Mindset

The goal is your destination. The system is your vehicle.

The key to accomplishing something significant is not in the large success but in the small successes. These small successes are based on the habits that will continually move you towards accomplishing your goal.

Most people think the secret of goals is to simply set a big goal and then everything else will just magically happen. They aim high and then never take the first step because it seems too big. They view accomplishing the goal as one giant step. This is where most goals fizzle out.

There is an important piece missing here. It’s not enough to just aim for something. Creating a system is the key.

I think there is a place for both goals and systems. However, they work better together than they do separately. You need to set goals to know where you want to go. But setting goals is not enough. You need to have a system that will get you there. The goal is your destination. The system is your vehicle.

The system should be actionable steps that you can consistently perform to move you toward your goal. These consistent steps will form habits. Those habits are the foundation for your system. Once you have a goal, work backwards to determine the habits that will are required to take you to your goal.

Systems people succeed every time they apply their systems, not only when they hit their ultimate goal. These small successes create momentum. And momentum is a powerful thing.

I learned a valuable lesson this holiday season, and it was all done by watching college football. It was a simple lesson that I’ve heard many times but until I saw it in action, I did not fully understand the power of it.

Play to win

If you want to succeed at anything in life, make sure you approach it with an attitude that you are playing to win.

Expect the unexpected

Many of you may have missed it but the best college football bowl game may have been the least popular one. Boise State was not expected to be able to play with Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl this year. Not only did they play with them, they looked like a team that expected to win the game.

Even in the face of adversity as they were down by seven with 0:51 left in the game, they were playing like they came there to win no matter what it took. They ran some of the most impressive (and risky) plays but the most impressive move by the Boise State team didn’t happen during a play, it was a decision that was most likely made a few weeks ago.

The coaches were faced with what most teams wouldn’t even have considered a decision when they scored a touchdown in the first overtime. They had the choice to either kick the extra point to tie (and go to another overtime) or go for two to win.

Most teams would not have hesitated to kick the extra point and stick around to see another day. Not Boise State, they never even looked at their kicker to go on and kick the extra point. In fact, they were so quick to go for it, the other team had to call a timeout because they weren’t ready.

Boise State players and coaches were on the same page that they were there to win the game not just play along with Oklahoma. And it showed on the final play. It looked as if they had this play drawn up for this exact situation all year long. They were prepared and expected to win that game and they did.

So what does this have to do with my business or life?

Everything. When I saw this happen, I thought about many situations in business and life which I went in not to lose instead of going into it to win.

It is amazing how just that simple change in attitude can completely change the result. You should have the same approach to everything you do in life. Figure out ahead of time that you are doing something not just to do it but to win at it and succeed. It will not only change they way you approach that event but how you perform and most likely the result.

Why is it we describe the things we want to do in life as important instead of necessary?

The definition of important is “marked by or indicative of significant worth or consequence” while the definition of necessary is “of an inevitable nature” or “absolutely needed”.

Instantly you can see the difference between the two words.

Look at the things that you do on a regular basis. A normal day will most likely involve you eating, going to work, and sleeping. Why is it that we do these things?

Because they are necessary.

If you decide that it isn’t necessary to go to work, then you won’t go. But the consequence of that decision is probably going to be losing your job.

So lets face it, what we do on a daily basis are things that are necessary.

How do you describe your dreams?

Things that you want to do are typically considered important but not necessary. That’s why they never get done. Until something makes the jump from important to necessary, you will never get to it. There are simply too many other necessary things in life to get to those that are just important.

It’s easy for someone to say that something is important to them. Important leaves room for it not to happen. You can always get to the important things tomorrow.

But when something becomes necessary, you will stop at nothing to make sure it happens. It must happen and it must happen now. Why? Because it is necessary.

History has shown that humans are capable of accomplishing the most amazing things. But in each circumstance, you will find one common factor, necessity. If you are having trouble getting what you want out of life, chances are, that something is only important to you, not necessary.

How can you make sure you accomplish more of your dreams?

That is simple, make your dreams and goals something that is necessary to you. Only then will it become a high enough priority in your life to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

If you can ask yourself the question “Is this something that I have to do?” and can honestly answer “Yes”, then that is not only important but necessary. You have made the first step to making it happen.

Can you change the way you think?

You are where you are in life because of the priorities you have and had. In order to change your life, you must change the way you think and prioritize. So the question really should not be can you change the way you think but rather…

Will you change the way you think?

Once you have made this decision, you will think about your dreams differently. You finally put them higher on your list of priorities. They will no longer only be important to you but now they will be necessary.

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” —Christopher Reeve

Are your dreams inevitable?