If you’re an ambitious high performer I need to warn you about a serious threat to your success this year: Wanting to achieve great things and be the best you can often comes with a “curse”… You have too many goals. But the truth is only a few of your goals are REAL goals... The rest are just “nice to have” goals. The key to success is to pour your energy into the goals that matter… ... And be okay with setting aside your “nice to have” goals . For example, yesterday I was on a call with one of my clients... He has a baby on the way next month, he has two Mastermind groups to fill, and he needs to find staff leaders for each. He also wants to write a book. Clearly the book is a “nice to have goal” and we shouldn’t take it seriously when planning out his next 90-days... or even the rest of this year. It has to wait. What’s worse is when people let “nice to have goals” (like completing a triathlon) interfere with “must achieve goals” (like having a strong marriage). We all know people who have chased the wrong things in life and have been left with painful problems as a result.
Don’t let that happen to you. If you want to do great things, you must do fewer things. But what if you’re still struggling to figure out “what really matters”? Well, there’s a simple question that will sharpen your focus and help make this year a huge win… What is the #1 thing that absolutely positively has to happen between now and Dec. 31st for you to say 2022 had been an incredible success? The. One. Thing. Not three things. One thing. Still struggling on this? There’s one more question to help you... What would you regret the most if you DIDN’T accomplish it this year? When you use these questions to narrow your focus... You delineate between “nice to have” and “must have”. Now you can apply fierce focus and structured time blocks to solving the “must have” issue... While deciding if it’s worth the energy to make time for the “nice to have”. Ruthless elimination of side projects is what allows greatness to be achieved. I’ve struggled with this as much as anyone... In fact, I was once a chronic “over setter” of goals... Leading to distraction and deep disappointment when I only achieved 3 of my 30 yearly goals. It wasn’t until I finally started to narrow my focus I began to achieve my big goals... like writing The Perfect Day Formula in 2015... and meeting Michelle in 2019. Over to you... Grab a coffee, pen, paper, and sit outside or in your favorite quiet room of the house – away from your computer – and think deeply about those questions. Side Note: Yes, I do this myself. I still have a LOT of things I want to achieve. But the priority is clear. The one thing that has to happen this year is for me to be the best husband I can be. That means being present with Michelle, taking time for tough conversations, attending every birth-prep meeting, and meticulously planning every way to make Michelle’s pre- and post-baby life more comfortable. If I failed at this it would bring me the greatest regret. That said... I also want to... - Learn Spanish (devoting 20-minutes to this daily)
- Begin BJJ (phase one of my family protection plan)
- Meet more Mexican entrepreneurs & build a community
- Sleep better (taking CBD gummies, Magnesium, & using the “Chilipad” is working)
- Gain 7lbs of muscle (I’ve hired a trainer and am using a nutrition app for the 1st time) If I failed at these I’d be slightly disappointed. But I’ll never let any of those “nice to have’s” get in the way of what really matters. Now it's YOUR turn. Figure out what matters... Build the plan & be held accountable to sticking to it. Success Loves Speed, Craig |