Chapter 1: Figuring Out Which Goals To Set
First things first, be clear as to what your big objectives in life are. What are your ultimate objectives in life? Do you want to travel the world? Do you want to build a legacy in the form of a company or an organization or school? Do you want to help a lot of people in the form of a charity? What are your big objectives in life?
Now, keep in mind that since this is personal in nature, there is really no such thing as a right or wrong answer. One person's big objective is no better or worse than somebody else's. After all, we come from different backgrounds and different families. We have different values and we definitely have different experiences. And all these differences add up to the way we look at the world and the way we choose our objectives. Focus on what objective makes most sense in your life and focus on the big ones.
What Do You Need to Do to Achieve These Objectives?
Now that you're clear as to what your big objectives are in life— and you shouldn't hold yourself back when thinking these up—the next thing to think about is what you need to do. What kind of actions do you need to take to make these objectives a reality?
You probably already know that you can't just simply hope and wish your objectives to materialize. The law of attraction does work, but it only works when there is action involved. You can't simply just mentally imagine certain things happening and refuse to lift a finger. Don't be surprised if nothing happens when you refuse to lift a finger.
There has to be some sort of objective change in the way you think as well as the way you talk and act for your desired reality to happen. Accordingly, focus on what you need to do to achieve these objectives.
I started you off with the big objectives in your life because I want you to get pumped up about the ultimate reward. When you look at the big rewards at the end, you can then start tracing back to where you are today. If your ultimate objective is to live in a $10 million mansion in the nice part of town, start with the vision of you living in that mansion. Allow yourself to feel good. Allow yourself to feel pumped up and excited about that reality.
Next, start tracing back in terms of the actions you took from that point to where you are now. You need to do this so you can remain focused on the big objective and maintain the right level of motivation. However, more importantly, you need to do this backwards progression to create a map in your mind. You end up seeing the clear logical conclusion between the things you need to do in the here and now to achieve a certain future.
While we could have easily projected from now to the future, you're more likely to get pumped up and excited when we start the discussion with the reward first. Regardless of how you do it, you should have a rough idea of the clear logical conclusion between the things that you need to do now and the kind of life you could be enjoying in the future.
What Could Go Wrong?
Now that I have taught you about focusing on your ultimate objectives first and then tracing back, what's the point? Couldn't you just have done it the same way, but projecting from now to the future?
Well, you could do that. And that's exactly how many people choose to go about it. The problem is, they end up going around in circles. They really do. It's as if they're just chasing their tails. Day in, day out, they put in all sorts of effort, they try to focus, but nothing seems to happen because they just end up where they began.
The reason for this is they lack purpose. The idea that they have seems so fuzzy because it's projected into the future. It's too easy for them to get sucked up by the trials and tribulations of their life in the here and now. In fact, if you ask a lot of people who are working hard for a "future," many of them simply lack purpose. They really do.
They know that they need to make a change, but they don't know what kind of change. They know that they want a good future for them or "more money" or more opportunities, but they can't quite put their finger on it. This lack of clarity and ultimate purpose clouds people's goal setting activities. They lack a clear view of why. It is no surprise then that even if they know what to do or how to do it, nothing seems to work. At the very least, they're settling for mediocrity.
The reason for this is simple. Without a clear view of "why," it wouldn't matter if you know what to do or how to do it. You have to focus on purpose. Is your purpose strong enough to push you through all the hassles, challenges and setbacks you are bound to encounter? Is your purpose appealing enough so that you would want to change and overcome your negative mental and emotional habits that get in the way? That's how important purpose is, and this is why I taught you to focus on your big objectives in life first.
Clarify them. Make them as vivid in your mind as possible. Allow them to pump you up and get you excited. Once you have that bright beacon long into the future or at the farthest end of possibility, you then trace back to where you are now. If you trace back realistically, you create not just a direct logical connection between your objectives and your excitement now, but you also create a map on how to get there.
Figuring Out Your Goals
This backward progression enables you to establish three big things. You figure your big objectives, you become aware of goals that lead to these big objectives, and you also would be able to break down these goals into sub-goals that you can do in the here and now. In other words, you get a realistic mind map that will enable you to get from Point A to Point B. You get a clear and actionable bridge from how things are, to what you would like them to be.
This is an exercise in your ability to change and impact your material reality. This is not an empty exercise. This is not just intellectual speculation. This is real.
Set Realistic Goals
Now, it's very easy to get taken in by your big objectives. It's very easy to think that somehow, some way, you will come up with the right thing at the right time to impress the right people so the right things happen in your life. Unfortunately, nobody's that lucky.
For every mention of the word "right," there's a lot of work that needs to be done. A lot of things need to fall into place. And to automatically assume that these things would just happen simply involves an all-abiding belief in luck. Again, nobody's that lucky. It's like asking to be struck by lightning several times at the same spot, at the same time.
The better approach is to look at the goals between your life as it exists now and the ideal life that you see for yourself in the future. Understand that those goals that get you from here to there aren't just composed of one unchangeable set of goals. There are many alternative goals that provide the stepping stones that enable you to get from here to there.
Since you have a choice of different goals, your job right now is to figure out which goals are the most realistic. How do you wrap your mind around this? How do you make sense of this? Well, very simple. You apply the following five filters.
You ask yourself whether these goals can be supported by the resources you currently have right now or the resources you can realistically build up. Maybe you can take out a loan, maybe you can get a job, or maybe you can get a second job. Maybe friends and family can help you. Whatever the case may be, don't just focus on the resources you have right now, but also focus on resources that you realistically can quickly get access to.
Next, you have to filter your goals based on whether they truly fit your personal passion or personality. Now, don't be disappointed if you're not currently passionate about something or something doesn't fit your personality now. You might fall in love with it later. You might get used to it. Your mindset might change. If that is a realistic possibility, then your goal can still be realistic.
The third filter that you need to apply is whether the goal can be broken down into smaller sub-goals. This is crucial. If a goal cannot be broken down into smaller parts that can be achieved in the here and now or within a reasonable period of time, with existing or attainable resources, then you have a problem on your hands. Chances are, you're just hoping and wishing. You're probably just daydreaming. Do yourself a big favor and make sure that the goals can actually be broken down into sub-goals that you can take action on or implement right here, right now or with minimal changes.
Next, you have to make sure that the goals that you are pursuing can be placed on a timeline. You know you have a problem on your hands if the goal obviously will take forever or has no fixed start date. Make sure that you can put it on a timeline. Your timeline is not just a set of annoying deadlines, but instead, it's actually a measurement of how realistic your goal is.
Oftentimes, the big difference between a realistic and an unrealistic goal is that realistic goals can be scheduled. If you show up at the right place at the right time to do the right things, you achieve your goal. Do that enough times and you get closer and closer to your big objective. If that's not possible with your goal, you might be looking at something that's unrealistic.
Finally, you need to make sure that when picking among alternative goals that take you from where you are now to where you would like to be, these must be measurable in terms of attainment as well as the quality of success. If you feel that the achievement of these goals is very easy, and pretty much any effort gets you there, then you might not actually be working with realistic goals. You might be disappointed with the results because it may well turn out that it doesn't really get you to where you need to go.
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