How to Set Life Changing Goals

Austin
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5
How to Set Life Changing Goals

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!

7 Benefits of Listening to Audiobooks

Austin
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1
7 Benefits of Listening to Audiobooks

Audiobook Benefits in a Nutshell

Have you ever wondered if audiobooks have any benefits? What about what the benefits of audiobooks may be? If you answered yes to those questions I can tell you you’re in the right place. Sometimes it can be hard to sit down with a book for a half hour to an hour each day. One of the best ways to combat that is through the use of audiobooks. They are really a game changer when it comes getting your daily dose of book in.

Think about this for a minute, when was the last time you had a chance to read a book? When was the last time you asked someone what books they’ve been reading? The sad true is that we live in a time with access to information constantly but people don’t read as often as they could. You may be wondering what the real benefits of audiobooks are, I have found 7 that I think are most worthwhile.

1)  Audiobooks Are Easy To Listen To While Doing Other Tasks

This is pretty self explanatory but I’ll give you some examples. Audiobooks are great to use in place of music when you are doing things like driving, exercising, cleaning, cooking, or maybe even at work. You will be amazed at how many more books you can listen to when you start playing them all the time. This reason by itself makes audiobooks worth it. Imagine how nice it would be to listen to your favorite motivational book at the office or a thriller while you’re cleaning your house.

2) Audiobooks Are Great For Dyslexics

I came across this after talking with a few of my friends about books. I knew one of them was dyslexic but had never considered how it would affect how often they read. We were discussing how often someone should read and they complained about how difficult it was. I pointed out that audiobooks are a great alternative. They tried it out and became hooked on the idea of listening to audiobooks. The is also one of the benefits of audiobooks for students. I know people that struggled with textbooks because of dyslexia. Most schools offer software that will turn textbooks into audiobooks.

3) Listen To Them With Others

Listening to audiobooks with friends and coworkers has been a fun experience. It gives you a chance to hear other people’s opinions about a book. It is like going out to the movies. In the end everyone has the same ideas to talk about and it’s fun to dig into what could be going on in the background of the book’s universe. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline was the first experience I had with how great audiobooks can be. After listening to that books with my coworkers we are all excited to go see the movie when it comes out. Fingers crossed that it will be a good one. 

4) Listening To Audiobooks While Reading The Book

This one sounds strange but it works out really well. Reading and listening to audiobooks at the same time gives you more things to remember. It ties into Edgar Dale’s cone of learning. That is an interesting topic that I can talk about another day. What you need to know is the more ways you do something and the more work it takes to do those things the easier it is to remember. I’ve used listening to the audiobook while reading the book to learn about stock options, real estate investing, stoicism, and starting a business. None of those topics are easy but I think listening to the audiobooks while I read helped me with retention. This is one of the biggest benefits to audiobooks.

5) More Simple Than Reading a Summary

Unless you are in a big rush to read through a summary for some reason audiobooks are a great option. It is painless to listen to a audiobook. On the other hand you could buy a summary which won’t give you all the details. An alternative would be to jump on Reddit. I know that great summaries can end up on Reddit but you have to be careful about what people are saying. It’s easy to leave out important details. If it were up to me when picking audiobooks vs reading Reddit, I’m going to go with an audiobook 9 times out of 10. There is a lot to be said about sticking with a community though and if you find the right one the users on Reddit will treat you right.

6) Audiobooks Are Great For Adults

The benefits of audiobooks for adults pretty much covers everything I’ve mentioned plus more. Adults are the largest group of people in the world. Many of them are limited on time. Not only that but as you get older your eyesight can decrease. Audiobooks counteract that because you can listen to them instead of reading them. Adults are also limited on time bringing back the benefits of listening while you do other things. It also ties into the last benefit I have to talk about.

7)  Adjustable Speed

One of the coolest benefits of audiobooks is that you can adjust the speed. I personally like to listen at anywhere from 1.5x to 2.5x speed. It all depends on how many times I’ve listened to the book, how the voice actors voice sounds sped up, and how hard to comprehend the books is. I usually recommend starting off at 1x to 1.5x and going from there when you are new to audiobooks. This is not the time to listen with your friends they will probably look at you weird when you start playing a chipmunk book at them.

The Benefits Are Real

As you can see there are many benefits to audiobooks. I’m sure if you sit there and think about it you can come up with a few more on your own. Now that you’re thinking about audiobooks you should check out Audible from Amazon. They seem to really know what they are doing. Once you started you’ll see that audiobooks are good for the brain. There aren’t too many other ways to have fun while you learn. It’s nice to know that you can listen with friends when you have a fun book or you can read along with a hard copy if it’s something more serious. Don’t forget how many audiobook benefits there are. Now get out there are start listening.

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