How to Reach BIG Goals
Have you ever started a new year with renewed enthusiasm for reaching your biggest goals only to find that by February 1st, you’re discouraged, in a slump, or have completely forgotten about your well-meant plans for the year?
You’re not alone. According to Forbes Magazine, only 8% of people stick with their resolutions with any resiliency. Good news! You don’t have to be among the 92% that fail to make their dreams a reality.
Using the following six-step process, you can consistently achieve BIG goals. I have! Over the past few years, by following the six steps, I have written and publishing a bestselling book, bought investment property, started and sold one business, and successfully launched another—my dream business, one that brings in a multiple six-figure income and allows me to travel and spend quality time with my family.
Narrow Your Focus—Set Clear Goals
This might seem obvious, but step one is to set clear goals. The clearer, the better. I've found that the more precisely I define what I want to achieve, the easier it is for me to achieve it. State exactly what you want, quantify it, make sure it’s not in conflict with any other goals, and set a date to achieve it by.
When you are clear about your goals, it is easy to take action, because you have defined what you need to do in order to achieve success. It is also much less overwhelming if you break your goals down. This way, you can measure your progress and push yourself through the slumps.
Surround Yourself with People Who Have Achieved the Same Goal
Step two is to find a mentor or expert, someone who has already achieved your goal, and ask them what key things helped them reach their level of success. Ideally, if you want to get the very best results, you should find several different people who are experts and interview them all.
For example, if you want to become a New York Times bestselling author, find authors who have made the New York Times Bestseller List or who are career authors. This step is critical, but it's something that most people don't do because it can be intimidating to ask for help, especially from someone famous.
I know it’s not easy, but there are thousands and thousands of authors out there. You can find a respected author’s contact information and send them an email and say, “I'm an aspiring author and I have a few questions. I wondered if you could get back to me?” You can also join groups or trade organizations or invest in attending a fair, event, or exposition where experts in the area of your goal will be.
If you don't take this important step, you might think that you need to do certain things to achieve your goal, but these things have no bearing on your goal and are a waste of time. Talking to people who have walked the same path can help you define which concrete steps will move you forward and which ones will not.
Create Your Big Picture
What is your big picture? You don't need to get into the nitty-gritty at this point; you just need to identify the five or so main steps you will need to take in order to achieve your goal.
For example, if you want to start a business, then maybe the following might be a part of your plan:
Figure out what product you're going to provide.
Find people to build your team to help grow your business.
Create systems so that you'll be able to serve your customers well.
Market and promote your business.
Get additional financing so that you can scale your company.
Basically, you need a plan so that you know what to focus on and in what order. Don’t expect your plan to be perfect. You are just working out the bones. You'll probably rewrite your plan many times along the way, but if you don't have a plan, then it will be very hard to stay focused, and you'll feel a lot more overwhelmed.
Break It Down
The fourth step for achieving big goals goes back to step one! Take that big goal and break it down into minuscule detail.
Let’s return to the New York Times best seller example; the big goal is to write the book. Obviously, that is the most important step. It’s the biggest theme of the big picture.
However, that can seem overwhelming, so you need to really break it down into easily accomplished tasks. Maybe the first thing you need to do in order to write the book is to outline the chapters, or maybe you need to set a writing goal of writing 500 or 1000 words every single day.
Without breaking it down, your big goal will feel overwhelming, and feeling overwhelmed leads to procrastination. Break it down into tiny little bite-sized steps, like putting on your gym shoes to go to the gym. It will seem much easier and much more obtainable.
Manage Your Time
Step five is to schedule time on your calendar for your goals. It seems obvious that you need to put time towards your goal; however, most people simply daydream about the future they desire. That’s the 92%. If you haven't achieved your big goal yet, it probably means you haven’t made your goal a priority.
If achieving your big goal is truly the #1 priority in your life, then it would make sense that you give the goal priority in your schedule also.
Of course, set aside time to relax, that's fine, but if you really care about achieving your goals, block out hours of time every week to focus on achieving the desired results. Take a look at your calendar and see where your time is going right now.
Are you spending time on things that don't really align with your priorities? If so, check out this video. I think you'll find it really helpful.
Stay Focused on Your Big Goal
The last step is to stay focused. A lot of people try to use this step as their only tactic. They think, “Yeah, I want to write a New York Times bestseller,” or “I want to get in great shape; I just need to stay focused.” The reality is, if you don't do steps one, two, three, four, and five, then it's very difficult to stay focused, because you're constantly getting distracted by other things that aren't your priority.
If you are not sure what your goal is because you haven't clearly defined it
If you haven't made your goal a priority on your schedule
If you are not sure what the big steps are
Or if you’re not sure what daily tasks must be accomplished to move you towards your goal
Then go back to the drawing board and complete all the steps!
Don't let yourself get distracted by other projects or things that you think might help you achieve your goal faster. Remember what your mentors told you and stay focused on the things they told you will make a big difference.
For example, if you want to get into really good shape and your mentor said to lift weights two times a week and eat a clean diet that focuses on counting your macros, but you decide to do cardio and try a juice cleanse that a bunch of your friends are doing instead, well, that juice cleanse might help you lose a few pounds, but it’s not what you actually need to do to get into really good shape, so it's just a distraction.
To recap:
Step 1 – Define your big goal.
Step 2 – Find a mentor or expert to interview to help you figure out exactly what actions you need to take in order to achieve that big goal.
Step 3 – Create a big-picture plan with around five steps.
Step 4 – Break down exactly what you need to do on a daily basis.
Step 5 – Seriously schedule time in your calendar to focus on the actions that you need to take to achieve your goal.
Step 6 – Stay focused on the plan that you've created and don’t get distracted by other things.
Remember that these strategies only work if you DO THE WORK.
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