I am a big time goal setter. Each year, and throughout the year, I sit down and actually take time to think about what I want to accomplish, and how I will get that done.

I highly recommend you doing this as well. It is a great way to prioritize what you want, and how are you going to get it.

But don’t just think about it and make it in your head. Write it out, truly think about what it is you want to accomplish, and the steps you need to take to get there.

This is where most people fail, especially around the end of the year / start of a new year. People make “resolutions”, temporary goals they set in their mind. The problem is, once they fall off the wagon, the resolution mind set says “there is always next year”. And this viscous cycle of never achieving goals grows and grows, and people wonder why they aren’t moving forward in life.

You can’t just think of something you kind of want to see happen, and expect it to magically just happen. Even if you try, you probably are trying in the wrong way.

Say you want to get in shape and / or lose some weight. Most people are like “ok, I am going to go to the gym”. And they do, only to wonder around aimlessly at the gym, lift weights that are too heavy, get sore, and quit.

When you set the right goals, and make the right plan, and stick to the plan, results come your way.

Creating Goals

For our gym example, first thing is to decide what the end result is. DO you want to run a 5k? Want to lose weight? Narrow it down to exactly what you are trying to accomplish.

Then put a metric behind it. We will say our end result is to lose weight. And our metric will be 20 pounds lost.

Now put a date behind it. Is it the end of the year? Is the the middle of the year? For weight goals, I like the middle of the year, then work the second part of the year keeping the weight off. So we have a date, good.

Now put it in a sentence and write that sentence out somewhere. I have a stack of index cards and a pack of pens I picked up at the $.99 store near my house where I write all my ideas, thoughts, goals, whatever else pops in my head down. If this were my goal, I’d grab an index card and write:

I will lose 20 pounds by June 15th 2018.

Then pin that where you see it everyday.

Now – all those steps, that is just the first part. There are few more things we need to do to be successful.

And that is why people don’t achieve what they want. They fail to plan. And that is planning to fail.

Now that we have a goal written out, time to start getting our game plan together.

Then next thing to do is write out what you need to do to get this goal done. This is usually free hand, note form, and unstructured. Just write down every little thing you will need to do to hit this goal. And be realistic. I am a father of 2 small boys who works 50 hrs a week, commutes 2 hours a day, and tries to run an online business side hustle. For me to think I will have time to go to the gym 5x a week to get a work out in is ludicrous. Maybe you are in the same boat. Maybe you just hate the gym. Maybe the gym is too far. Whatever reason you have, take a look at yourself and be realistic here.

Weight loss could look something like this:

To lose 20 lbs, I am going to need to eat better and work out more. I won’t have time for the gym, so I need to find time during the day to be active. Walking at lunch, or in the morning, or something. I also will need to get some sort of weight training in, so need to find something to do at the house in the morning or late at night so I don’t have to go to the gym. I also need to clean up my diet. I don’t eat breakfast now, so that is something that needs to change. I need to get on a consistent eating schedule, eat more fruits and veggies and salad type stuff. Tone down the alcohol. No snacking at night.

Fairly simple. No specific action list, just thoughts on how you will get it done.

Now it is time to start getting specific. Time to make the plan. And get very detailed.

Grab a calendar, print one out, or do it online if you need to (printing hard copy is preferred for me) and write in on June 15th, “20 pounds lost!”.

Now, go half way back, and on March 15th write “10 pounds lost!”. This is your half way marker, so note it.

Now, go back half way again, which is about 6 weeks, so around February 1st. Write down 5 pounds lost.

Go up from your half way point 6 weeks, somewhere around May 1st, and write down 15 pounds lost.

This is good step to be able to see the progression on where you need to be for your goal. But we aren’t done. Keep going on this. Find where you need to be 2.5 pounds down, 17.5 pounds down and write it in. And do this one more time between 0 and 2.5, and 17.5 and 20.

These are your goal markers. These are where you need to be.

But we aren’t done yet.

Now make the action plan. This is the specific actions you will be taking. Where is the exercise coming from, what nutritional changes are you going to make, what diet are you following, all the specific actions you will be taking.

Now the last step here, is to make a daily plan. Starting 1/1/18 (or whenever you start) write down every day what you will do toward your goal. Write down what you will eat, and how you will work out. Every single day. This is your game plan. This is how things are met. This is how things get done.

Now – every single morning when you wake up, you have goals already set. You know what exactly you are suppose to do today to hit your goal in the future.

That is where people fail. They have a general idea, no game plan, and never hit it. Because laziness creeps in without a plan, and we end up running out to lunch instead of packing that salad. If we have a game plan, we are more likely to pack that salad and continue on our goal. And if we write our goals daily, we are more likely to follow them because they are instilled in our head. And if we put our goals somewhere we we see them everyday, and review every night what we are suppose to do the next day, we become obsessed with obtain the goal.

And that is how you get what you set the goal for: You become obsessed.

You see – this takes quite a bit of work and thought. And we only set our goal for 6 months out – imagine if we did the entire year! And this was for only one goal – some people want more than 1 goal. But how bad do you want the goals?

You may read this and realize – nah the goal isn’t that important – and that’s fine. Have fun being in the same spot you are next year.

But if you are serious about obtaining something in the future, do this exercise. Make your game plan. Know what you are suppose to do.

And if you don’t know what you are suppose to do, there is a little tool called Google where you can get more information that you probably need.

Point is – if you don’t have a target, you will never hit anything. And if you don’t have a map, you won’t go anywhere. Set the target, make the map, get success.