I’ve recently made some connections about high achievers and their ability to keep “trending up.” Meaning their accomplishments seem to get increasingly lofty and impressive and sexy. I say "sexy" because these kind of accomplishments get people's attention. But whether it's an Olympic world record, learning a language, or an unbelievable business deal, these things don't just happen by accident.
It seems that those who continually make stride and push the envelope are those who set clear goals and relentlessly and methodically pursue them.I think setting goals is the best investment you can make in your future. I recently felt i needed to take a little bit more responsibility for my direction, so i sat down and set some goals of my own. I won't tell you exactly what my goals were, but while doing this, i was careful to follow specific guidelines on how to make this process the most attainable.Based on the video podcast below, here are 3 ways to set "sexy" goals that will set you up to win, and ensure that your future achievements will get the attention of that new client, potential employer, or most importantly, yourself.
1. Make them few in Number
The reality for high achievers you may always want to go for something new. But if you aren’t careful, excess can lead to failure.In like fashion, world famous entrepreneur and investor Warren Buffet says, “The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”I think i’ll take these words to heart. Setting great goals means that there is space and margin to work toward them. For most people, 7-10 is a number that you can wrap your mind around at once. If you spread them out through the different areas of you life (relationships, work, hobbies, etc.) they become attainable in their environment.
2. Make them Smarter
Specific. Narrow your goals down as much as possible.Bad: I wanna write a bookGood: I want to write “this” bookMeasurable. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. There must be a line or metric that represent achievement.Bad: I wanna lose weightGood: I wanna to reduce body fat to 15% of total massActionable. Action verb instead of "to be” verb.Bad: I want to be a better golferGood: I want to go to the driving range 3 times a weekRealistic. Outside of comfort zone, but short of delusional zone.Bad: I want to play in the NBA (if your 24 and white, and can barely touch the rim, it’s not realistic)Good: I want to increase my men/women’s league scoring average by 5 points/game.Time. Use different deadlines. If you make all your deadlines the same (ie. December 31st), then you do nothing for 2/3 of the year and then go crazy in October. Set yourself up for a win.Exciting. Something that is personally compelling.Bad: I will take a class on how to code PHP.Good: In the summer, i can’t wait to take guitar lessons.Relevant. Your goals should coincide with your season in life. It is important that you don’t compare your season and goals to other people’s. Michael Hyatt says, “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good…let yourself off the hook."Do what you can with the time and ability that you have.
3. Write them down and review often
There was some research done by Dominican University about goal setting. They had one control group who didn’t write goals down, and one group that did. After a period of time they analyzed the results of the two groups and found if you write the goal down (and nothing else), it increases the likelihood of achieving them by 42%. Other research says to write them down with pen & paper makes you more committed and connected to them. Additionally, it is also key that you look at them frequently so you don’t forget them, or lose sight of them. Frame your goals on your desk or hang them on the wall. You can even put them on your dashboard so you literally see them every day.Do you have goals that you specifically want to achieve but keep falling short? Is there something that you want to accomplish? If you've never tried goal setting, do it now! Test it and see if it doesn’t work for you. I'm excited to see how you do!
