I used to feel pretty low on myself as it related to setting goals and achieving them.

Didn’t matter if it was a work goal, fitness goal, money goal or just a life goal — a part of me seemed to always believe that no matter how much I wanted it, I just wouldn’t achieve it.

The problem wasn’t that I didn’t know what I wanted. I had PLENTY of things I desired to accomplish (my Big Hairy Audacious Goal list was massive). I was just ineffective at everything AFTER coming up with the goal. I didn’t know how to plan, how to strategize, how to help myself overcome my own obstacles, how to check in with my goals, how to be smart with my goals — none of that.

And so 95% of the time I ended up quitting and feeling crappy about myself. Each failed goal made me feel less and less capable, and that led me to set less and smaller goals.

Can you relate?

In today’s podcast I’m tackling the big hairy beast that is GOAL SETTING, in the hopes of helping to ignite a breakthrough within you.

You CAN set goals that are meaningful and will really move the needle for you.

And you CAN achieve those things you really desire in life.

Ready to make it happen?

Let’s do this together!

• bust down the fear of your scary goals
• come up with goals with focus and meaning that actually matter
• dream big and start small
• plan for inevitable obstacles
• walk the walk
• give yourself props

• you set too many, not enough focus
• you never break them down into smaller steps (set huge goals, then try to tackle the hugeness)
• I used to do this. I’d have a goal of “a side hustle that generates an additional $100,000 in annual revenue” and that was pretty much it. No further detail. A desire, no plan.
• don’t have any real plan OR you don’t follow your plan
• you never build real momentum (fail to get over the tipping point)
• you tell others
• I used to do this. I’d tell Sarah any goal that I had, believing that by telling her I now had more accountability and it would encourage me to complete the goal. Reality was I felt accomplished simply by telling her, and then almost always I stopped the goal quickly after starting. I would get some sort of acknowledgement and then my motivation to continue went down. Telling others about your goals can give you a fake feeling of achievement (especially when you get congrats from friends, you’ll feel like you’re already achieving them). Instead, write them down, don’t share them, come up with a practical plan, execute like crazy. Awesome quote on this, “Work hard in silence, let success make the noise”.

• Tackle the scariness of setting big goals – being aware of how your mind sabotages your achievements before you even begin
• Let it rip – grab a pen and paper and write down what you want to achieve. Big or small. Make a list. Personal development, health/fitness, money, relationships, career/school, lifestyle. What do you feel is important for you to achieve?
• Focus, focus, focus – now what’s REALLY important to you? Not everything from the step above matters. Select 1-2 goals TOPS in any one area of life (so don’t have 3 big business goals you’re trying to accomplish, or 3 big health goals at one time)
• 5 Whys – Why is that goal important to you? Okay, so why does that matter to you? Okay, so why does that matter to you? Repeat that 2 more times and you’ve got your bigger why for this goal. Do that for every goal you are focusing on. Put your WHY somewhere we’ll you’ll see it and be reminded of it often.
• Write your goal down and make it SMART – write down your goal, it makes it real. Make sure it’s Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Bound
• Dream big, and start small – take your big goal and break it down into small steps. Now break those down into smaller steps. Now break those down into tiny tasks. Now you’re cooking!
• Spot your obstacles — what obstacles stand in the way of you achieving your goal? What mental barriers do you have? What physical or resource limitations can you see? Pretend you are your own coach (or pretend a friend came to you with the same goals and obstacles), and develop your way around those obstacles. Use “if-then plans”.
• Schedule it damnit – open your calendar and block out the time needed to accomplish your goal. Schedule a check-in as well (weeks or months in the future) to review your progress and adjust if necessary.
• Give yourself props along the way — too easy to be laser focused on the goal and completely forget that it’s not just about the destination, it’s the journey that will truly change you. The day-to-day march towards achieving your goal is what will transform you into the person who actually can achieve that goal (because that’s not you right now, otherwise you’d have what you want). So set up milestones to give yourself some props (ie rewards) as you march along.