Close Enough

“Lots of people put in serious work for a while in pursuit of their goals,” Ben Bergeron said, “and eventually get to a place where they’re comfortable. They may not have achieved all their long-term goals, but they have achieved a good 90 percent, and they feel that they’ve checked all the boxes and are doing well enough to be satisfied.”

The people Ben Bergeron speaks of work hard. They get up and get after it day in and day out. 

The problem comes when they start seeing results. Just as growth is the number one killer of small business, results are the number one reason folks quit on their goals. 

They get “close enough” to their achievement and settle because the last little bit comes at the greatest cost. The first 80 to 90 percent is easy to work. Keep showing up and putting in the work and you’ll get most of the way there. 

It’s that last 15 to 20 percent that requires grit and perseverance. The ability to stick with it and keep putting in the work when results have slowed and it doesn’t feel like you’re taking ground.

True excellence is hanging in there and grinding through that last couple percentage points towards your goal. It is an unsatisfaction with anything less than your absolute best. 

You’re about to walk into a new week. It would be easy to settle this week and not push for that last little bit of growth. 

But you’re not interested in easy. That’s not why you’re here. You want excellence and are willing to stay the course, even when that voice in your ear whispers that you’ve come far enough. 

Setting Goals

This time of year, it’s natural to start thinking about the next year. 

Your mind drifts to all you’d like to do and accomplish. 

You make goals and set resolutions to guide you. 

Most people, however, stop right there. Nothing more comes of their goals, they remain dreams and unfulfilled hopes.

Setting goals is easy, execution is where it gets hard. 

The goals you set each new year don’t matter if you never take action on them. 

Take action on your goals.

Break them down to the most granular level possible. 

Boil your goals down to something you do daily and the likelihood of your reaching them will dramatically increase.

Setting goals is important, but while your thinking through 2018, think about the daily actions you’ll need to change as well.

3 Things Goals Should Have

You've read and heard a thousand different things about goal setting. You know how important it is, yet the majority of you don't have written goals. Far too many of you are playing around when it comes to your goals. You have a few nice ideas about where we want to go and what you want to do in life, but you haven't committed to them enough to write them down. The upside is you aren't discouraged when things don't pan out. We never put ourselves out there and as a result we think we're safe from the pain of failure. 

The down side is, that its an illusion. Not committing to something, is a type of failure all its own. "Its hard to fail," Roosevelt said, "but it is worse to have never tried to succeed." Its' a failure in courage and it leaves you even more defeated than they guy who dared to take on the mountain and failed. Your neither hero nor villain. Instead, you're irrelevant. No one will remember or pay attention to the things you never dare to try. Should you live your life begging for the attention and appreciation of others? No, but we weren't put here to stay on the sidelines either.

Daring to do great things is about more than deciding to give it a shot and see what happens. Achieving great things is all about setting the right type of goals and pursuing them with everything you've got. As you sit down and hammer out what you want out of 2017 ensure your goals include at least three aspects.  

1. Energizing

Whatever it is you want to get done in 2017, make sure you're focusing on things that fill you with energy. You want them to cause you to leap out of bed each day, ready to get after it. Many of the goals you fiddle around with each year don't inspire this type of want to and energy. No wonder 92% of Americans fail to achieve their new years resolution. That's a an utter shame. If you're going to have any shot at reaching your goals in 2017, you can't afford to waste your time on things that don't get you out of bed before the sun, or keep you up long after its set. If they don't make you want to get after it, you need to set some bigger goals. The first step to making big moves in 2017, is to set your sights on mega goals.  

2. Measurable

How do you know who wins the Super Bowl each February? That's not a trick question, you look at the scoreboard. The team with the most points, walks away with the Lombardi Trophy. If you're going to make big changes in 2017, you have to define exactly what a win is going to look like. Be as specific as you can. You've got to find a way to turn that energizing goal into something tangible, something that can be measured. It's hard to hit a target you can't see. The second step to a great 2017, is making your goals something you can measure. 

3. Time Bound

You don't have forever to get things done. Life doesn't work that way. It might make you feel good to set goals without a definite time table, but it doesn't help you achieve much. How many of your friends have goals to "some day" do this, or that? Ask yourself how likely it is they'll ever get them done. If your not introducing time to the discussion, your not serious about the goal. Give your goals deadlines that make you uncomfortable. This will motivate you to work harder and get it done. Step three is to ground your goals in time, while remembering that if you don't get there you can always reevaluate and set a new time table. 

One Sure Fire Way to Accomplish More in 2016

As we bring 2015 to a close and stand ready to welcome 2016 with open arms, I want to share one small tip that can help you achieve more next year. 

Don't wait until the calendar changes to start working on your goals.

Get a head start on them now.

The momentum you build these next few days before we turn the page on a new year can propel you into achieving more than you ever thought you could.

We often over estimate what we can accomplish in the short term, but rarely do we realize fully what we can achieve over the long term. 

Go into the new year energized and excited to tackle all you hope to accomplish. And while your at it give yourself a head start while you can.

I started attacking my 2016 reading list this past weekend and have been over joyed to have already completed my first book on the list.

What are your big goals for 2016 and who said you had to wait until then to start working on them? 

Your Not in Control

You want to be in control. You desire control over your surroundings and over all your outcomes in life so you work hard and put in long hours. Sleepless nights and caffine are the rent you pay and rent is due every day.

Hustling is important. One of the many traits that turns up time after time when studying the successful is that they run at a different pace than everyone else around them. In short, they hustle. No matter the field and no matter the role get after it. 

To acheive your dreams and accomplish your goals, you are going to have to work extremely hard but be careful not to buy the lie that everything rests within your grasp. 

You can't force results. No matter how many hours you put in or how hard you work you can't force success to happen. Many things are beyond your control. You can do everything right and the deal still doesn't go your way and that's okay. As I've said before, the power is in the process.   

You are responsible for the process. You are accoutable for doing your part. Do the things that accompany success. Order your habits, attidudes, and character. Show up early, remain diligent and stay late if you need you, but remember that those things are just part of the process.  

Find rest in your limits. Labor hard and hustle but also rest in the knowldege that results are ultimately outside your control. There is a certain level of peace that comes from knowing that you have given your all. Give your all and lay it all on the line every day and you'll be able to hold your head high whether the results come or not.