***Hey! Before you dive in, check out the new audio format of this blog right here. Narrated by me for you, I’m going to be adding these to each blog from here on out. If you’re not feeling like reading (or too lazy) take a listen instead. Forgive the audio quality – this is a “done is better than perfect” situation.***
Big goals are sexy. Big goals get attention on social media. Big goals are crossing a finish line crowded with people or holding the first edition of a book you wrote. Sexy. Big. Goals. But, like all sexy things, big goals hide the real secret of success under their pretty façade.
They look good when they walk by and everyone takes notice. But they fail to show the hours of effort, the blood, and the sweat it took to get there. The big goals don’t show you that they actually never set out to look good at that given moment. Instead, they look that way because they made small goals and focused until they accomplished them. Looking good for the big goal is simply a compounding product.
Big goals are cool but to have full LIFE, you need to embrace the power of the small goal. I’ve written before about focusing on process over product. That is one of the two ways to think about small goals. If you want to run a marathon, set your mileage goal for today and worry about that. If you want to write a book, set your page goal, and focus your attention on it. Put your effort into the milestones and your big goal soon comes into focus.
Now, I see a second way to think about small goals inspired by a post from Hunter McIntyre. He is an elite obstacle course racer and all-around fitness badass. In a post this week, he showed how his body has transformed over time to attain various different goals. “Set short-term goals,” Hunter said, “and focus until you crush them”. Instead of putting his identity into a big goal, he sets a smaller goal and focuses intensely until he achieves it. It might be a race, qualifying for the CrossFit Games, or winning a different event. Over time, those goals compound into a winning mindset in all aspects of fitness and life.
“Set short term goals and focus until you crush them.”
Hunter Mcintyre
Hunter is on to something powerful. Without realizing it, I too have taken this small goal approach to accomplish the big things in LIFE. I’ve competed in baseball, mountain biking, and rodeo. I hold a Ph.D. in Education. I taught 8th graders history and teach adults leadership development. I’ve had a 1,000lb total in the big three and completed a half Ironman. I read a couple of books per month and try to filter everything for what is best for my marriage. I don’t say this to brag but rather to show how simply focusing on one goal at a time has compounded into some fairly cool stuff.
I’ve never identified myself one way in fitness, education, career, or really anything. Instead, like Hunter, I set my sights on something and commit fully until I reach it. Then I choose the next one and repeat. Instead of putting myself into a box for a decade or more at a time, I give myself permission to pursue the most impactful and inspiring thing in LIFE at a given time.
For example, right now my goal in fitness is an Ironman while I also pursue writing. They don’t always overlap but each informs the other. If I only identified as a writer, I might miss the connections I see when out on a run or bike ride. I won’t focus on other goals until these two are accomplished but I’m not tied to the next goal being another Ironman or another book. Maybe it will be an Adventure Race and a LIFE conference…who knows?
Now, it is important to mention that what makes a goal “big” or “small” is relative. An Ironman is a year-long goal for me which could be considered big, but fitness is so much a part of my life that a year is a small piece of time. “Big” and “small” aren’t measures of time, they are measures of identity. Let yourself be ok with being a triathlete today but something different next year.
So, what’s your small goal right now? Do you know what you are after or are you chasing some big goal that almost traps you? Interestingly, Taren Gessel, aka Triathlon Taren, has just announced a broader approach to his work because he realized that triathlon isn’t the only thing he is about. This type of broadening perspective is what I would refer to as wisdom and self-knowledge. He, and you and I, can use small goals to become more than one thing.
Look at Cameron Hanes – professional bow hunter but also an incredible endurance runner. Yes, they are linked but he can shift his focus through the year with small goals that then compound in his hunts. In fact, the list of people who live this way is huge. Jocko Willink focused on being a SEAL for twenty years and then set a small goal to write a book, start a podcast, then a children’s book, and so on. Joe Rogan was a focused comedian, got on TV, dedicated to the UFC and MMA, then he started a little podcast. Andy Frisella set his sights on starting a supplement company, and after reaching it and other goals, it opened the door for speaking and to be the 14th highest rated speaker in the world last year. None of these men set out with the goal to be an influencer, podcaster, or author (at least to my knowledge) they instead focused on the small immediate goal and then walked through the doors that opened as a result.
They focused on the small immediate goal and then walked through the doors that opened as a result.
I’ve written before about losing your goals and focusing on your identity. This is the same. If your goal is to run a certain race, that’s great but the real power is when your identity is one of a runner. A runner doesn’t define themselves by a single race, they choose multiple races and work to be excellent in each one.
Here’s the secret: small goals build your LIFE holistically. If you want to be the best person possible, you need more than one big goal. Choose some small goals and start chasing them!
Weekend Challenge
Try it. Set a “small” goal. Here are some ideas:
- Forget wanting to “be fit” and instead pick a day to do a tough workout in a few months and set your entire training plan to meet that day. When you get there, you’ll be more fit.
- Set out to read a book by the end of the month. Don’t worry about reading a particular number of books, just worry about this book and you’ll find momentum.
- Determine the first step in a new skill you want to learn and focus on that step fully before figuring out the next one. You don’t need a year-long plan to learn how to dance, you just need the first few steps to master.
- Set time aside to spend with your kids this week and watch yourself become a better father without even thinking about that bigger goal.
I hope this is helpful to you guys. If you’re pro-level you’ll start to see how the small goals actually work together. Reading that book, training for the hard workout, and spending more time with your kids all work together to make you the best dad you can be. They look separate on paper, but they all build to a better LIFE.
Share this post and share your goal with us on social media (@LIFEenacted)
Go get this weekend, guys! Best today, better tomorrow!