Avoid this "New Year" Mistake at all Cost...

Here is a common mistake many people make, especially at a time like the "New Year", and this mistake usually leads to them being in just about the same place 12 months from now. 

I want you to make real progress this year, and not do what all your Facebook friends are doing, which is making bold transformation claims on their feed and imagining that this is "accountability". 

The mistake is setting too many goals, unrelated and incohesive, and then giving half-hearted effort to all of some of these goals, leaving others untouched. 

This is ineffective, and childish. I was, and many times am a victim of this, and my only savior is rigid and strict planning and consistent checks and balances. 

The reason this is a mistake is because it avoids certain inevitable realities.

Reality #1: Time and energy are indeed limited. I know you feel like you can take over the world when you listen to your favorite guru, but the reality is that you only have a small pocket of time each day when you really take proactive action. Most get tired way too fast, and to create "tv guru" type energy is going to take a lot more effort and focus on detail than you're doing right now. You have limited time, and limited energy to get things done, so you may as well choose the goals that will make the most impact. 

Reality #2: Opportunity cost. It means that when you are doing one thing, you are not doing another. Every day all day we are making choices about where to spend time and energy, and what we choose feels right. But we forget that another thing is not getting our attention and energy...this is usually another goal that you set, and then you fall into a cycle of disappointment when you make no progress. 

I am not suggesting that you take these realities and then use them to convince yourself why you should set smaller goals, or give up on a dream. No. 

What I will tell you is to adjust your approach to goal setting, based on these realities. Here is how:

1. Set a long term vision first. Most people run into goal setting with no vision. This is a sure fire way to be scattered and aimless in your approach. Set a vision that includes only what you want, and nothing that "sounds nice". Only the best, nothing less. 

2. For the year, define no more than 3 themes of results that are most important. These themes should be clear and based on what you most need to become what the vision demands. These themed goals should fit well together, 9n that they support one another and also will lead to more success in other areas. There is a great question that can help you decide that is the prize of the book "One Thing" by Gary Keller: "What is the one goal that, if reached, would make all other goals more easy or no longer necessary?"  

3. Prioritize the goals, ruthlessly. Not all goals are created equal. If you're on a diet, and can only eat 1700 calories in a day, I would hope you wouldn't waste 300 of them on just a few handfuls of skittles. Choose wisely. 

4. Establish ruthless accountability for goal #1, complete with clear and visual plans and regular meeting times with an accountability partner. This will ensure progress is being tracked and you're not fooling yourself into being productive or seducing yourself with easy wins. 

Only then, once you've shown yourself you can manage 1 goal properly, should you even begin to imagine that you can magically master your whole list. 

The name of the game is focus. Intensity. 

There is nothing wrong with dreaming, but there is a time to wake up and deal in reality. 

You've got 24 hours. There are 7 days in a week. 

There are only 52 weeks in 2021. One of them is already over, so now you've got just 51. 

You do not have all day to reach your goals. You've got other life priorities.

You've got restrictions on your time, and you've got limits placed on you from others as well. 

Stay rooted in reality. Temper your ambition with a firm grasp of the time.

Watch the clock. 

Look at the date. 

Review deadlines. 

I believe in you, you can accomplish a lot. 

It will require a different mindset, a divorce from faulty and unreasonable beliefs, and a union with the laws of nature. 

It's not too late to define your goal, establish plans, and create the layers of accountability needed to create real results this year.

-Big Mike

"Certify Your Greatness"