 3 things that your goals should have. You know 3 types of goal setting methods that you can use. Don’t sit around waiting for your dreams to come true, make them come true. Taking one step towards your goals each day will let you live a life you never thought was possible. If you think goal setting will change your life please subscribe to our newsletter. If you have family or friends that are interested in learning more about goal setting let them know by sharing the post on your favorite social media. Thanks for reading!

Becoming the person you want to be

What does it mean to be who you want to be? Being who you want to be means going out and doing things for you. There is no one in this world that is more important in your life than yourself. Take the time to get to know who you are and who you want to be so you can be happy and live a fulfilled life. Knowing who you are is only half the battle. You have to fully understand yourself to make this concept work. Visualize who you want to be in the future. Now look at where you are now. If you don’t see the same person it’s time to get to work. If you do see the same person that’s awesome and you are probably already living your dream. Now let’s get back to what you need to do to be who you want to be. There are going to be a few steps to finding yourself and growing into who you want to be. They aren’t hard steps and each one that you follow will get you closer to your dream life. Let’s take a look at what those steps are going to be.

Step 1) Take time to write down what you believe in

This step is about getting all of who you are on paper. You will need to thoroughly look at everything that makes you who you are and explain why you are like that. The smaller you can break things down the easier it will be to fine tune things in the future. You will need to explain in detail why you believe the things you do and why you don’t believe in the things you don’t. This goes for your moral and ethical beliefs. It is easy to get caught up in the fast paced world but this is a time to sit down and really get to know yourself, think it through. If you see something missing from your list you’ll need to create a seperate list. This new list is things to improve on. This will be very important in the next step.

Step 2) Look for places on your list that you can improve

This is the step when you start building your character and start becoming who you want to be. What it comes down to is taking your list of missing attributes and finding ways to add them to your life. The best way to go about this step is to find a mentor that has experience and can teach you from their mistakes. Mentors can be anyone from the people around you to authors of books that you’ve read. Take the advice of others and take advantage of what has come before you.

Step 3) Focus on what you believe is right

You are going to be learning and exploring a ton of information while on the journey of becoming yourself. During this journey you will need to expand upon the things you believe are right in the world.  Adjust your life and surround yourself with like minded people. The more things you do to improve yourself the happier you will be. An important part of learning is sharing knowledge. During this step you should seek out people that are willing and interested in learning from you. Teach them the ways of “being who you want to be” become the mentor that you sought out during Step 2.

Step 4) Become passionate about the things you enjoy

This is the last major step in being who you want to be. You may have hobbies or interests but this is the time to turn them into a passion. Passions are the easiest things to learn and the easiest things for you to teach. You can become passionate about improving skills that you previously lacked. This is the time to get involved with whatever you are passionate about. Volunteer time, teach others or spend more time on your hobby. Eventually your passion will be part of your life and people will know you for it. This circles around to being who you want to be because you are truly the person doing the things you enjoy and are passionate about.

Learning is the key to living your dream

The most important thing to take away from “being who you want to be” is to keep learning. The only way to ever progress in life is to continue your education. It doesn’t matter if it is school, reading books or getting a mentor that helps you learn new things. as long as you are improving your life you will be able to live your dream. Use the idea of “being who you want to be” as a stepping on your Pursuit of Excellence.