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.

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Do More, Your Life is Lived One Day at a Time

It can be tough to do more when it feels like you don’t have enough time. One way to start achieving more is to add small tasks to your day. Think about this for a minute. If you want to write a book but don’t have time you can write 100 words per day. That may not seem like that many but over the course of a year you will have written 36,500 words. That’s almost an entire book right there. This simple idea can be used on any task that you want to have more of in your life.

The idea is that if you add one small thing to your life each day it builds up over time. It’s like compounding interest. Einstein once said “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it… He who doesn’t, pays it…” if you consider doing something every day as a way to compound your interests you will achieve more. The first thing you will need to do is find something worth pursuing.  That thing must be worth doing every day!

Pick Your Once a Day Thing

If you’re like me then you know that picking something new to learn can be difficult. Since you are trying to pick something that you can do every day it is a good idea to start with something you want as a habit. The best kind of habits are keystone habits. They are life changing and they build up other good habits. A few examples of things that you could do every day are reading, writing, exercising, or practicing a skill or trade.

Your one thing is something you have to be willing to commit to for a couple of months if not years. After you have picked your one thing you will be able to start your journey towards achieving more and pursuing excellence in all aspects of your life.

Make a Goal Then Break it Down

You’ve already picked something you want to spend more time doing. Now it’s time to decide what you want to do with your one thing. Goal setting is a monumental part of being successful. You should always strive to create the most empowering goals for yourself because you are the only one that can decided how successful you can be. When building monumental goals you should plan to break them down into actionable steps. That’s where doing something every day comes in.

After you’ve made your ultimate goal, it’s time to figure out what the most beneficial use of your time is each day. Take some time to visualize what you’re trying to achieve. How much time can you spend on your goal each day? Is it 30 minutes, 1 hour, or more? If you only have 30 minutes each day to work on your goal, break your goal down into smaller daily tasks that are easy to manage. The same goes for an hour or even 2. The important part here is making and effort to work your goal into your daily schedule.

Expand Into New Areas

After you have gotten into the habit of doing your task everyday it is time to expand into new beneficial areas. These new areas need to be 1 step removed and no more. That means that if you decided to read more often you should go out and start riding a unicycle as an additional task (unless you were learning about unicycles, in that case ignore that last part). If you did choose to read more this is a perfect time to start writing. Another example would be if you started working out then adding a healthy diet or meditation would be 1 step removed. You may have even started learning to draw in which case painting or animation may be a good next step.

Whatever you decide to do remember that you are only going to add a task that is 1 step removed. 1 step removed tasks will have overlapping interests or skills. The reason for this is that when your goals overlap you can compound your success.

Achieve More With Less

Success comes to those that are willing to put the work in, have patience, and understand that your opinion of success isn’t the same as the next person’s. Finding one thing that you can do everyday will evolve into you mastering a skill. If you are able to find something you are passionate about your growth will be accelerated even more. Once your skills evolve to the point where you can bring in new ideas that’s when you know you’re on the right path to success.

The more you strive to be the best that you can be the happier you will be. You aren’t just helping yourself, you are helping everyone that you interact with on a daily basis. If you think that getting better at one thing will help your life, find a friend that wants to do more too. You’ll be able to hold each other accountable meaning you’ll grow faster. No one successful will ever claim they did it alone, surround yourself with people that have the same mindset as you.

If you think achieving more every day is something that will help you, then it will help someone around you achieve more too. Make sure you share this idea with a friend. Whether it be by word of mouth or by sharing this post on social media. Taking one step in the right direction will help. Success is something that everyone deserves. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about what you can do for yourself and the people around you. Thanks for reading!