Welcome to day 1 of unlimited power…

And I am not kidding.

People think I am nuts when I talk about goal setting. I tell them – think about having a secret – a power – that can give you whatever you desire. People ask me what is this magic power. It’s the power of goal setting.

I know I sound like I am on drugs – but I assure I am not. I just know that with the proper planning – the proper goal setting – you can have anything you want.

Anything you want.

Want to lose weight? Want more money? Want more time off? Want more personal freedom? Want more love from your spouse? Want more security in your job? Want a new car?

You can have it all. You just need to go about it the right way.

This is the first part of a new 6 part post series on how to set, achieve, and exceed your goals. If you want to read a primer on this series, READ THIS.

What Do You Want?

This is the first step in setting any goal. Answer the simple question of what do you want.

This maybe a harder question than you think. Most of you already have an answer and that isn’t a bad thing. But think about what it is you just blurted out and really ask yourself if what you said really is what you really want.

You  want to think of what you want, then funnel it down to get a specific, attainable goal. Saying the first thing that comes to mind, or choosing a goal you have attempted in the past probably isn’t a best idea. If you keep doing what you have always done, you will always get what you always got.

So the first thing you can do is think about something broad that you want. Maybe it has to do with your health. Or your financial situation. Or something for your own personal development. Or maybe a business goal. Whatever it is, get an idea of what you want to do. For example – my goal is to read more.

Start Getting More Precise

Once you have a broad sense of what you want, start breaking it down. If your goal has to do with health, break it down farther to lose weight, or be more active, or complete a marathon. If you have a financial goal, maybe it is to make more money, or save more money, or to purchase a house. With personal development, maybe you can go back to school, or learn a new hobby. For business goals, maybe it is to increase your business sales, or open another facility, or improve customer service.

I want to read more personal development books.

Get even more specific in what you want. This is where you get that actually number you want to hit. That point when you hit it, you know you achieved the goal you wanted. Think big on this one. There is something called the Self Fulfilling Prophecy that is in effect everyday in our life. It states that if you think you are something, you are that thing.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you are right”

If you think you can only lose 10 pounds, odds are you will only lose 10 pounds. If you think you are a C student, you are probably a C student. If you think you are bad with money, you are probably bad with money. People that know they are successful are successful. So think BIG on this one. You have to own it. Push yourself to your farthest limits with your goal, but be realistic. With a full time job (50+ hours a week), a side business, a wife, a child on the way, and a social life I try to keep up with, my time isn’t exactly free to read a whole bunch. But I know it is important. But it also isn’t a priority right now (I’d rather write content for you all). In thinking of my goal – I want to read 25 books by years end. This goal isn’t easy, being about 2 books a month, but it is attainable with some planning (planning is a lesson coming up!). Your goal should be the same – something that you need to push yourself to get, even when the tables is stacked against you, but something that you want so bad you are willing to execute a plan for. Remember: THINK BIG!

Keep this in mind when setting your goals: if you don’t hit your goals, did you fail? NO. There is no such thing as failures, only results. I am going to say that again because this sh*t will change your life:

There are no such things as failures. There are only results.

When you get a result, adjust what you are doing to get BETTER results. Don’t stop because you “failed”. If you wanted to lose 100 pounds and you only lost 75, did you fail? No. That is still very good. You need to make adjustments and you will hit your goal. If you only save 5k this year, did you fail? No, you need to figure out where you went short, adjust your plan and keep pushing toward your goal. If I only read 5 books out of my 25, did I fail? No – my result wasn’t what I wanted – probably because my PLAN didn’t reflect proper use of time or my priorities weren’t in the right spot – so I adjust based on the result.

This is a HUGE piece to success so I really want you to get this concept…

Set your goals high – push yourself. YOU WILL NOT FAIL. Failure is a made up word for quitters. You aren’t a quitter. You are a result getting. Everything you have done in life has been a result. Good or bad. You need to learn to take the results – good or bad – and adjust to get better results. Every single time.

This is why my method works so well. It isn’t about failing – it is about setting a goal, setting a plan for that goal, working the plan, getting a result, analyzing the result, adjusting the plan to achieve the goal. Using this you will achieve every goal EVERY SINGLE TIME.

So push yourself when setting your goal. You WILL get it – so don’t sell yourself short. I have actually been disappointed in myself for not setting higher goals. I will set a goal, hit it – then be pissed I didn’t go higher sooner. Stretch yourself. Push yourself.

Another reason to push yourself is for a sense of accomplishment. Sure, you can set your sights low and be happy when you hit your goal. Big deal. Where is the satisfaction? What if you sense your sights beyond what you think you can do and get it? How elated would you feel then? How much power would you hold in your hand to basically set your mind to anything you want and get it accomplished? What will stop you? NOTHING. Nothing will stop you. Setting your goal low and cruising through life won’t get you there. Trust me – I am living proof. Push yourself, think beyond your limits and you will find the power that you have hiding inside of you. It’s there. We are going to bring it out.

Sorry if I get carried away on this stuff (really not sorry) I am crazy passionate about this because it works.

Now – when you figure out what you want, make sure you instill it in your brain what it is. Print it out and put in a place you will see it everyday. Tell all your friends. Post it on facebook. Do whatever you have to do to get this goal in your brain so it is locked in there. Make sure you can be reminded of your goal in every place. I have a note on my nightstand that says 25 by years end (referring to books). I have a monthly text message sent telling me “Are you on the path to 25?”. Make sure you never can forget your goal.

If you need help setting your goal, feel free to email me at zach@thefearlesshustle.com and I can help steer you in the right direction in your goal setting. Let me know what you have so far and we can fine tune it. On the next post, I will help you lay the groundwork for how you will get to your goal. For now, just make sure you have a specific, attainable, big goal that you want to accomplish in the next year.

Keep hustling,

~Z