How to Do Goal Setting the Right Way and See Results

Why are we all waiting until January 1st to get our lives together? New year, new you, right?

Sure, it’s a cute concept. But that means we're leaving 364 perfectly good days on the table just because the calendar hasn't flipped yet.

I don't know about you, but I'm not about that.

I'm a big believer in setting goals all year long. Why wait for the ball to drop, when everyone's making promises they'll forget by February?

The thing is, goal setting works so incredibly well…when you do it right.

And when I first figured out what "doing it right" actually looked like, I was floored. Why did no one teach me this sooner??

So I'm sharing all of it with you right here.

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We’ve all been told to dream big and work hard and somehow those two things were just supposed to find each other on their own.

Guess what. They don't!

Add to that the fact that we're already juggling careers, businesses, relationships, family, side hustles, and a mental load that could fill a spreadsheet. Sitting down to map out a clear plan for our future is just one more thing piled on top of an already ridiculous list.

So we either skip it completely, or we do the watered-down version. We write something vague, feel inspired for a few minutes, close the notebook, and never look at it again.

Sound familiar? Good. That means you're completely normal!

"I want to lose weight."

"I want to make more money."

"I want to be less stressed."

All admirable things I thought. Until someone told me,

“Those aren't goals…those are wishes.” That changed everything for me!

Nothing wrong with any of those things. But a wish has no legs. It just floats around looking cute while your life stays exactly the same.

The other reason our goals get so wishy washy is because we're scared to be specific.

Why? Because specific means accountable. Accountable means we might fail. And failing is uncomfortable, so we keep it vague.

Vague is safe and vague can't disappoint us.

But vague also can't change your life.

I used to write the same three goals every single year. New year, same goals, same results (which were basically none). It wasn't until I got ruthlessly specific that things started getting done.

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I’m going to let you in on a secret…they're three different things!

This is the part that so many people skip, and it's why everything else falls apart. Stick with me here.

A dream is the big, beautiful vision. The life you want. The income, the freedom, the version of yourself you're working toward. Dreams are certainly important. They're the why behind everything you do.

But a dream on its own is just a really good movie playing in your head. It doesn't come with a roadmap.

A task is something you do. Send the email. Book the call. Post the content. Tasks are your daily action items. These are also important.

But here's the trap. You can be wildly productive and still feel like you're going nowhere, because your tasks aren't attached to anything meaningful. Just busy work dressed up as progress.

A goal is the bridge between the two. It takes your dream, makes it specific, gives it a deadline, and suddenly your tasks have a reason to exist.

Let me give you an example…

Dream: I want financial freedom. Woohoo!

Goal: I want to generate $3,000/month in passive income within 12 months.

Tasks: Research affiliate programs this week. Write one blog post. Set up my email opt-in by Friday.

See how that works? The dream gives you direction. The goal gives you a target. The tasks get it done. Take any one of those out and the whole thing wobbles.

Without a dream, your goals are almost meaningless.

Without a goal, your tasks are just busy work.

Without tasks, your dream stays a dream forever.

That’s why I believe you need all three.

A couple of things tend to happen that tank our goals before they ever get traction.

This is a big one and I think about it a lot. So many of the goals we write down aren't even ours. They're what we think we should want. What my Mom would approve of. What my friend is doing that seems to be working for her.

If the goal doesn't genuinely excite you…by that I mean if it doesn't make you a little nervous and a little giddy at the same time…you won't follow through. You just won't.

So before you write a single thing down, ask yourself: do I truly want this for me, or do I just think I should?

A goal without a timeline is just a wish with extra steps. “One day I'll start that business.” Alrighty. Please show me where “someday” appears on the calendar.

“I'll have my first service offering live on my website by September 1st.” Now we’re talking.

View deadlines as permission to start.

The gap between where you are and where you want to be is huge and overwhelming. And when something is overwhelming, our brain files it under “yeah, maybe later” and moves on.

So shrink it. What can you do this month toward that goal? This week? Today?

I prefer tackling big goals with tiny, boring, daily steps that add up to something you're genuinely proud of.

Now we’re getting into the good stuff.

I mean uncomfortably specific. “Get healthy” is a wish.

“Work out three times a week and cook dinner at home four nights a week” now that’s a goal.

Specific enough that at the end of the week you know exactly whether you did it or not. No gray area to hide in.

Pick a date. Write it down next to your goal. Make it real.

Take your big goal and work backwards. If you want to hit X by December, what needs to happen in October? In September? This week?

Suddenly it's a series of steps you take one at a time.

Somewhere better than a notebook you close and forget. I highly recommend <a href="https://incomesuccessstrategies.com/letsgoaltraining" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Let’s Goal</a>, a digital goal tracking app. Feel free to check it out and see if it works for you. Your brain needs to see it regularly to stay locked in. Out of sight genuinely means out of mind.

This is all about recalibrating. You set the frequency.

Weekly makes sense to me. Five minutes at the end of each week to look at your goals and ask: am I moving toward this? What's one thing I can do this week? That's it. Tiny habit, huge difference.

The best time to set a goal is right now, that's where momentum starts.

Want to make your goals even more bulletproof? Check out my other strategies for finding success with your goals.

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