Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.
This week we’ve been exploring my proven goal-setting process to make 2023 the best year of our lives.
In his terrific book The Art of the Impossible, Steven Kotler identifies three types of goals: Massively Transformative Purposes, High, Hard Goals, and what he calls Clear Goals. Each of which serves a very specific purpose.
The last several Fridays, we’ve explored Steven’s concept of Massively Transformative Purposes and High, Hard Goals. Today, we turn to the third type of objective. What Steven calls “Clear Goals.”
Clear goals are all the daily steps needed to accomplish our High, Hard Goals. The latter type of goal can take years to achieve. “They’re the big steps toward our big dreams,” writes Steven. Clear goals are “all the tiny, daily steps it takes to accomplish the mission.”
Becoming a great writer is a massively transformative purpose. Writing a novel or book “is the next level down, a high hard goal that could take years to complete,” Steven notes. A clear goal is “writing 500 words between 8:00 am and 10 am that produce a feeling of excitement in the reader.”
What do clear goals look like in real life? They are a well-crafted daily “to-do” list, executed daily,” writes Steven. “Each item on that list originated with our massively transformative purpose, was chunked down into a high, hard goal, then further reduced to what we can do today to advance the cause. A clear goal is a tiny mission.”
Clear goals tell us what we need to do next. We break down tasks into smaller chunks and set goals accordingly. “Think challenging, yet manageable,” Steven suggests. “A proper clear goal sits right inside your ‘challenge-skill sweet spot,’ meaning it’s hard enough to stretch us to the edge of our abilities, but not hard enough to push us beyond, into that demotivating realm of anxiety and overwhelm.”
So as we outline our 2023 high, hard goals, the final step for all of us is to translate them into clear goals, our well-crafted, daily “to do” list that we are committed to executing. Our path to victory is created as we stack one little win on top of another.
This is an area where I am looking to step up my game in the new year. Join me, and let’s make 2023 the best year of our lives.
More next week!
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Reflection: What will be my high, hard goals for 2023? How will I translate these big goals into clear goals, a well-crafted, daily “to do” list that I am committed to executing?
Action: Block off several hours before January 1 to outline my goals for 2023.
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