My parents and all of my athletic coaches throughout the years continuously harped on me about the extreme importance of goal setting, however, I never completely bought in. We all hear about goal setting and how vitally important it is that we create a vision for our lives, but why is it that very few people actually follow through with setting goals for their lives? I think there are a lot of varying answers to this, but I think the biggest reason is because most people don’t know how to properly set attainable goals for themselves to begin with.

There is a big difference between goal setting and goal achieving. Saying you want to earn a certain amount of money, lose some weight or start your own business without setting a clear and actionable plan as to how that’s going to happen is simply just a hope and a wish. And even then, once you are extremely clear about what it is you want, you must come up with an action plan as to how you are going to enter into the highly coveted space of goal achievement — and then commit to taking massive and relentless daily action.

Shifting from goal setting to goal achievement requires you to do three things exceptionally well. Here are three things that you can start to incorporate into your every day life that has helped me achieve every massive goal that I have ever set for myself, including landing a Division One college football scholarship, playing in the NFL, getting a major book publishing deal and running a successful business.

1. Get extremely clear about what it is you want.

The first part of the process is to get extremely clear about what exactly it is that you want. Saying you want to lose weight or make more money next year isn’t being extremely clear. It’s a start and certainly better than not wanting anything at all, but it’s still just a wish.

How much weight do you want to lose? How will it make you feel when you achieve your goal? Why do you want to lose the weight? What is your deadline to achieve this goal? These are just some examples to help get you started on the process of getting extremely clear about your goal.

Take your most important goal right now — whether it’s to lose weight, make more money, or land the promotion at work — and spend some time focusing all of your attention towards getting very clear about the answers to the questions I just proposed. To give you an example, when I was 16 years old and felt all hope was lost, it wasn’t until I got extremely clear about getting a college scholarship for football that my daily actions and behaviors started to change.

I had to answer the who, what, where, when, why, and how’s for myself. When you set a meaningful goal and then get extremely clear about those questions, an incredible transition can begin to take place.

2. Create your game plan for success.

This part of the process can drastically increase your chances of achieving your most audacious goals. After you get extremely clear about your goal, create a list of everything that you have to do in order to achieve that goal.

Looking back at my list when I set a goal to get a Division One college scholarship, I had over 40 things that I needed to do in order to put myself in a position for success. Everything from reaching out to a certain number of coaches every single day, running a specific  40-yard dash time, eating certain healthy foods that would help increase my performance and attending the right summer camps at universities that would put me in front of the right people.

My list was extensive, but failing to list all of the things that you have to do in order to achieve a goal greatly minimizes your chances of actually entering into goal achievement. Take the time right now to make a list of everything that you have to do in order to achieve that major goal of yours. Even if there are 100 things that you write down, write them down.

3. Take consistent and persistent massive action.

All three things are greatly important, but this step is the ultimate differentiator and transition between goal setting and goal achievement. Unfortunately, too many people spend their precious time looking for the secret formula out there that will help them achieve their deepest desires and biggest dreams that will take minimal effort on their behalf.

But there isn’t such a thing, and anyone that tells you otherwise is selling you a false hope and a wish. I have never in my life met an incredibly successful man or woman, whether in athletics or in business, that didn’t consistently and persistently take massive action on a daily basis.

After you have your action list created, move two to three things from your list over to your daily to-do list. Most people spend their days creating to do lists that consist of tedious tasks that hold very little value in helping them advance their lot in life.

Every single day — day in and day out — take massive action doing something that will help you in the achievement of your biggest goal. You will get knocked down, experience all kinds of hardships, but when you consistently and persistently move forward, you will be amazed at what begins to transpire in your life.

Following what I shared with you above isn’t going to guarantee that you will achieve your biggest goal. However, it will guarantee that over time you become a new person that wakes up every day with a new passion and desire to face the day ahead.

Goals changed my life in more ways than one, and I know that it can do the same for you when you begin to adopt these three ideas. Just remember, there is a big difference between goal setting and goal achieving.

Originally Posted on Entrepreneur.com

The post Setting Goals vs. Achieving Goals appeared first on Matt Mayberry.

Here are five ways to improve your life for tomorrow.

1. Get connected with your why.

Connecting with your why will help you to increase your energy levels, think more clearly and be able to overcome adversity and setbacks. Your why is the reason you do what you do on a daily basis. It excites you so you can barely sit still. When you discover your life’s purpose, your why, your life will never be the same again. There is no greater advantage than getting connected with your why.

2. Take your health and fitness to the next level.

One of the biggest mistakes is putting your health and fitness at the bottom of your priority list. I see it all of the time. People will put making money and getting the promotion ahead of taking care of the one body they will ever carry throughout their lifetimes. Little do they know, working on your health and fitness actually helps you to achieve all of those things and more.

Stop with the made-up story of not having enough time or how it doesn’t matter. Your mindset, emotional health, productivity levels and well-being all are boosted when you take your health and fitness to the next level.

3. Take a gratitude walk.

I first heard about the gratitude walk from bestselling author Deepak Chopra. This simple daily practice incorporated into your everyday routine can drastically change your mental and emotional state in an instant.

Whether first thing in the morning, during your lunch break or in the evening, set aside 20 minutes and walk in your neighborhood, through a park or somewhere in beautiful mother nature. As you begin your walk, start to think about all of the things that you are grateful for in your life. Take a deep breath after each acknowledgement and feel the air that is making your life possible at that moment.

It doesn’t matter how big or small, just pay attention to all that you are grateful for while you are on your walk. This is an extremely powerful way to shift your mood and improve your overall quality of life.

4. Get started on your one game-changer goal.

When I travel the world, speaking to organizations of all sizes, I encourage audience members to pick one goal that is going to be a complete game changer both personally and professionally — the goal that will completely change the trajectory of their lives when they achieve it.

When you have this goal set and know exactly what you have to do to reach your mark, you will wake up with a burning desire to be better than you were the day before and maximize your output. Most people may have goals, but very few sit down to take the time to think about their game-changer goal.

5. Read Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.

This is a phenomenal book by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck. It provides decades worth of research on how powerful our minds truly are and what separates those that achieve greatness and those that don’t. It has nothing to do with talent. From children to business leaders, I encourage everyone to read this book and rediscover the power of your mind and how to make it work to your advantage.

Our goal every day should be to improve and enhance the quality of our lives. It’s my hope that these five things will help you do just that.

Originally Posted on Entrepreneur.com

Image credit: Josh Felise | StockSnap.io

The post 5 Ways to Improve Your Life for Tomorrow appeared first on Matt Mayberry.