Got your goals wrong? You don’t have a chance.
If you read business development books (or personal development books in general) for long enough, you start to notice they all circle the same handful of ideas. Not identical, but close enough that after a while you see the patterns.
That’s not a bug. It’s a feature. Most people need to hear something several times before it sticks. And if you hear it in different words from different people, there’s a better chance one of those versions will click.
One idea that comes up over and over is goal setting. Which is good, because most people are terrible at it. Not because they aim too high—usually the opposite—but because they approach it the wrong way. So they set goals that, at best, make them miserable in the process of chasing them. Which of course makes success even more remote.
Scott Adams (the Dilbert guy) puts it plainly in his book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big:
Systems > Goals.
You can control a system. You can’t control results.
Take weight loss. Most of us could stand to lose a few pounds. But setting a “goal” of losing 20 pounds? Adams says that’s a terrible idea. For one thing, when you step on the scale each morning, you’ll almost always be disappointed. You haven’t hit the number yet. Not a great way to start the day.
More importantly, you don’t control when—or if—the weight comes off. Hormones, metabolism, random life stuff… all of it matters. And what if you start exercising, lose fat, and gain an equivalent amount of muscle? You’ve actually improved, but the scale hasn’t moved. Now you feel like you’ve failed when you haven’t.
A better approach is a system. Eat a certain way. Exercise a certain amount. That’s something you can control daily. Check your results periodically, and if they’re not where you want them, adjust the system.
You’re succeeding when you run the system well, regardless of the short-term outcome. That’s a much better way to live than waking up every day and feeling behind.
It’s not that you shouldn’t think big. You should. But instead of staring at the big objective and throwing up your hands when it doesn’t fall into place right away, do this: picture the big goal, then work backward to the smaller steps that will get you there. Figure out what you need to do daily to accomplish the first step, then do that. Periodically check your progress. Adjust if needed.
It’s simple because it is. And it will get you there faster than you think. Without feeling like a failure before you’ve even had your coffee.
What does this have to do with me? Plenty.
I don’t chase listings or start the year with a dollar figure in mind. I focus on treating people right, adding to my knowledge base, and looking for opportunities to help people. That way I succeed almost every day—and the results I’ve had are better than anything I could have planned a few years ago.
When you’re ready for me to do the same for you, I’m here.
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