Part of the guide: Personal Brand
Yesterday, I shared my personal goal setting strategy.
Today I decided to share my goal getting strategy. A strategy I use to actually achieve the goals I set…
…because I want you to realize that you can achieve any goal you set, just as long as you use the right strategy.
Most people have no idea how to set goals, to the point of where I find it kind of hilarious.
After going through the first post you should have a list of goals written down or maybe you’re writing your goals down now.
With your goal(s) written down: I want you to test your goals against five criteria:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Action Orientated
- Realistic (be flexible with this)
- Time Conscious
Test your goals against these criteria, making sure they fit all five.
At our last Empower Network event I asked the audience of 1000+ people what their goals are.
The result?
Not one person had a goal that fit into all five criteria.
So I’m at the event in Dallas, Texas – going around the audience asking them what their goals are.
People start shouting out their answers…
“Freedom”, “to be able to move to the tropics”, “to quit my job and do something with my life”
One guy shouted out something so ridiculous, it not only didn’t fit into any of the criteria, I had to try my best not to laugh…
…he opened his mouth, and to everyone’s amazement said:
I want the calm confidence to go viral.
Silence, (me trying not to break into laughter)…
Following up with him, I was surprised to find out he wasn’t joking, and he really did want ‘the calm confidence to go viral’.
The point of the story: people say weird things and almost nobody sets goals using this or any formula at all.
Now, the first actionable step to achieving your goals is to create an action plan, using the meta/micro strategy laid out in the last post.
Break down everything that needs to be done at the meta and micro level in order to achieve your goal(s), because by now I’m sure you realize it’s the right thing to do.
Lastly, break down all the tasks into daily goals. Doing this you can get a crystal clear idea of how long it’s going to take you to achieve your outcome and know exactly what to do.
Using the meta/micro model, your goal may have 10 meta strategy components, each with 10 of their own micro strategy components to build/create.
If you have 10 hours in the day to work, and there are 100 tasks or components to create and you want to accomplish the goal in 10 days, you need to be completing 10 micro components a day, one every hour. If you can’t complete a task every hour, you need a more realistic time frame.
Identify Possible Obstacles
One of the fundamental reasons why people fail to accomplish goals is because they get frustrated and burnt out.
You can prevent burnout and frustration by staying motivated, paying attention and identifying the possible obstacles you may run into.
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It’s important to now realize that sometimes you’ll run into obstacles, and it’s easier to break through them when you see them for what they are by first writing them down.
Surrounding Yourself With People Who Want You To Succeed
Sometimes, you have to detach yourself from the people around you. Friends, colleagues, family, people who don’t want you to succeed.
Focus on surrounding yourself with people who care about your success, people who lift you up and empower you to strive for a better future. This isn’t always easy to do, but it’s simple.
Start by making a list of the people in your immediate circle of influence, friends, family, and work colleagues. How many of them empower you? Write down a list of these people, make a decision to detach yourself from negative influences.
Now make a list of people to call, email or spend time with who can help you move towards your goal. If you’re building an online business, make a list of other successful marketers who you could start spending time with.
Make a list of people in positions of influence, people who have achieved the goal you’re striving for. Sometimes, you’ll be able to connect with these people in person, sometimes a simple FB connection and an exchange of a few messages a week is powerful enough.
Make a point of being with people who support what you’re doing, who lift you up and avoid anyone who discourages you.
Surround yourself with those who empower you.
What you’ve got to remember is nobody has magical powers.
Nothing appears out of nowhere by magical thinking.
Now realize what’s in it for you. Why are you going after your goal? What will it give you that you don’t have now? Get clear on your why, write down a list of reasons, and narrow down to the most fundamental reason.
In prosperity,
David Wood
Comments
Amara Patel
This post is amazing! I’ve always struggled with setting and achieving goals, but your strategy makes so much sense. I’m excited to try the meta/micro model. Thank you for sharing!Elijah Nguyen
While your approach seems practical, I can’t help but question if it really works for everyone. Do you have any examples of people using this strategy successfully? I’d love to see some evidence before committing to it fully.Isabella Rivera
I have a question about the action plan. How do you stay motivated when the meta/micro tasks start to feel overwhelming? I find myself getting stuck after a few weeks. Any tips would be appreciated!Maxime Dupont
Though the content of this post is interesting, I feel like it oversimplifies the complexity of real-world challenges. Breaking down tasks is useful, but not everything can be fit into neat categories. Still, an insightful read.Lena Haddad
This post really got me thinking! By the way, it’s been so long since we last connected! How have you been? Let’s catch up sometime soon. Keep inspiring people!Alejandro Ortiz
Reading this reminded me of a time when I was trying to start my own online business. I wish I had this breakdown of goal setting back then. The meta/micro model would have helped me stay focused instead of giving up.Sophie Zhang
I recently came across a tool called Trello that helps in organizing tasks in a very similar way to what you’re describing here. It’s been super helpful for me, and I think others reading this might find it useful as well!Jamal Ibrahim
I can’t thank you enough for this post. It made me realize that my goals weren’t specific or realistic enough. I’ve started applying your tips, and it’s already making a difference in my daily productivity. Truly appreciated!
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The math example breaks down as soon as you draw it. 100 tasks over 10 days at 10 a day assumes every micro-task takes exactly one hour, no dependencies, no rework. Real task graphs have bottlenecks — one three-hour task blocks the next five. The meta/micro idea is fine, treating it as a flat divide-by-10 schedule is where it falls over.
Arthur, ‘not true of a single day since I began this’ is the most honest sentence in this thread. That takes something to admit out loud.
I ran a diner nineteen years and there was never a day that went the way the morning prep list said it would. Coffee machine breaks, a cook doesn’t show, the lunch rush comes an hour early. You learn to build the plan around the interruption instead of pretending it won’t happen — which is close to what Arthur’s getting at.
You are quite right about the arithmetic, Tomas, though I would add that at sixty-one the deeper problem is not the schedule but the assumption baked into it — that one simply has ten uninterrupted hours a day to allocate as the plan requires, which has not been true of a single day since I began this.
I think what’s being missed here is the schedule was always meant as an illustration, not a formula to follow literally — Tomas is right that it breaks under a real task graph, but the point underneath it, that breaking a goal into daily pieces beats staring at a five-year target, still holds for me.