The Actionable Goal Setting Approach
A true goal will have all of these elements, or at least the majority of them. If your goals do not have these elements, it’s not a goal. It’s a wish, and wishes remain unactionable resulting in zero results. Stop making wishes and start making goals!
Requirements for a great goal:
- It’s actionable.
- Very specific outcome.
- Very specific timeframe.
- Measurable.
- Set an absurdly large goal, then set much smaller goals that are digestible and easily achievable to create momentum toward that large goal.
- Your large goal should be a bit scary but exciting at the same time aka BHAG - Big Hairy Audacious Goal.
- Your big goal should elicit a strong emotion, if it doesn’t scare or excite you you’re probably not going to be motivated to work towards it.
Goal Setting Style #1 - The One Thing
The Concept: Set a very large long term goal and break it down into very digestible chunks so you know exactly what to do today.
- What’s the 20 year goal?
- What can I do in the next 10 years to get to my 20 year goal?
- What can I do in the next 5 years to get to my 10 year goal?
- What can I do in the next 1 year to get to my 5 year goal?
- What can I do in the next 6 months to get to my 1 year goal?
- What can I do in the next month to get to my 6 month goal?
- What can I do in the next week to get to my 1 month goal?
- What can I do today to get to my 1 week goal?
- What can I do right now to get to my goal today?
Goal Setting Style #2 - 10x Rule by Grant Cardone
The Concept: Set a goal. Now set it 10x higher. Now take 10x the amount of action.
This approach isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s extremely bold and aggressive and can easily burn you out. BUT, you can’t deny that it produces results. I apply this to just about everything I do now.
- What is your goal?
- Now set that goal 10x higher.
- Now take 10x the amount of action you think you need to get there.
- Even if you only get 20% of the way to the 10x goal, you’ll be twice as far as your original goal
Goal Setting Style #3 - Different “Selves” Alignment
The Concept: Once you set a goal you’ll want to analyze how your goal will feel to you no matter what stage of life you’re in or what mood you’re in at any given time. By defining how your goal will serve you in each “self” you will be far more aligned to work towards your goal no matter what mood you’re in at the time.
This concept was taken from a video on YouTube that has since been removed. I wanted to link it here, but it is no longer available.
Petty Self
Let your ego take over and seek out as many petty outcomes as it wants.
- How can I flex?
- How can I feel better than everyone else?
- How much attention will I get from this?
- How will this feel validating my ego?
Practical self
Be logical and think of how this goal will improve your everyday life.
- How will this goal improve my day to day life?
- How will this goal contribute to paying my bills?
- How will this goal get me out of a painful situation?
Higher self
Think in terms of your family, future generations, people who will never meet you, etc..
- How will this “raise my vibration” or impact the entire world and generations to come?
- How will this goal impact and genuinely add value to the maximum number of people on this planet?
- How will the next 5 generations of my bloodline benefit from this goal?