Achieve Your Goals, Once and For All
How many times have you set a goal and then failed to achieve it? It happens to all of us at one time or another. Often, we continue to set the same goal and, as expected, we fail to achieve it again and again. Hey, at least we’re consistent.
The biggest challenge to achieving goals is clearing out all of the other ‘stuff’ in our way. You have to clear room to work! The most successful people understand this concept and ruthlessly employ it daily.
Think about your average day: how often are you distracted by everything around you, whether it’s a notification on your phone, an unforeseen situation with a client, people around you vying for your attention, etc. If you give in to every distraction, you don’t have time to do the things you need to do to reach your goals. Employ the Clear-Out Principle to create a clear path to your best life.
3 essential questions of the Clear-Out Principle
- What are the obstacles you need to eliminate? Frank A. Clark said “If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” Every day, people and tasks demand our attention. In order to succeed, you have to be able to discern what’s important from your distractions. For example, if you want to generate more leads but have trouble finding time to do your lead generating activities, block out time in your day—say 30 minutes to an hour—to focus solely on lead generation, whether it’s making calls, writing notes or delivering Pop-Bys. Let everyone around you know not to distract you during this time so you can focus on the task at hand. Once the block is over, then you can deal with everything else. It’s all about making your goals a priority.
- What are the situational challenges you need to anticipate? Like a general going into battle, it’s important to think about potential challenges. This way, you know how to handle them when they inevitably arise. For example, if your goal is to get fit and you’re adopting healthier eating habits, lunches with clients or colleagues can be a minefield. However, preparation allows you to face any challenge. Go to a restaurant that offers plenty of healthy options or review the menu beforehand and choose the dish that meets your dietary restrictions. The more you anticipate any potential challenges, the better prepared you’ll be to stay on track.
- What are the sacrifices required? Goals that are worth achieving often require sacrifice. What are you willing to sacrifice to improve your life and business? For example, if you’ve set a goal to improve your financial security, some sacrifices could be eliminating splurges, delaying a large purchase until you can afford to pay cash, taking lunch to work instead of going out daily, etc. Sacrificing may be tough in the short-term; however, it pays off when you reach your goal.
Want more tips to help you achieve your goals? In Episode #109 of It’s a Good Life, Joe Niego shares the seven phases of goal achievement and offers to tips to help build a better life. Click here to listen.
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