Goals without Deadlines are just Dreams
The year is (was) 2013.
I was still in school. Some dude approached me with the question if I wanted to earn some extra cash.
Being a poor student, “Of course!”, I said.
Next thing I knew, I got recruited into a pyramid scheme insurance sales network.
I know, sounds terrible — but in fact it actually taught me SO MUCH.
- I learned the skill of sales
- I learned the skill of recruiting
- I learned more about human interaction
- And most importantly: I learned the skill of MOTIVATION and MOTIVATING others.
You see, I could earn money by selling insurances, but I could earn MORE money if I had a team under me, which would sell insurances FOR ME.
So, the trick was indeed to RECRUIT people and MOTIVATE them to achieve their dreams.
And the way they would do that, was to pick up their phone, and start dialing. Remember Wolf of Wall Street? It was similar.
The Motivational Hour
During my time at that insurance agency, there were a few things very important:
- Make sure your team stays motivated
- Make sure your team gets results, because the more they profit, the more you profit.
- Make sure to keep growing your team, because 2 can sell more than 1.
- Make sure to motivate them to grow their own teams.
Even though pyramid schemes are thought of as “bad, evil, scammy” (and are even forbidden), there is a reason why so many people did/do it — and it’s not always just about the money.
Do you have any idea how satisfying it is to have a team that you can lead, and seeing them getting results, celebrating those together?
Once a month we had a meeting with the WHOLE team, including other teams. And then the “big boss”, the dude at the top would show up and give a speech.
This speech was called “The Motivational Hour”.
I will never forget what he said back then.
He asked us to close our eyes, and imagine ourselves somewhere at a tropical island.
He asked us to look around us on that island (with our eyes still closed), and let our imagination free. Where are you? What do you see? What clothes are you wearing? What do you smell? Who’s with you? How’s the weather? Is there any music? How do you feel?
Of course, every one of us was imagining something else, our own little paradise.
But what he then said — I’ll never forget:
“This image, imprint it in your mind. This is your goal, and it CAN be achieved. BUT, at this moment, it’s just a goal.“
A goal is something “abstract”.
“Yes…. maybe someday.. yeah … ahhhh.. it’s nice to dream, isn’t it?
If you think like that, you’ll most likely never achieve it.
“A goal without a deadline is … just a dream”, he said.
Talking about goals…
Did you know that statistically speaking, only about 10% of people stay with their new years resolutions? All the rest of you abandon it.
Yes, even I am guilty of it.
So, how can we fix it? Well, we already have our first answer:
1. Set DEADLINES!
Let me share a few of my own New Years Resolutions.
In 2024, I want to make more money on Etsy. How do I do this? Create listings on Etsy. So:
- Create 300 Etsy listings.
- This are 25 listings per month
- Which is around 6–7 listings per week.
- When? By every Sunday evening 11PM, I need to have uploaded the 6–7 listings that week. PERIOD!
Same goes for my other goals:
- I want to achieve a new IT certification by the end of February 2024.
- Deadline 28 February 2024.
2. Define a QUANTITY!
Whatever you do or want, building new habits or learning new things comes down to 2 things:
- Repetition
- Consistency
And what do we need for these 2 things?
That’s, right: Quantities. Numbers. Reps.
- I want to upload 300 designs this year
- I want to publish 108 articles in 2024
- I want to meditate for 10 minutes every day.
3. Break IT DOWN!
Break down your big goals into smaller and more specific goals.
Taking smaller steps is easier than taking big leaps, and in the end it will in most cases get you further ahead.
4. PLAN the DAY BEFORE
Take your calendar for tomorrow, and plan your tasks.
Why the day before? Because then when you get up, you’ll know EXACTLY what to do. You’ll have a plan.
Subconsciously (and consciously), this triggers you to start working towards these plans/goals.
Here’s my example for tomorrow:
Also, scheduling recurring events on your calendar also helps.
5. Share it EVERYWHERE!
If you want to succeed, you should create accountability: Find an accountability partner to help hold you accountable.
For example, I’ve told my best friends and girlfriend about my resolutions, and I’ve asked them to help hold me accountable.
What does this mean?
- I need to regularly share my results / progress with them
- They need to ASK me often about my results / progress
- Of course, in return I do the same with them (if they want to).
It’s easy to let yourself down, much more difficult to disappoint a trusted friend.
One goal in 2024 I’ve set myself is to start my own coaching business.
I want to help other people achieve THEIR goals as well!
One way I’ll be doing this, is via 1-on-1 WhatsApp coaching. If you’re interested, feel free to reach out via hi@michielschuer.com
6. Give yourself REVIEWS!
It’s important to track your progress.
- How well are you doing?
- Are you on track?
- Do you need to adjust some things?
If you read/write your goals down DAILY (or at least WEEKLY) (needs to be specific, remember?), you’ll:
- You find a way to achieve them
- OR you decide they aren’t important and take them off our list.
Remember, people who write down their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them, than those who don’t.
7. Plan for FAILURE!
Things won’t always go smooth.
You’ll mostly likely fail at some points.
For example, I’ve failed with YouTube Automation at some points, I’ve failed some exams, I haven’t reached some goals in the past.
It’s disappointing and discouraging, but does that mean you should give up? NO!!!!
Plan for failure. You will experience setbacks. Plan for what you will do in the setback.
Review what went wrong, and do better next time. You’ve got this!
Key Takeaways ????
- Set Deadlines
- Set a Quantity
- Break it Down
- Plan the Day Before
- Share it Everywhere
- Give yourself Reviews
- Plan for Failure
Now go out there and CRUSH your goals!
Thanks for reading!
If you’ve got questions or thoughts, drop them in the comments and I’ll get back to you! Follow or ???? if you’d like to see more content like this. Or buy me a coffee, this stuff is magical 😉
P.S. did you claim your copy of my free e-book yet?
