Achieve Your Goals
Here Are The Facts
86% of Americans set New Year’s resolution goals
14% have clear goals, though not written down
3% have clear, written goals with a plan of action to achieve them
Of the 86% who set goals but lack concrete, actionable plans:
92% do not achieve them
80% fail to review their goals regularly
As a reader of THE BLUEPRINT, I assume you to be a motivated action-taker who achieves what you set after. The following is a scientifically proven goal achievement strategy broken into 4 steps that I have actively used for some time, and encourage you to use as well.
This strategy is not limited to the size of the goal or how long it will take to achieve it.
Step #1 - The Foundation
Set a SMART goal. This is taught in school but quickly forgotten.
Specific - identify an exact metric that signals goal accomplishment
Measurable - clear ways to measure progress
Achievable - challenging yet attainable (more about this below)
Relevant - aligned with your overall objectives and aim in life
Timely - specific end date to promote urgency and prevent procrastination
Remember, your goal should be relevant, so its accomplishment should get you closer to where you would like to be. The existence of other goals during this time of pursuit will fragment your focus and your effectiveness. It is in your best interest to limit your pursuits to one or very few core focuses.
Remember this question from The ONE Thing:
"What's the ONE thing I can do, such that by doing it,
everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”- Gary W. Keller and Kay Papasan
By setting a goal and taking action, you will progress forward and upwards. It may not be directly linear, as above, but from start to end, it should look similar to the above graph.
BE AWARE OF HOW YOU DEFINE ACHIEVABLE.
Certainly, you can achieve what you set your mind to. Here is a favored quote:
“I bargained with Life for a penny,
and Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store;
Life is a just employer.
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
I worked for a menial's hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have willingly paid”- Jessie B. Rittenhouse
Step #2 - Increase Frequency
Write down the goal and place it in your most frequented locations:
Many will choose to do this with a sticky note on the bathroom mirror. Make sure this is the only (or one of the very few) other notes in this area. Too many notes to self, and the brain will become unreasonably cluttered.
Read this note out loud every time you see it.
This does two things:
Repetition - this ensures you won’t set the goal and forget it a week later when you find a different shiny object.
Belief - if your goal is BIG, then it may take time for your mind to wrap around your capability of achieving it (view the poem and graph above). Constant touch points will turn it from a goal into something you will accomplish.
Step #3 - Action Plan
Deduce a plan of action.
What actions are required to reach this goal? In this step, break your goal down until you have decided on the action you must accomplish today.
If your goal is large, break it into reasonable checkpoints and then create an action plan to get to the next checkpoint. Most goals can be broken into timely checkpoints. Define your quarterly checkpoints for a year-long goal. Then, define what needs to be done by the end of the first quarter.
If you have yet to achieve Checkpoint 1, do not waste your time deciding how to get to Checkpoint 2! You will have a much cleaner view at the top of Checkpoint 1 to make these educated decisions.
Step #4 - Set Needle Movers
I have seen many failures and setbacks come from not completing this final step.
Each day, set your needle movers. What needs to be accomplished today that moves you towards your goal?
Without daily definition, your goal will sit in your mind passively, or you may take actions you think are helpful but are concealed procrastination and skirting the real work.
The needle movers for many goals will be repetitive. Weight and fitness goals often rely on similar actions on a daily basis. For these, I recommend setting a standard action plan that makes the day a success if met.
However, many goals have a more ambiguous path, dependent on size or if it is a road less traveled. You may utilize various methods to reach these goals and encounter significant trial and error. This will often require a mix of repetitive and new actions.
In this scenario, each day you must define the needle movers to focus your efforts and avoid the procrastination trap.
Optional Add-On
This is not a necessity, but for your own fulfillment:
To top off the work in Step #1, define how and with whom you will celebrate once you achieve your goal.
Many will achieve their goals simply because they set them. They don’t need the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow because they are already internally motivated. Odds are, reading THE BLUEPRINT, you are one of these people.
However, along with a plethora of additional benefits, celebration triggers the brain’s reward system and will make the pursuit of the next goal more vigorous.
Immediate Action
Take this moment to run your goal through Step #1.
Ask the following questions:
Do I have a SMART goal?
Is my goal BIG?
For Your Dedicated Progression,
Spencer A.
