Where to start?

The act of thinking, writing and developing a goal starts to generate a heightened human experience. The possibility, the motivation, the excitement starts to build… because we know deep down, when we set our mind to something we can deliver.

Member Kaye Wilson; photo credit: Aidan Martin

Here are two examples of how to set a goal:

Write down 101 things you need to do/say/acknowledge/have before you die and then choose one.
Discover your personal values and set a goal around your #1 value.

Formula for success

This means creating a plan from point A to point B. For example, if you think about being sick as point A and being healthy as point B. After going to the doctors, you will have an action plan to get you there (healthy). About 90% of the time it works and might look something like this:

Take 3 days off work and rest
Hydrate 3 litres per day
Take this medication 3/day

Imagine that you were prescribing the formula for success for your own goal. What would be the 3-5 daily actions, that would give you a 99% chance of succeeding? THAT’S YOUR PLAN and a plan is what 99% of people don’t have.

Focus on small actions

Sometimes even knowing what we want, and what the plan is, isn’t enough to motivate us into the goal getting / action state. Instead we need to focus on some small actions that we can do right now.

Coach Joel Bouzaid; Photo credit: Aidan Martin

The early bird catches the worm
Get up 3 hours before you have to. If you need to be at work at 9 and you could get up at 8:00 am to get ready, you now get up at 5:00 am. These 3 hours are yours to focus on the most important parts of your life, that we naturally neglect. Yes this means going to bed earlier.
Make your most important decisions early
There is a part of your brain called the anterior cingulate cortex, that is responsible for decision making and by the end of the day, the ACC is like your cell phone battery… almost dead. It’s called ‘decision fatigue’ (late night treats anyone?). So get to the gym early, eat well early, drink most of the water you need to early, make critical professional and home decisions early and try to automate as much of your evening as possible.
Find a buddy.
In fact, find a tribe if you can. Who are the people that are accessible to you, that are already experiencing the result you are after? Hang out with them, buy them lunch, train with them, interview them, get to know them. What you want, is ‘normal’ for them and the micro behaviours that they demonstrate are the small but significant improvements that get you where you want to be. Furthermore, you will be stretched being around these people and naturally start doing what they are doing due to a phenomenon called ‘emotional contagion’.

In Part B to this blog, we will review goal endurance and failure perspective.

For more information on Joel, check out his website here.

How to Reconnect with the Benefits of Setting Goals (PART A)