Only 20% of population set goals. 70% of them fail.
Here are some stats:
99% of people believe that goal setting is important to attain better in life, yet only 20% actually set goals. Of 20 percent that does set goals, 70 percent fail to meet the goals they have set.
The question is: why traditional goal setting does more harm than good?
Here are three reasons why goal setting doesn’t work for most people:
What’s the solution?
The solution is to work with yourself, not against your nature. The first step is to understand how your brain really functions, what drives it, and why you do what you do. Then you need to leverage this knowledge and use some proven techniques that will spun you into action without battling with your willpower or self-discipline.
So, let’s start with the beginning and cover some core concepts first.
4 pillars of goal setting
Successful goal setting is based on four pillars. Those are the cornerstones you need to fully understand in order to achieve great results in record time.
Pillar 1:
Motivation
It dies, ok? Just accept it as a fact. There is no such thing as long-lasting motivation.
[quote type=”center”] “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”
Zig Ziglar [/quote]
The first thing you need to understand is that motivation needs a daily boosts. You need to set up your environment so it motivates you and inspires you. Fail to do this and you will suffer from lack of energy, laziness, and procrastination.
Productivity means you produce something on a regular basis. Being productive means producing results. Daily. It means consistent action, not a 5-hour race before the deadline hits. And here’s where most people fail miserably. They fail to take consistent action.
Yet consistent action taking is one key to success. You can’t write a bestseller in one sitting. You can’t open a successful business over the weekend. You can’t lose 20 pounds by going to the gym once. Any worthy goal requires consistent daily action.
Pillar 2:
Productivity
Pillar 3:
Habits
When you set a goal for yourself and start developing a plan you will notice that you have two types of actions: one-time actions and repeated actions. Usually when it comes to one-time actions we don’t have troubles. If we need to make a call, or do a research it can be done with no willpower involved.
But we get stuck with repeated actions, like going to the gym 3 times a week, or writing 3 pages every day. Why? Because forming habits is hard. Change is difficult. It is one more thing you need to understand.
When you try to form a new success habit, you need to expect resistance. And you need to be mentally prepared to face it and trick it. Or it will trick you into failure.
The fourth pillar is your mindset, it is your attitude towards life, people, and events that happen in your life. In essence, it is a set of your personal beliefs that shape your reality.
We tend to ignore this aspect of our life and we think that we are in control of our thoughts. But numerous research has proven that your reaction to certain situation and life events will depend on a set of subconscious beliefs that you posses. Most of those beliefs are formed in your childhood and have a major influence over your life.
When you set a goal you need to examine your set of beliefs and see if you have an inner belief that will sabotage your efforts.
Pillar 4:
Positive Thinking
Creating a Power Goal: step-by-step guide
Now when we covered the four essential pillars, let’s now go through a step-by-step process of creating a Power Goal that will motivate and drive you.
Step One:
Brainstorm
Make a list of everything you’d like to achieve. Silence your critic for now, and just write everything that comes into your mind. Make sure to cover personal goals, educational goals, financial goals, etc.
One way to power up your creativity is to imagine your Perfect Day – the day you would like to live over and over again. See what surrounds you, where do olive, what people you meet, what knowledge and wisdom can you share with others. Think what goals you need to achieve to make this Perfect Day a reality.
Yes, just one. Really, it is more than enough. Believe me, keeping yourself focused on one goal will get you much further in the long run then chasing multiple goals at once. By focusing all your energy on one goal you become unstoppable.
The key here is choose one goal that would impact your life the most. Make sure it is something you really want to achieve (not just what your mother wants for you). If the goal is BIG, and will take more then one year to reach, then break it down. Ideally it should take you around 3-6 months to accomplish one goal.
Step Two:
Pick One Goal That Would Impact Your Life The Most
Step Three:
Write It Down
There are three rules when it comes to writing your goal down:
Rule #1: Keep it Positive
The goal should be stated in positive, which means it should describe what you want to gain, and not what you want to lose. For example, instead of writing “lose 20 pounds”, write “I weight 120lb and feel healthy and energized”.
Rule #2: Write it down in present tense.
Forget about the future because the future never comes. Write your goal down in present tense, like it already happened.
Rule #3: Describe it in detail
Be specific about what you want. Describe how you will feel, what it will look like, what your friends and family will say to you. The more detailed you are about your goal, the more powerful it becomes.
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This idea comes from Leo Babauta, who in his turn got it from Guy Kawasaki. Leo recommends to create a mantra fro your goal, a really short powerful description that you can write down on one index card. Try to come up with 2-5 words that would empower you.
After creating your Goal Mantra, make sure to post it somewhere where you will see it every day. Write it down on several index cards and put them on your desktop, your fridge, or your bathroom mirror. Frame it and put it on your desk. Repeat it daily to keep yourself focused and motivated.
Step Four:
Create a Mantra
Step Five:
Boost Your Motivation
Remember to boost your motivation daily. Develop a morning success ritual and devote 10-15 minutes each day to review your goal, watch an inspirational video, or read 2-3 pages from the motivational book.
The powerful way to boost your motivation is to create a list of 25 reasons why you want to achieve your goal and re-read it daily. This way you will feel inspired and energized every morning.
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Remember that consistency is the key to success. Every day ask yourself – what can I do today to come closer to reaching my goal? Make this task a priority. It doesn’t matter how small the step is, those baby steps will accumulate very fast and you will start seeing results.
If you feel like you have troubles staying on track, check out the 4WD system. It is a powerful technique that makes taking consistent action easy, and forms new success habits almost on autopilot.
Step Six:
Take Consistent Action
Summary:
- In order to success you need to understand how your mind works and learn to leverage it.
- Motivation doesn’t last, so you need to build supportive environment that will inspire you on a daily basis.
- Productivity means consistent action taking. You can use 4WD system to master it.
- Forming new habits is difficult so you need to expect resistance and be prepared to trick it.
- Your set of subconscious beliefs can sabotage your efforts and prevent you from achieving your goals.
- Take six steps to set a Power Goal:
1. Brainstorm everything you want to achieve
2. Pick one goal that would impact your life the most
3. Write it down in detail
4. Create a Goal Mantra
5. Boost your motivation
6. Take consistent action