A new year is often associated with new beginnings, goal setting, and resolution chasing. Maybe you want to start going to the gym more, or maybe you want to learn a new skill or hit a savings goal. While the new year may seem like the ideal time to proclaim your resolution to the world, achieving a long term goal is something that takes more than just words. No one knows this better than our own CEO & Co-Founder, Nick Symmonds, who’s achievements themselves speak to his goal setting success. To help you all #BuildThePath to your goals, Nick has outlined the 6 key steps to exactly how he sets his goals and how the road to success, and even to failure, is the most crucial (and rewarding!) part of meeting any goal at the finish line.
Why #BuildThePath to a goal?
The end result of setting a large long term goal is to reach it, but Nick says that’s only part of it for him, his failures are just as important as his successes.
“This isn’t to say that I have achieved every goal that I’ve ever set for myself. Certainly not, in fact! I never became a doctor, never won an Olympic medal, never ran a world record. These were all goals that I had at one point or another. However, to say that not achieving these goals was a failure on my part would be a mistake. Really, it is quite the contrary. As you will learn in the steps below, working towards long-term goals has allowed me to accomplish thousands (yes thousands!) of other, short-term goals along the way. The incredible euphoria that comes from achieving a goal is a high like no other. The bigger the goals, the larger the pay out.”
Building your path means taking yourself farther than you thought possible, even if you don’t achieve what you set out to do.
Ready to #BuildThePath to your next goal in 2020? Let’s get started!
Step 1: Choose your Goal
The first step to achieving a goal is simple, you have to choose one!
What’s the wildest goal you have in your mind, the one you doubt you’ll be able to achieve in the next month, or even the next year? That’s the goal you want to start with! This goal can be anything; from climbing a mountain to making it into the Olympics.
There is only one limitation on this goal, it MUST have a quantifiable pass/fail metric. By that I mean there must be an objectively clear way to measure when you do or do not achieve this goal.
Step 2: Write it down!
A notebook, a text box on your computer, a post- it note, whatever it is, WRITE. IT. DOWN! Or better yet, we’ve devised the perfect worksheet to keep track of your goals (check out the link below).
Got it written down? Awesome! Now, find somewhere where you’ll see it every day.
One of the keys to achieving a goal is to make it visible!
Step 3: Know Your Why.
A goal is only as good as the reason behind it, but it can sometimes be a difficult one to pinpoint. Goals exist to satisfy a multitude of “why”s, from bettering yourself in a significant way, or simply to prove someone wrong. The why can stay private, but it’s important to have one, no matter what it is. Nick’s “why” early in his high school running career was to be good at something to make girls like him! Who could have guessed where that “why” would take him. The “why” behind your goals may change in direction and significance, but it is so important to have one; it’s the unique reason that drives you to make it happen.
Step 4: Tell Someone!
This is the part where you get to phone a friend. Accountability is EVERYTHING when achieving a goal, and having someone to help you stay on track with your accountability is priceless.
This tends to be a harder step for some people, it’s one thing to identify something you want on your own, but it’s much harder to bring it into existence by telling someone. That’s exactly why it’s so important- and for two reasons:
1.) Successful goal setters need accountability.
2.) When the going gets tough, having someone in your corner to cheer you on can be the difference between persevering and throwing in the towel.
Step 5: Build The Path!
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
You’ve completed the first 4 steps. You’ve identified it, written it down, told someone, and examined your “why.” This is farther than a lot of goal setters get! However, you’ve done very little as of yet to actually achieve your goal. Right now, it’s just a wish. How are you going to get there? Where do you even start?
Your path needs to consist of small, bite size goals to help you achieve your big one. This is the path to success, and each one in itself is an achievement. Many short-term goals help to achieve a few medium-term goals, which ultimately help to achieve your big long-term goal.
Step 6: Choose a Reward!
Yes, that's right! Once you achieve your small goals, reward yourself! Envision yourself reaching your goal, how does this make you feel? Choose a reward to accomplishing this goal that keeps you motivated!
Remember - it doesn't have to be expensive...but it does need to light a fire within you.
Run the Day & Go Get 'Em
>>>Click Here to download your Build the Path Worksheet!