??Nailing Your Next Project: A 4-Step Tool to Expedite?Success

For easy and joyful marketing approaches that energetically attract your ideal clientele, read the latest articles here at Midweek Momentum .

Clear vision is often likened to ‘20/20’ sight, the gold standard for perfect clarity. It’s this level of focus and precision we aim for when embarking on a new project. But even if you feel like you’ve mastered goal setting, there’s always room to refine and elevate the process.

Drawing from the realms of neuroscience and behavioral science, and with the experience of guiding over 20,000 students, I’ve observed that the nuances of goal setting can often make or break a project’s success.

You might be thinking, “Goal setting? Been there, done that.” But bear with me for a moment. With insights from neuroscience, behavioral science, and experience guiding 20,000+ students, I’ve found that many stumbling blocks stem from missteps in goal setting.

“Many stumbling blocks stem from missteps in goal setting.”

For over a decade, I’ve mentored entrepreneurs in crafting inspiring goals or, more aptly, ‘motivating outcomes’. Grasping the intricacies of goal-setting is the linchpin of project success and avoiding project abandonment or failure.

Did you know that when you’ve truly nailed the goal-setting process, you’ll pursue those goals effortlessly, without needing to tap into willpower? Many challenges we face?—?like procrastination, a wandering focus, or a frustratingly stagnant momentum?—?can often be traced back to an ineffective goal-setting approach.

If you’re curious about the science behind this, I penned an article with Professor Joel Baum about the neuroscience of goal-setting. Dive in here .

Here’s a crucial takeaway: your conscious and subconscious often have differing goals. When they clash, your subconscious goals prevail. Why? As Dr. Dispenza notes in “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself ”, by age 35, your subconscious drives up to 95% of your behavior.

Aligning conscious and subconscious objectives taps into the potent 95%. This synergy propels you towards goals without the constant tug of willpower, making progress and motivation feel nearly automatic.

Here’s the ripple effect:

• Clear Conscious Goal: It all starts by articulating an outcome you find truly desirable.
• Subconscious Alignment: By adding clarity and emotion (energy in motion), you ‘onboard’ your subconscious, which then takes charge, ensuring automatic action.
• Dopamine Rewards: Each accomplishment toward a subconscious goal triggers feel-good chemicals, spurring you onward, leading to momentum.
• Inevitable Success: Driven by alignment and reinforced by rewards, success becomes a tangible destination.

By harnessing this targeted approach to subconscious goal-setting, you prime yourself for expediting project success.

To achieve outstanding results, it’s essential to first anchor ourselves in two core principles. Initially, you’ve got to lock onto a pivotal project — one that resonates deeply and stands out as genuinely worthwhile. Think of this as the terrain of your expedition. If you’re still searching for that pivotal project, our last edition is packed with guidance on finding it .

With your project identified, the secret is to take a beat to align your conscious and subconscious goals. You need a goal that’s both explicitly defined and imbued with emotion to anchor it deep within your psyche.

Step 1: Get Clear on a Motivating Outcome

Before diving headfirst into a project, pause for a moment: “What does a successfully completed project look like to me?” But it’s not enough just to define an outcome?—?this outcome must deeply resonate and motivate at a subconscious level.

Example: Let’s take a look at a client with whom I’ve been collaborating on refining her B2B sales strategy.

Her Initial Goal: I have planned and scheduled sales calls with decision-makers ready for a solution and able to commit financially.

At first glance, it might seem like a very clear and motivating goal. But here’s the crux: this kind of goal is unlikely to switch on the powerful subconscious engine. It’s mired in the process (the ‘hows’) and misses the broader vision (the ‘what’) and the emotional pull (the ‘why’).

See, the subconscious is a creature of habit, often resistant to change. If you want it to work tirelessly on your behalf, you need to present it with a goal so alluring and meaningful it is willing to get on board. This means your goals need to be more than tasks?—?they need to be compelling visions of a better future.

With this insight, we reworked her objective:

Her Revised Goal: I have a predictable, repeatable path to sales that I control, and I work as much as I like.

Notice the evolution? Her real desire wasn’t specifically about sales calls, which are merely a means to an end. It was about achieving a self-sustaining business and having the freedom she genuinely desires.

Your Turn: Think about a project you’re engaged in. When you picture its successful completion, what deep desires and dreams have you fulfilled? Shape your goal as a transformative reality that has already taken shape, starting with “I have…”.

Step 2: Define Clear Success?Criteria

A well-structured goal isn’t just about a motivating outcome?—?it’s about recognizing when you’ve achieved it. Enter the role of clear success criteria, which melds tangible milestones (objective measures) and emotionally resonant benchmarks (subjective measures).

By integrating emotional resonance with tangible milestones in our goals, you help embed them in your subconscious. This offers a dual benefit: a sustained, internal motivation and the release of dopamine, a key neurotransmitter that reinforces your desire to progress. The result? A powerful, almost automated drive towards achievement.

So, ask yourself: “What specific circumstances will signify I’ve achieved my goal?”

Example: Let’s return to our B2B sales strategy client. Here’s how she gauges her project’s success:

?? I am booking 3–6 months out, secured with deposits.

?? Sales calls feel easy and joyful

?? Keeping in touch with my network, prospects and community is fun!

?? I LOVE what I do!!!!! Whoooo Hoooo!

A mix of objective and emotional success criteria offer a holistic and joyful view of success. Remember tapping into your e-motion (energy in motion), will help onboard your subconscious!

Step 3: Onboard Your Subconscious

Unless your subconscious finds your goal critical, progress will feel like swimming against the tide. What sparks your subconscious to rally behind an objective? When it perceives your goal as either a shield against potential harm or a gateway to rewards.

To channel these subconscious drives, probe deeper by asking yourself:

• Avoiding Harm: What negative consequences might arise if you don’t see this project through?
• Promoting Good: What opportunities and benefits spring forth once this project is accomplished?
• Commitment Check: Are you genuinely devoted to the outcome?

Subconscious Programming Tip:

Dive into the wider implications of your answers. Consider how these outcomes affect various aspects of your life: from your business and financial standing to the quality of your relationships and overall well-being. By painting a comprehensive picture, you strengthen the emotional gravity of your goal, making it all the more compelling for your subconscious.

Step 4: Embrace Doing over Deadlines

A closer look at our client’s refined goal reveals a purposeful absence: rigid deadlines. This isn’t an oversight?—?it’s a deliberate choice grounded in understanding human psychology and the pitfalls of time management.

Traditional goal-setting champions the idea of specific deadlines. Yet, research consistently shows that we’re notoriously bad at estimating the time new projects will require, often underestimating by over 30%. The real peril isn’t merely the missed deadlines?—?it’s the emotional fallout. When we don’t meet these arbitrary timeframes, our confidence takes a hit, dampening enthusiasm and weakening motivation.

The real peril isn’t merely the missed deadlines?—?it’s the emotional fallout. When we don’t meet these arbitrary timeframes, our confidence takes a hit, dampening enthusiasm and weakening motivation.

Don’t become ensnared in the deadline trap. Instead, decide on the amount of energy and dedication you can consistently bring to your project, or pledge to persist until its completion, regardless of how long it takes.

When you engage your subconscious in your plans, there is no stopping you. Here are a few resources to help you deepen your knowledge on this topic:

Resource #1: Programming Goals

In Chapters 4 & 7 of my book It’s Go Time I teach about programing your subconscious and how to set goals that don’t require willpower. You can download the first 4 chapters in this free PDF or order your physical copy for the whole book.

Resource #2: Regaining Momentum

Sometimes we run into obstacles in our business and life. My Thinking Vitamins podcast episode How to Regain Momentum After Stopping on Your Important Projects addresses that issue.

Resource #3: Starting a New?Business

If you’d like to get some clarity on your purpose, vision, and how to move forward with your business or business idea,I share the system we use with our clients to help them confirm and create offers that showcase what they do best, stand out in competetive markets, and book 5-10 sales in 90 days. Download it here.

If you’re familiar with my podcast or my book “It’s Go Time,” you’ll recognize the term “Thinking Vitamins.” These are positive ideas, continuously echoed, that shift your mindset by replacing limiting beliefs with uplifting ones.

This week, our esteemed BOOM U Energy Healer and former student, Margarita Angelatos, has designed a special Thinking Vitamin just for our Midweek Momentum readers, aimed at helping you achieve your goals.

My goals are sincere, authentic, and inspiring: they align my insights, opportunities and?actions.

To amplify the impact of this week’s Thinking Vitamin, simply download or take a screenshot of the accompanying image and set it as your homescreen!

That brings us to the close of this edition of Midweek Momentum. We hope you try out this subconscious goal-setting tool and use the companion Thinking Vitamin whenever you want to expedite project success!

Keep an eye out for our next edition where we’ll tackle a common challenge: the tapering off of initial marketing efforts, be it referrals, early word-of-mouth strategies, or social media campaigns, and how to rejuvenate them for long-term success.

Here’s to every small win toward a big dream,

Jill McAbe & The True2Brand Team

A special thank you for supporting Midweek Momentum by reading right down to the bottom! We are grateful for your attention. If you have any ideas or comments about this issue or suggestions for upcoming ones, we'd love to hear from you. You can reach out directly at [email protected] .

Enjoy this issue? Sign up to receive it in your inbox every other Wednesday here .