Success Advice

Stack The Deck: 3 Ways To Ensure You Actually Reach Your Goals

Published

4 years ago

Jun 3, 2020

Image Credit: Unsplash

If you’d like to learn how to properly set sustainable goals so you can accomplish them and improve your life, sign up for the free 90-Day Master Class hosted by the founder of Addicted2Success.com, Joel Brown.

Most people get goal setting all wrong. Goal setting is not a complicated thing. In fact, once you know what you’re doing, it’s quite straightforward. However, somewhere along the line, people seemed to confuse goal setting with resolutions. They can also confuse goal setting with daydreaming or with wishful thinking. That’s not goal setting. Saying I want to:

Lose weight – isn’t a goal
Run a marathon someday – isn’t a goal
Start a business eventually – isn’t a goal

These are aspirations and yes, they are fantastic. But they are not goals, or at least they aren’t goals that you are going to achieve. Why? Because they lack the correct structure.

Weight loss

Years ago, I made one of those classic goal setting mistakes that I just touched on. I set a goal to lose weight. In fact, I declared that I would lose something like 30 pounds in six months. A very noble endeavor.

Jump ahead to the end of the story and, wow, I ended up losing those 30 pounds! Congrats to me! Better yet, I’ve been able to keep that weight off all these years. But…I didn’t do it within six months. Instead, it took me roughly three years.

It’s great that I achieved my goal, eventually, but it would’ve saved me so much struggle and frustration if I had been aware of the right way to set things up from the beginning.

“Begin with the end in mind.” – Stephen Covey

Reading more

This year I set a goal to read two books a month. This is a huge goal for me because I am a notoriously slow reader so reading one book a month is tough. Getting two done is a real stretch, but nevertheless, that was the goal I set for myself.

Applying the lessons I’ve learned over many years of goal setting, I planned out my goal.

I formulated my strategies for how I would read more (like speed reading and listening to audiobooks)
Decided when I would read each day (mostly during lunchtime)
And created better systems for myself (especially in regards to note-taking)

And… how am I doing? Well, as of May I’ve already completed 17 books. I’m reading way more than just two books a month and am doing it all while growing my business, being a devoted first-time parent to my teething six-month-old, and pursuing 10+ other goals. If I can do it, so can you.

That said, I’ve learned a great deal about goal setting over the years. And what I’ve found is that, among other things, there are three rules you need to follow to set goals that you actually achieve:

1. Set goals that you can control

The first rule of effective goal setting is to set ones you can control. Control is important because many people give up on their goals when things don’t work out for them. But more often than not, those things that don’t work for them are outside their realm of influence.

Sure, you can set a goal to make $1,000 more this month than last month, but you have no control over whether or not someone buys your product. What you can control though is how many sales calls you make. So instead of setting a goal to – make more money this month – you should set one to – make 50 sales calls a day.

You have no control over the former, but you have full control over the latter. And because you have control over it, whether or not you achieve it is on you. You either make the calls or you don’t. Success or failure is within your grasp and no one else’s – it’s a good thing.

2. Don’t overdo it

Rule number two is to only set one goal per each area of your life, max. Your time is finite so if you set numerous goals for your job, you are going to constantly feel pulled in every direction. This strain will eventually cause you to either burn out and quit or make mistakes.

Instead, set just one goal per area of your life. Have just one fitness goal, one education goal, one career goal. That way you increase your focus and decrease feelings of stress.

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” – Zig Ziglar

3. Make adjustments as needed

Rule three is to never get “locked-in” with your goals. Another common reason people give up on their goals is because they either set ones that are unsustainable or they miss a day and decide to quit.

For example, let’s say you set a goal to run 30 minutes a day, seven days a week. Great! Now, you may do that for a week or two, but by the end of the month you’re exhausted. You may have even missed a few runs here or there.

You’re ready to give up. You feel burnt out on running and want to quit because you didn’t do all the runs you set out to do. Resist that urge! Instead, celebrate the runs you did complete and recognize that you simply need to adjust your goal to make it more sustainable.

Seven days a week might be too much, but five is just enough to push you without burning out. Much better! With that in mind, don’t be afraid to adjust your goals when you find yourself getting exhausted or coming up short.

Your turn

Follow my three rules when setting goals moving forward. Remember to set ones within your scope of control so that you can be in charge of the progress you make. To avoid spreading yourself too thin, only set one goal per each area of your life. And above all else, if you find yourself giving up or burning out, feel free to adjust your goals so that they are more sustainable.

You will achieve your goals. Just keep taking one positive step after another.

Do you have a process for setting goals in your life? If so, please share it with us below!

Up Next

3 Questions That Will Immediately Ramp Up Your Creative Flow

Don't Miss

7 Successful People and Their Time-Tested Secrets to Success

Corey Fradin

Corey Fradin is the Founder of QuickBooost - a blog that helps you do more with your time (productivity, goal setting, that kind of thing). His passion for goal setting has led to him helping countless individuals finally achieve their goals.

Click to comment

Success Advice

How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

Published

2 weeks ago

Nov 20, 2023

Jane Frankel

Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success (1)

Image Credit: Midjourney

Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

Success Advice

How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

Published

2 weeks ago

Nov 16, 2023

Jamelle Sanders

Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness.

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be.

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time.

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.

Success Advice

Here’s a Young Man’s Antidote for the Uncertainty of the Modern World

Why do a lot of young guys lack confidence in today’s world?

Published

3 weeks ago

Nov 13, 2023

Dale Valor

Image Credit: Midjourney

We all have been told that confidence is a key factor in achieving success and happiness in life. But what is it exactly? (more…)

Success Advice

Toxic Leadership: 5 Ways to Identify a Bad Leader

if you have a leader who displays any of the toxic traits, it’s time to move on to greener pastures.

Published

3 weeks ago

Nov 10, 2023

Filiz Behaettin

Image Credit: Midjourney

Let’s be honest, we’ve all crossed paths with a toxic leader in our careers at some point. Unfortunately, while some toxic leaders don’t even bother to hide their behaviour, some know very well how to conceal their true selves behind a strong-built facade. The latter is the most dangerous of the two. (more…)