I have to admit, I sure do talk a lot about setting up goals within my blog posts and now on my podcasts. I now think its best that I write a goal setting series and explain how to set them up properly. I thought about this thoroughly and its best I create a three-part series as it will have a lot of chunky details. I can go the easy route but I rather give you guys a completely thorough method of setting up goals that is actionable.

Before I begin the task of showing you how, lets talk a little bit about why goals are important. First of all, many people are passive spectators in the game of life. They are like a piece of paper being blown around by the wind. They are reactive rather than proactive with their lives and this often leads to unfulfilled desires and regrets later in life.

Individuals without goals would rather spend time planning their vacations than spending it on their life plan. They may plan their careers, plan on buying and saving up for a home but never really getting around to planning their life and/or setting actionable goals.

The good news is, now more than ever, you and I are in charge of our lives. Starting today, you can live your life on purpose by creating actionable goals. This process will not only give you balance, clarity but also peace of mind. You will go from being a piece of paper dragged around by the wind only to be carried to a destination not of your own choosing to a powerful individual who is a master of your life and destiny constructed by you. In this four-part goal setting series, I will give you my own personal formula for how to live more on purpose and get the most out of your life in 8 individual easy to follow lessons along with actionable steps.

Step 1: Define it

If you’ve ever read the Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey, whom I met in person a few years ago explained in his second habit to “Begin with the end in mind”. Also, in the book The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber was quoted in saying “I’d like you to imagine that you are about to attend one of the most important occasions of your life.”

When defining your goals in life, no matter what your desire is, always think with the end in mind. By thinking with the end in mind, you take personal responsibility for all of your outcomes.

  • How do I want to be remembered?
  • How will this affect the lives of others as a consequence of my actions?
  • What do I have to give up in order to gain something else?

Actionable goals can be setup for anything – the only limitation is your imagination. I believe in setting up huge goals and I also believe in “Go big or go home” however, when starting out for the first time, be gentle with yourself and set a goal that you can easily accomplish. Such things as:

  • Finish reading a book.
  • Cleaning the apartment or doing spring cleaning.
  • Selling unused goods on Craigslist.

The goals above are simple goals however, they get you to become used to becoming goal oriented in everything that you do. Regardless, whatever you do in life, and as small as it may be, apply the goal mentality behind the task. This not only creates the habit of setting goals but will also increase your confidence.

Step 2: How badly do you “want it”?

Now that you’ve learned to think with the end in mind when defining your goals and outcomes, its time to want it. Ever hear of the term ”desperate times equals desperate measures”? Well, how desperate are you? I believe that comfort in any area of your life is the main ingredient towards mediocrity. This is the reason why people never push themselves or get anywhere in life. Twenty years pass and they wonder where it went and how time flew.

This world is no place for playing small because you have to “go big or go home” — this is the land of opportunity (from the last time I looked around) and there are endless possibilities abound. For the person wanting it really badly – no matter what it may be – fame, fortunate, health, that nice sports car along with a hot girl or guy sitting next to you can all be had. How desperate are you? How badly do you WANT IT?

There is nothing wrong with living a comfortable life but the problem is, this comfort does not allow us to grow. The more uncomfortable our situation, the more we grow in life. Every failure, every mistake is another chance to do things more intelligently with a better plan (or goal). Here are some ways to determine how badly you want it – once again, with the end in mind:

  • Are you living paycheck to paycheck? Do you have at least 3-6 months of living expenses saved up just in case? What if you setup goals and devised a way to shield yourself from a job lose or came up with a way to save more money?
  • Are you on multiple medications just to stay remain healthy? What if you set goals up to eat healthy and exercise regularly every day until you got off of the medications? You want a great example? Watch the movie “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.” These people were desperate and wanted it badly!
  • Is your relationship with your family or girlfriend / boyfriend a little rocky? Perhaps its been this way for months or years – how badly do you want a change for the better?

These are a few examples and there are hundreds more like these but I hope you get the idea that wanting it badly is the way to getting what you want. If you’re comfortable and happy with your circumstances, there is no need to change but real change occurs when we’re a little bit on the edge. desperate times requires desperate actions.

Thanks for reading part one of this four-part goal setting series. The next post will be about believing it and writing it down. Sometimes, our goals are so huge that they are hard to believe so I will discuss how to alter your thought process so that you can believe that its attainable no matter what goal and however far fetched it may be. Besides that, I will also discuss how to write it down on paper for best possible results.

Questions or comments? Please write below. Continue onto reading Part two of this three part series.