Just A Goal?

If you’re serious about succeeding in anything whether it be in life, fitness, health, etc., you need more than just a goal. You need goals…plural—more than one. One definition of the word goal is “the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.”

Nothing and everything! Confused?

Let me explain…setting a single goal is limiting. Whereas, set- ting multiple goals is where real success can be achieved.

While you have to start with one goal, don’t stop there. Set an- other goal and keep climbing. As the definition says, it’s an “aim” or “desired result.” Don’t let it be your end point or finish line.

Think about it this way. A runner doesn’t put in hours of con- ditioning just to run one race. That may be their “initial goal,” but that isn’t their ultimate goal. In the beginning, they may start with the goal of just making it around the block without stopping. They then might work up to a mile, five miles, half a marathon, full Marathon, etc.

As a kid, your goal might have been to just hit the ball of the whiffle ball tee. But, when you achieve that goal, you aimed for something higher—playing in little league, making the high school team, getting a baseball scholarship to college, get drafted to the major league, division champs, World Series, Hall of Fame! Even after that, there are goals to use your achievements to make an impact in the world and help others reach their goals like becoming a role model for the next kid standing in front of that whiffle ball tee.

What Is Your First Goal, Or Your Next Goal?

Depending on what stage of life you’re in, you may have already completed many goals. Be sure to celebrate those achievements. That feeling of accomplishment helps you reach for your next goal, and the next goal and so on. Remembering that excitement you felt when you hit that goal helps you when things aren’t going as planned. Use that for motivation!

Sometimes you won’t know what your next goal is until you reach the goal you’ve set. Here’s one important thing to re- member. It’s okay to change your goals. It’s NOT a sign of fail- ure that you didn’t reach THAT particular goal.

Maybe you set a goal that was not quite reachable at that time. It’s fine to change things up and set a reachable goal and go from there. You can’t go from tee-ball to becoming a World Series MVP in one goal. That may be the “ultimate goal” but making that your first goal doesn’t give you the little wins along the way to boost your motivation to get there.

It’s also not a bad thing to change your goals all together to a different path. Think about the kid who played in little league and then got to high school baseball only to realize this is not his dream. Don’t chase a dream that isn’t for you. You will not be passionate about reaching that dream and will be miserable until you realize that fact.

There is nothing wrong with dreaming a new dream but take the time to make sure that is where you want to go. As we adults know, the older you get the faster time seems to go by. We have a little less time to reach our goals.

What’s Next Then? How Do I Reach That Next Goal?

Another quote for you to remember…

You have to get out of your seat and move your feet. Some will tell you “If you dream it, you’ll achieve it.” But I say that’s not just true. You also have to put in the work to make it happen.

As a kid growing up, I was told, “If you want something bad enough, you will find a way to get it”.

So, here’s what I recommend. First, figure out what you want to achieve. Set a goal, and then set up actionable items to reach that goal. Make those items something you can cross off each day or week that move you closer to that goal. It doesn’t have to be fancy. As Armand talks about often, it could be something as simple as an index card. You could tape it to your wall or make a list on a white board. If you prefer, make use of an app like todoist.com or Asana.com. Both are great tools to remind you to start taking action.

Remember, celebrate the wins along the way no matter how small. Once you hit your first goal, set the next, and go after it.

I’ll leave you with a final quote. (If you haven’t noticed… I LOVE quotes.)