How To Set Your Goals And Crush Them

So, how to set your goals and crush them?

To brief, you must define your priorities, set SMART goals, establish a positive belief system, model the success of others, and build perspective.

Incorporating these practices will allow you to see your goals and crush them.

6 Practices To Set Your Goals And Crush Them

Define Your Priorities

Step #1: Define Your Priorities.

To achieve the lifestyle or goals you desire, it is necessary to identify precisely what it is that you want.

Knowing what you want allows you to align your priorities with your values and what is necessary to achieve goals.

It is important to note that nothing great comes without tremendous sacrifice.

Someone who believes in this principle religiously is multi-billionaire Warren Buffett. Based on this ideology, he created the 5/25 rule.

Essentially, the 5/25 rules work in the following way. First, you write down 25 goals that you most wish to achieve. Next, you circle the five most important of the 25.

Those five circled tasks are now your primary focus, to which all of your energy will be devoted.

What about the other 20 goals? Those fall into the category of “avoid at all costs.”

Honestly, this is a burdensome thing to do. It may mean ceasing to do something you thoroughly enjoy. However, it is a proven method for success and goal-conquering.

Set SMART Goals

Step #2: Set SMART Goals.

Setting SMART goals is a goal-setting strategy used universally amongst successful people. Whether it be intentional or not, most success stories include SMART goal setting.

So, what is a SMART goal? SMART is an acronym.

S – Specific. SMART goals are specific. You need to identify precisely what your desires are.

M – Measurable. Effective goals are trackable using quantifiable results. Results that give you the necessary feedback to determine what works and what needs reevaluation.

A – Attainable. Not to be perceived as a limitation. Yet still, it is vital to consider the realm of possibility. Setting impossible expectations for how and when you want to achieve a goal is naïve and may harm long-term achievement.

R – Relevant. Ensure your goal aligns with the priorities you have established and the values you hold.

T – Time Bound. Determine the time frame of when achievement is expected to occur.

These five aspects are necessary for creating effective goals.

Establish A Positive Belief System

Step #3: Establish A Positive Belief System.

The human brain is an unfathomably powerful being. Amongst its wonders are the ideas of thought and self-belief.

Everyone has thoughts, some good and some bad. Have you ever considered the following: do your thoughts affect your actions and performance?

The answer to that question is an emphatic yes. Numerous performance studies support this claim. One study shows that the brain is 31% more productive in a positive state than in a negative state.

Positive thinking increases productivity, happiness, success, etc. So, why doesn’t everyone practice it?

Positive thinking is a skill that not everyone knows how to master. To develop this skill it is first important to understand your thoughts.

Thoughts come in two forms, conscious and subconscious. Conscious thoughts are evident, what you’re thinking right now.

However, subconscious thoughts are not quite as apparent. Subconscious thoughts are a product of your internal beliefs. They can be positive, like believing that you are an excellent student.

Although, internal beliefs can often be negative. Such as believing that you are a terrible public speaker.

Positive beliefs empower you and enable success. Negative beliefs act as limitations and handicap what you are capable of doing. Everyone has some amount of both kinds.

The practice of forming a positive belief system is replacing the negative limiting beliefs you have about yourself with empowering positive self-beliefs.

Model The Success of Others

Step #4: Model The Success of Others.

I am sure you have heard the phrase, “don’t reinvent the wheel.” Of course, standing for the concept, do not spend needless effort on something someone else has already discovered.

This principle is synonymous with modeling the success of others.

The goal you wish to achieve, the lifestyle you desire, the career you want, odds are, someone has done it.

Want to be a successful real estate investor? Research one and model the exact behaviors that lead to their success.

Want to be a D1 athlete? Lose 50 pounds? Same thing. Find someone who has done it, and study their behaviors, tone of voice, mannerisms, and everything in between. Then model yourself after them.

My personal favorite example of modeling is Kobe Bryant. He knew exactly what he wanted. Then, he found someone who did it (Michael Jordan). Finally, he modeled his success.

Build Perspective

Step #5: Build Perspective.

Sadness, sorrow, envy, and other negative emotions are feelings felt by everyone.

While negative emotions are inevitable in some scenarios, building perspective can help alleviate or eliminate those feelings.

Practicing gratitude, finding the light in dark situations, and empathizing are three aspects of building perspective.

To show these principles in action, let’s look at an example.

First, imagine someone who believes they have a terrible life. They are unhappy with their 9-5 job that they do not enjoy, are overweight and are divorced.

Instead of bettering themself, this person spends all their time dwelling on the past and sorrowing over their situation.

Building perspective, in most cases, is a necessary step for achieving success and getting your life together.

So now, using this same example, imagine this person stepping back and realizing how lucky they are. They realize how lucky they are to have a place to live, and how lucky they are to have a job.

Going a bit further, they realize the incredible fortune of ever being born. The odds of someone being born in this world, in the vastness of the Universe are astronomical.

Understanding the unlikelihood of having the life they do, this person feels a hint of thankfulness.

This thankfulness, or gratitude, can help empower you to take your life into your own hands.

Suddenly, waking up for work the next day does not seem quite as unfortunate and dreadful, and making decisions to better themself is easier.

This is the power of building perspective.

The Three W's of Goal Setting Are What, When, and Why

If you are looking to set impactful and effective goals, referencing The Three W’s of Goals Setting: What, When, and Why helps tremendously.

What, Specifically, Do You Want?

You need to precisely define your goals if you want the best chance for success.

Being as specific as possible helps eliminate uncertainty and potential time waste.

The first W of goal setting touches on many of the principles discussed above in Step #1 of setting your goals and crush them: define priorities.

When Do You Plan On Getting It?

Time-bound goals are effective goals.

Included in the SMART goals template, when the goals will be achieved by should be predetermined.

Time-bound goals put the responsibility on the goal-setter. They allow you to honestly assess the reality of what you desire and, with your current lifestyle, if it is plausible that you will achieve the given goals in the given timeframe.

If not, you must identify the necessary sacrifices that would enable success. This step is one of the most begrudging pieces of goal setting and life in general.

That being true, consider that nothing great comes without great sacrifice – Martin Luther King Jr.

If you cannot make the necessary sacrifices, you may need to redefine your priorities more honestly.

Why Do You Want It?

The third W of goal setting plays on motivation. Why are setting this goal? What’s the driving force behind your desires?

These are important questions to answer if you wish to achieve your goals. Those answers will be the coal of the fire that fuels your motivation on a daily basis.