Be a Goal-Getter: Going All-In On Your Goals

If you’re going to go all in at something in your life, make it your goals. Whether it’s a big goal, some long-term goals, or a short-term goal, it’s a much better use of your time than wasting it on something that isn’t sustainable or worth it in the long run.

Here at GenTwenty, we value goal-getters and strive to be just that everyday. If you’re going to give 110% to anything, give 110% to yourself.

Whatever your goals and ambitions include, there are always steps to get you there. Smaller pieces of big goals have the largest impact.

Maybe you want to graduate from college with a master’s degree. Maybe you want to work for a law firm, become a doctor or research cancer treatments. Maybe you want to move to another country and live there for months at a time or build a life for yourself in a busy city or in a far off country house in an open field with horses and stables.

Whatever it may be, it’s attainable. Nothing in this world is impossible, so do what you want and don’t look back.

Here’s how to go all in on your goals:

1. Make a list.

First thing first, write on a notepad, on a white board or in your iPhone notes. Write out your long-term goal and whatever else is associated with it.

Ask questions and define what it is you’re really after:

• Do you have the means of achieving that goal?
• What do you need to accomplish in order to reach that goal?
• What outside noise is stopping you? How can you eliminate it?
• How will you measure success?

Asking yourself these questions and constantly adding, changing, updating, and even eliminating tasks and thoughts on this list will help you put everything in perspective.

The more specific you can be with each goal, the better. Specific goals help you have a clear path to follow. Even setting a stretch goal will help you work harder to achieve it. Once you start thinking this way, it becomes a way of life. Just ask Jeff Bezos or Richard Branson.

To do: Schedule time each week (we suggest Sunday) to check in with your list. Are you on track or do you need to adjust? What do you need to accomplish this week to move to the next step?

---

2. Prioritize.

Doing this can change the reality of what you’re trying to accomplish by looking at it straight up and deciding what’s important and what’s not.

Maybe there’s negative energy in your life coming from people or stressful responsibilities that add your anxiety, thus making it difficult to stay positive yourself. Prioritizing your standards and expectations of what happens in your life can help contribute to how successful you’ll be when going after your goals.

Sometimes it’s hard to separate yourself from your life and look at it from a different view, to filter out all the nonsense. If you prioritize what you enjoy and what you don’t about your life, just start making changes. Create a voice for yourself and decide what can stay and what needs to go.

To do: Identify the aspects of your life that cause you extra, unnecessary stress and are ultimately distractors from reaching your goal. Make a plan to eliminate them, or in the very least, lessen the way they impact you.

3. Research.

Educate yourself on the field, topic or place you’re trying to reach. The more you learn about it, the better you’ll be at it.

Reading books, watching documentaries, internet browsing and even talking to others in your field of interest can all contribute to your success. If you want to be the best you have to learn from the best.

All your research can be compiled into a binder or Google Doc to organize your findings and stay in the game. There are so many planners, organizers, and apps that can be used to enhance your research.

The right tools can benefit your goals by making things easier and always having a place to refer back to. That way you can evaluate your progress and visually see your journey along the way. Break your research down into daily tasks that will help you accomplish your goals.

To do: Schedule a block of 45 minutes everyday to spend time within your goals. Spend 15 minutes identifying the latest blog posts, research trends, podcasts, etc. Spend another 30 minutes learning from these resources.

4. Travel.

Expand your horizons by seeing new places and how your goals tie into the rest of the world. This gives you a sense or who you are, how you adapt to new surroundings and what you really enjoy doing most.

Traveling releases an inner peace and makes even the most energetic person humble. You don’t realize how small you are until you see how big the world is.

Goal-getters need to know what they’re up against. They need to see their competition, experience new cultures and understand that there’s so much more to life than the routine they have everyday.

A goal-getter is someone who understands others and keeps her head up when things get hard. Because a goal-getter knows that once she starts, she isn’t stopping. Expand your horizons and expand your mind.

You don’t have to have travel goals to get benefits from traveling.

To do: Plan a day trip so somewhere within driving distance.

5. Keep yourself motivated.

Always keep the faith. It’s important you stay motivated and don’t lose sight of what’s important to you. It’s easy to slack off, forget where you’re going or even lose all interest. It’s okay to change your plans and develop new goals but it’s also important to maintain your motivation.

Wake up early, practice yoga, spend your time with good friends, eat healthy, go swimming, listen to inspirational speakers, go for long car rides and sing in the shower. Always give yourself a reason and a purpose to go on the next day. You are what you believe you are and your motivation lies within yourself as long as you want it to be there.

Setting small SMART goals will help you reach your bigger goals. These are mini goals and micro goals that keep you on the right path and away from distractions. You can also set short-term goals and use the SMART goal system to track your measurable progress.  The worst thing that would happen is that you would fall short. But you’d still be closer to your goal than you are now! 

[Tweet “You are what you believe you are.”]

To do: Consider making a vision board. Put reminders of your goals all around you to keep them in the forefront of your mind.

6. Motivate others.

Being a goal-getter is an awesome opportunity to encourage and inspire others as well. Maybe a goal of yours is to help others achieve their goals.

I think that when we spend our time invested in others for the good, it is returned back to us. It’s just good karma.

Create your own good karma by releasing your positive energy and sharing it with others. I think you’ll realize how much better use of your time that is than constantly worrying about yourself.

Here’s a quote I saw on Facebook that really stood out to me:

“The people we surround ourselves with either raise or lower our standards. They either help us to become the best version of ourselves or encourage us to become lesser versions of ourselves. We become like our friends. No man becomes great on his own. No woman becomes great on her own. The people around them help to make them great. We all need people in our lives who raise our standards, remind us of our essential purpose, and challenge us to become the best version of ourselves.” – Matthew Kelly, Author of The Rhythm Of Life.

[Tweet “Always surround yourself with good people and motivate them to be better.”]

7. Believe in yourself.

When it comes down to it, we are our own biggest competition in life. And we tend to judge ourselves harshly, which limits us when we’re trying to reach our goals.

Always believe in your talents, your mind, and your purpose. Don’t talk negatively about yourself or say you can’t do something because you’re scared. There’s no point in going all in on your goals when you aren’t even sure if you can do it in the first place.

Which each new step in reaching your goals, honor how far you’ve come and reflect on the obstacles you’ve encountered along the way.

Even if it hurts to look back, the lessons you’ve learned by doing have taught you so much, which is more valuable than anything you could read in a book.

To do: Give yourself a pat on the back for everything you have learned and accomplished.

8. Take it one step at a time.

It won’t happen overnight. A goal-getter knows this and is willing to wait because she wants to work and to get there.

Giving 110% means giving all of your energy to make your dreams come true and what’s more meaningful and self-fulfilling than that?

As long as you have the right goals in mind, with a guaranteed outcome of making your life better, then just know you’ll get there eventually. Set personal goals and aim high. Don’t wait for a new year. Last year you were thinking about  where you’d be right now. Is it what you envisioned? You can bring those dreams to life. You just have to take it one step at a time and in the right direction.

How will you achieve your goals?

About the Author

---