Making Lofty Goals Happen

The 4 Things You Need to Make Your Commitments Bulletproof

We all need lofty goals, but how do you commit to them without faltering?

I used to set big lofty goals only to find that I would lose my drive or switch gears instead of following through. Why? I lacked Attitude Muscle, which is what real commitment is made from. Learn the ingredients to find yours, and you’ll crush your goals.

A lot of people (this used to be me) go after goals in business or in life only to find themselves not making progress and losing their drive. Think of all the unreached quotas and failed diets people end each year with. That’s what New Year’s resolutions are all about; regret from past failures and lofty hopes to try try again. Why is that? Your goal may be fine, but you may not have a good enough reason to go for it. That is, you may lack an Attitude Muscle.

Real commitment doesn’t just depend on motivation.

A Bulletproof commitment depends on these four key components:

1. Deep Focus

Your true drive to do anything must live in a very deep part of you that’s tied to a fear (avoiding failure) or desire (be the best you can be). It's something that is connected to you as if it were an appendage, and so personal and strong, it matters more than anything. It touches your heart and causes goosebumps when you talk about it. For most people, the answer is often tied to a pet or a child. For some people I've worked with, it's something tied to their vanity (narcissists). But, plenty of my clients use their health as a motivator (fear of dying). For others, it's about wanting a better life than what they grew up with. Wanting to feel pride in themselves daily, rather than shame or sadness, drives other people I've coached. Fear is a lousy motivator and so is pride, so you need to go deeper. Focusing on a desire is where the Attitude Muscle works best in keeping you on point and committed. And when you are all in, it separates you from everyone else.

2. Being Evergreen

True commitment must endure. It shouldn't be something tied to a specific event that will pass. How can you continue to stay on the path when the path ends? When I share my commitment to living an intentional life, which is to make a contribution to this world through deeds, not just words, I’m setting a great example for my clients. But what makes it deeply connected, I am doing it to set an example for my son throughout his life. It helps drive the point home. This isn't about a specific event, such as raising money for a cause or being fit for a vacation, or something I want to be able to afford to buy like a new car. My son isn't going anywhere, and my responsibilities to him as his father don't end.

3. It’s a Quantum Leap Forward, Not Just Incremental

If it isn't obvious yet, your commitments need to scare you. They will require courage so that you can lean into the fear and work past it. They shouldn't be inconsequential or within your comfort zone. Surviving the falls that will happen, inspiring your kids regardless of the setbacks, being there to provide for your family no matter how challenging, impacting your clients even when you don’t know what they need, and our community that needs more doers than complainers, feeling deserving of the joy life brings with living your life intentionally -- these are big, powerful, profound things.

4. It’s Etheral- Not of the Material World

Some people are motivated by the material; money and having things. Money brings you freedom. But it’s a hollow reward. I've had many pivots in my professional life that have driven me to succeed professionally, and by extension financially. But money is not abundance. So many successful clients I’ve worked with share with me how hollow their lives are even though they hit every material milestone they set for themselves. Why? Their houses, cars, and toys might be big and expensive, but that doesn't make them profound. They lack that deep connection to something great than themselves. Material things are external, not internal. Instead of focusing inward, they focus outward, which makes their lives boring and meaningless.

There is nothing wrong with aspiring for the material, as long as you are grounded in purpose. In Victor Frankl’s book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”, he cautions us not to aim for success-the more you make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. Success and happiness are the results of pursuing a purpose and meaning greater than oneself.

Being the CEO or business owner tends to pay well, but if you’re successful it’s because you want to serve your clients; it’s because you want to be a leader that transforms an organization, not because you want to make millions or billions. Those public victories can’t happen without private victories. It’s essential for you to choose to invest in yourself for your personal and professional growth to make a contribution beyond the material. You will work on inspiring others as a leader. It will give you the space and freedom to choose what’s best for making that quantum leap forward and making a difference both privately and publicly.

Think about what’s truly important to you, and whether it fits these four pillars of commitment. If not, probe deeper within yourself, ask the tough questions, and challenge your answers. It takes this level of commitment to look between what triggers you and how you respond to choose differently.

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