Blueprint to Better 005 - Goal Setting

Today, I want to share with you a simple goal-setting framework that I follow for every goal, business and personal, that I have.

1. Set the goal.

Be clear. Be precise. Be audacious. See, when you set a goal that seems unreasonably high, even though it seems unreaslistic, you will operate in line with that goal. You’ll do the things that will get you to that goal. If you set it much lower, you’ll do the things to try and achieve that goal, capping your potential much, much lower. Probabilities are, you won’t hit that really large goal. However, you would still likely land farther than you would have if you set the goal lower. Set your goal high. Tim Ferris provides some great insight on this:

“Having an unusually large goal is an adrenaline infusion that provides the endurance to overcome the inevitable trials and tribulations that go along with any goal. Realistic goals, goals restricted to the average ambition level, are uninspiring and will only fuel you through the first or second problem, at which point you throw in the towel.”

2. Set a timeline for the goal.

This is where a bit of realism has to come into play. Let’s say your goal was to gain 150 pounds on your back squat 1RM (one rep max), which is a very big goal. However, this isn’t something you’d set to accomplish in 3 weeks. Be smart. Do a little research. Let’s say you find that it’s normal to gain 5 pounds on your squat per week. With that knowledge, you’d estimate it to take 30 weeks, or 7-8 months. There’s nothing wrong with that if you set it. However, push yourself a bit. Find a good balance between what’s “average”, and what’s unrealistic. Let’s say you decide on 26 weeks, or just over 6 months. Great. Now it’s time to build a plan on how to do that.

3. Create your winning blueprint.

Plan out exactly how you think you can accomplish your goal. Write out everything you think you’d need to do, as step-by-step as possible. This will require some critical thinking. Maybe some research. For our back squat example, we can do the following things: find a strength-building exercise program, eat in a caloric surplus daily for strength gain, create a squat-progression tracker and update it after every lift, plan a max-out every 8 weeks to track 1RM, find a lifting partner who can push you every day you squat, find a recovery program to ensure your overall health and recovery is prioritized to avoid injury along the way, etc.

It’s also important here that you realize the sacrifices you may have to make with this goal. If you’re trying to have significant, consistent progression on your back squat, you have to accept you may gain weight due to how much you have to eat to gain strength. You may have to spend more money on food. You may have to increase your recovery protocol to avoid over-training or injury with such a goal. You have to ensure the goal is so worth it that all of the risks and sacrifices you’ll have to make are worth it. If they’re not and you fail to realize this, you won’t get far.

4. Execute.

You’ve set the goal. Now it’s time to get to work.

Don’t change the goal when it gets hard. It’s going to get hard. Life will happen and things will try to knock you off track. It’s inevitable when you’re trying to achieve something. Work through the plateaus. Work through the feelings of doubt. Don’t let anything knock you off course. Stay committed and stay focused.

This simple framework is what I’ve followed for years to keep the growth of Ironwilled, set new records in my lifts and runs, and more. While simple in theory, we all know how difficult big goals are to achieve. Setting a goal and building a plan for it’s achievement is easy. It all comes down to how willing you are to do what it takes to achieve it. But if you’re part of the IW family, and you’ve made it this far in this blog, you are damn sure capable of it. Now go get it done.

Leave any comments or questions you have below and I’ll get back to each one. As always, the IW team and I appreciate you beyond words. Lots of big things coming the rest of this year. Love y’all.

-Derek