The #1 reason to set unrealistic goals (and its not achieving it)

The 1 reason to set unrealistic goals (and its not achieving it)The 1 reason to set unrealistic goals (and its not achieving it)There are certain keystone accomplishments that open-up unforeseen and unanticipated doors.These accomplishments are things you do one time that continue to yield opportunities, relationships, collaborations, and ongoing growth. Dan Sullivan, the founder of Strategic Coach, calls ansicht strategic byproducts or unanticipated side-effects.Most of these accomplishments require that you take a leadership role and actually create something.You cant be passive. You must be innovative, creative, and generous. Youve got to work a few years like few people will so you can spend the rest of your life like few people can.One of my mentors, Richie Norton, told me that having a bestselling book welches one of those achievements. Im still making money and getting opportunities from the book I wrote over 5 years ago Riche told me. Something in his words sunk-in.I already wanted to be an author - but I underestimated all of the things that becoming a bestselling and traditionally published author would do for me.I also unanticipated everything Id need to do and become in order to write at the level I wanted to.If you want to do something at the absolute highest level, you need to become a polymath - which means youve mastered multiple things, not just one.Youve got toLearn how to set and quickly achieve goalsKnow what to focus on FIRST in order to get confidence and momentum (confidence is a byproduct of winning, even making small wins) so start winning first thing in the morning by doing stuff like making your bed, writing in your journal, going for a walk or a workout, listening/reading to powerful books/podcasts/music, and producing a meaningful result in the first 90120 minutes of your dayGet organizedMaster your time and manage your energy (youve got to know WHEN and WHAT to focus on) mornings are generally best for strategic and creative wor kDiscern what really matters and what doesntDevelop mentorships and maximize those mentorships, which means you 1) grow THEIR business, 2) unravel your limited subconscious patterns through transformational learning experiences, 3) quickly learn from them to succeed at their level and beyond, 4) and continue to sing their praises for the rest of your life (as Michael Fishman has said, Self-made is an illusion. There are many people who played divine roles in you having the life that you have today. Be sure to let them know how grateful you are.)Brute-force learn a subject (and multiple other subjects), which means you 1) quickly gather the most important information, 2) test that information, 3) reframe your perspective because of that information, and 4) produce new results because of that informationA new definition of learningYou didnt learn something if you cant produce a new outcome. Thats all learning is - the ability to produce an outcome. - Dan SullivanCan you produce the r esult you want?What must you learn and become to produce the result you want?Learning requires making a permanent improvement to your perspective and behavior.Learning means you see, feel, and live different. It means you can consistently produce better outcomes than you previously could.You become a NEW and UPGRADED version of yourself. And you should do this over, and over, and over. Personality isnt intended to be a fixed and unalterable trait. Rather, your personality is a state that continuously changes, adapts, and evolves.Identity is fluid and highly flexible if youre willing to learn new things. The problem for most people is that they stop ACTIVELY learning new things. Sometime in their late 20s or early 30s, they stop pushing themselves into situations that force them to purge-out limiting and suppressed subconscious patterns.Emotions get stuck at the subconscious level. Suppressed emotions freeze your personality and keep you living in the past, unable to process and seek new experiences that TRANSFORM you.Just as emotions are what keep you stuck, emotions are also what pull the suppressed patterns up to the surface so you can create new patterns. In order to get to the next level, you need to have EMOTIONAL and transformational experiences. Breaking-down and crying is one thing. But mora, Im talking about doing stuff that you consider outside of your comfort zone - outside of what youve defined yourself as. As Joe Polish has said, In order to have a breakthrough you have to break something. Get out of your comfort zoneYoure not an introvert or an extrovert. Those are labels and boxes youve put around your behaviors, patterns, and beliefs.You can learn (and unlearn) all of those things. You can produce new results. You can create a new identity, new worldview, and new ability to operate in the world with people.What happened when I tried (and failed) to write a New York Times bestsellerAs I said earlier, I decided I wanted to write a bestselling bo ok. In order to get a traditional book deal, I learned that I needed to build an online platform. That concept was entirely foreign to me just a few years ago.Cant I just write a book? I thought to myself.Of course not. If it was that easy, everyone would do hard stuff.Its not the activity itself. Its all of the stuff you need to do (and master) to even GET IN THE GAME that will test and prove you.You qualify yourself by putting yourself in the role, and acting into that role. Your behavior shapes your identity. You can become who you intend to be if you begin living that way, today. Not tomorrow.In order to become a successful author, heres just a small handful of things Ive had to learn in the past 3 yearsBuild a websiteWrite articles onlineGet those articles viewed by millions of peopleTurn readers into email subscribersMaximize every online impression I gotReach out to my favorite writers and find-out how I could help them achieve their goalsMake money with my artSell and launch productsInvest money into myself and my educationSpeak mora powerfullyFail a lotForget about what other people think about meRedefine who I am and what I do (over and over)Use my time wellGet into flow regularlyLearn fasterInnovate and be creativeHire and train full-time employeesMake large sums of money and invest nearly all of it back into further education, mentoring, experiences, technology, consultants, flights, hotels, etc. etc. etc.Put simply, my path to becoming an author took me down a rabbit-hole of having to master a million other things. If you told me 3 years ago when I was first starting this journey that Id need to hire and train employees, I wouldnt have believed you.If youre seeking TRANSFORMATION, not just achievements, youll be willing to become whatever your path requires you to become.Do it.Once it came time to launch my book, I didnt end-up hitting my original goal of becoming a New York Times bestseller. Although I didnt hit that goal, what I learned trying t o hit that goal was worth infinitely more.When you learn something - truly learn it - you OWN it. Its part of you. If you learn how to do a lay-up in basketball, you can do it again and again. You can replicate the result.If you learn how to make a million dollars, you can do it again. And again. And again.This is why you set unrealistic and ridiculous goals, because the path to those goals will change you. Hence, Jim Rohn said, Become a millionaire not for the million dollars, but for what it will make of you to achieve it.What you learn and become is far more important than your previous accomplishments. In fact, if you over-attach yourself to those accomplishments, youll get stuck in a role and identity.What you learn and become is far more important than the accomplishment itself.What you learn is how to produce certain results. You learn how to operate in the world differently.You learn how to learn, and deal with uncomfortable emotions. You also learn how to regulate those e motions, because every step you ascend into your personal development will bring-up all sorts of suppressed pain and trauma.Every step you take up, youll have to redefine yourself and the world in a better and more empowering way.What are you trying to accomplish?Are you learning?Are you transforming?Are you able to produce new and better results?What accomplishment would PUSH YOU TO GROW and would also open tons of doors?Your goal becomes the vehicle for learning a ton, developing skills, and creating life-changing relationships.Two types of goalsCrave the result so intensely that the work is irrelevant. - Tim GroverIn psychology, there are two types of goals - achievement and mastery.Achievement goals are all about getting a certain outcome. They are extrinsically motivated.Mastery goals are all about what you learn and become. They are intrinsically motivated.Both are incredibly important. Seeking certain outcomes WHILE seeking mastery is totally possible.Actually, being fully f ixated on either the extrinsic OR the intrinsic can get you stuck.If youre purely Achievement-oriented, then youll never be happy, no matter what you accomplish. Youll fail to realize that the journey truly is the destination.If youre purely Mastery-oriented, you likely wont push yourself as hard as you could. A better approach is pushing yourself to the limits trying to hit a certain milestone. If you dont hit it this time, re-evaluate and try again. Just cause you didnt hit it this time doesnt mean you wont. However, dont forget about all that youre learning and becoming along the way.If you leverage BOTH intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, its like double-dipping. You get the best of both worlds.You can master both byBeing clear on WHY youre pursuing what youre pursuingExpect everything and attach to nothing - expect the best things to happen, have faith and hope, and yet dont over-attach to any specific outcome whether good or badRe-adjust your goals when you get new informatio nAchieve your goals regularly and quicklyNever stop learningNever stop honing your motivation and WHY - it really is about other people - as Viktor Frankl said, For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of ones personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of ones surrender to a person other than oneself. Similarly, Christ said, He that findeth his life shall lose it and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.Take plenty of time, regularly, to connect with yourself and your WHYOnly develop TRANSFORMATION-based, not TRANSACTION-based relationshipsWhat unrealistic goal are you pursuing?The greatest dreams are always unrealistic. - Will SmithAre you pursuing something completely unrealistic?If not, youre missing-out huge. Youre missing-out on BECOMING something totally different and better.Youre missing out on several emotional breakthroughs. Youre missing out on LEARNING and t ransforming both yourself and others.Set huge goals. Pursue them with insane persistence. Learn everything you MUST in order to achieve them.The learning and BECOMING is the most important part. Learning means youve expanded how you see and operate in the world. It means you can consistently produce better outcomes.Learn.Ready to upgrade?Ive created a cheat sheet for putting yourself into a PEAK-STATE, immediately. You follow this daily, your life will change very quickly.Get the cheat sheet hereThisarticlewas originally published onMedium.

Take Control of Your Career Through a SWAG Analysis

Take Control of Your Career Through a SWAG AnalysisTake Control of Your Career Through a SWAG AnalysisDo you feel like your career is stuck in neutral and your professional destiny is in the hands of others? Rookies and seasoned professionals alike experience this sentiment once if not several times throughout their careers. The solution? Take control through a SWAG analysis.I created the concept of a SWAG analysis after moving from investment banking to venture capital. As an investment banker at Goldman sax I found the biannual 360-degree reviews, which are tied to bonuses and other forms of recognition, to be quite effective. But there was no such system in place at the first venture capital firm I joined. My managers were reactive about personal career growth. If I had simply accepted the situation, I would have made very slow progress in my career advancement.I joined my first venture firm with modest expectations- I would under-promise and over-deliver. My salary was below that of all the assistants in the office, and I borrowed money to invest in our fund. Before long, I brought in several new investments that led to great fund successes, and I recruited several high-impact vice presidents for the firms portfolio companies. The venture capital partners were appreciative of my achievements, yet that appreciation didnt translate into a promotion. Thats when I took action through this SWAG analysis, which I presented to my managersThis SWAG analysis served four purposesIt conveyed to my managers that I was motivated to grow professionally.It demonstrated I had the self-awareness to identify both my weaknesses and strengths.It served as documentation of my accomplishments.It conveyed that I was focused on delivering on my goals.My managers reacted positively. Over time they used the SWAG analysis to benchmark my successes every six months. Eventually they promoted me.The key takeaway here is that you can take control of your career advancement, and the SWAG analysis is a great vehicle for self-evaluation and communication to your managers.If youre in a position of leadership at your company, use the SWAG analysis to empower your employees and foster an environment of self-assessment and goal-setting.Give the SWAG analysis a whirl, and send me a tweet on your thoughts.

Thomas Jefferson Americas first great innovator

Thomas Jefferson Americas first great innovatorThomas Jefferson Americas first great innovatorThomas Jefferson might be historys busiest polymath. His numerous letters work in tandem with the bounty of musings published since his death to illustrate a mind charged by unrest and immense productivity.All the literature mentioned above herald an innovator with remarkable range.His role, for instance, in the Barbary Wars at once perplexed his views on emancipation, planted the seed for what we know as the U.S Navy and served as a prelude to Americas long-standing refusal to bargain for liberty.Twenty-five years of reserved authority saw him father the library of congress, pen the declaration of independence and found the University of Virginia. His agricultural and medical contributions are a testament to his private subscription to deism and are staffed by sober predictions of Americas trajectory.A man of the landJefferson officially established his agricultural legacy with A General Ga rdeningCalendar, a collection of his meditations debuting in The American Farmer in 1824.The generalist famously possessed a predilection for agronomy- occasioned via the curation of one of the fruchtwein eclectic gardens in history. His massive, Monticello masterwork, pioneered the culinary importance of vegetables by emboldening their presence in the preconceived notions of a balanced diet. The same dietary regiment that enabled Jefferson to evade the scythe until the age of 84, has since maintained an esteemed place in contemporary regard.Pedestrian fixtures like mashed potatoes, French fries, and fried eggplant were at one time viewed by many to be curious if not welcomed features of his white house dinner table, all of which were nods to his intimate knowledge of the epicurean traditions observed by France, Spain and the Mediterranean.Though you couldnt properly categorize Jefferson as a vegetarian he rarely ate meat, statingI have lived temperately, eating little animal food, that, not as an ailment so much as a condiment for the vegetables, which constitute my principal diet.This, no doubt, contributed to the impression of vitality remarked upon by those who knew him well. His grandson, Randolph when questioned on the subject, handsomely recalled a man of strength and robust health..his carriage erect step firm and elastic, which he preserved to his death his temper, naturally strong, under perfect control his courage cool and impassive . .The latter portion of Randolphs characterization is consistent with what we know of Jefferson as an inventora title he boasted sans the unhinged madness that oft accompanies it. The instruments dreamed up by Jefferson owed equal gratitude to practicality and a wealth of cultural influences.The inspiration to construct the Moldboard plow, which enabled farmers to manage a deeper furrow, only occurred to him during his time serving as a minister to France. There, he studied European methods intimately.Despite the enthu siastic reception the light-iron-clad device earned from his colleagues, Jefferson never sought to patent it. In fact, the extent of its popularity is not really known save The French Society of Agriculture awarding Jefferson membership as a foreign associate on its behalf. This innovation like a good many others welches beholden much more to viability than ego.When his dearest Martha, bemoaned the invasion of pests wreaking havoc on her crops, the prolific agronomist responded with a postulation that we now understand as rudimentary.We will try this winter to cover our garden with a heavy coating of manure. When rich it bids defiance to droughts, yields in abundance, and of the best quality. I suspect that the insects which have harassed you have been encouraged by the feebleness of your plants and that has been produced by the lean state of the soil.Similarly, Jeffersons influences on the preservation of vaccinations (notably derived from his smallpox vaccine trials) suggest a man pulled every which way by many burgeoning talents. Or as the late Christopher Hitchens put it He could have easily elected to do something other than politics and have perhaps been not as well known but equally successful in the chosen field.Action and delineationJeffersons precocity is well documented, but a savage thirst for knowledge too played a role in rearing the Promethean author of independence. When his father, Peter Jefferson, died in 1757, Thomas inherited his extensive library. Unfortunately, the contents within were largely destroyed by a fire some 13 years later.The heir at once set out to resurrect his fathers collection at Monticellothis library as many already know would go on to be sold to Congress in 1815 as solace for the British Invasion that decimated its own volumes but a year prior.Jeffersons massive libraries (lets not forget the impressive collection of Poplar Forest) were partly composed of books given to him by George Wythe, the very man that played such a crucial part in forging Jeffersons often overlooked but undoubtedly impressive law career.Jeffersons tenure unsurprisingly focused on matters concerning common farmers and indentured servants-pleas of the yeoman one of the 900 land affairs he handled involved a biracial man unlawfully bound to servitude-(in case you thought our third president welches anything resembling resolute on the topic of slavery).True, these formative years, were peppered with the clashes with his mentor, Wythe, that many scholars find so compelling, (a dispute between the two regarding the quarrel of brothers over a will resulted in a 252 paged publication indexing their highly technical arguments.) But they, more importantly, saw Jefferson nurture his fascination with natural law.Though Law has become something like the red-headed stepchild of Jeffersons vocations, it was an unmistakable precursor to so many of the important philosophies associated with himnote Virginia Statue For EstablishingReligious Freedoms and the classicswithinsuch as the right to chose faith withoutcorrosion,acknowledging the right forfutureassemblies to change the law and of course the separation of church and state.An impressive librarian, a vivacious lawyer and an inspired farmer saying nothing of his impact on the vertiginous political landscape of his day- the very one he coursed for nearly a quarter of a century.The Shores Of TripoliWhen America was still finding its footing, Jefferson helmed the famous assault against the Barbary Pirates.Now theres obviously a lot to unpick politically and ethically about the origin of the conflict and its ensuing effects but this is hardly the stage to employ division. However, I think any reasoned mind would have to submit to the objectively positive institutions ushered by Jeffersons unyielding loyalty to the liberty promised to the peoples of early America-the establishment of the U.S Navy being principle among them.Linda Colleys account of what we now call The B arbary Wars estimates that between 1650 and 1830-more than a million Europeans and Americans were taken captive by the navies of the Ottoman Empire. The pirates of Tripoli soon after requested a slew of demands in an attempt to cow President Madison into perpetually offering tribute.Joined by John Adams, Thomas Jefferson sought consolation with the North African ambassador behind the conflict, in London, insisting an explanation for the havoc aggressively dismantling trade. This confusion was justified by Americas decision not to establish itself as a Christian nation-taking no part in the Crusades and even signing a treaty with Tripoli.Ill spare you the Barbary ambassadors response, except to say it made clear the necessity of war and ignited one of the finest instances of Jeffersonian Democracy A radical defiance of all forms of aristocracy and corruption a resolute devotion to the common man. The Barbary pirates threatened free trade, enforced religious beliefs with the threat of tyranny and imprisoned American citizens-excuse the lack of imagination but the termination of this maritime feud quickly became Jeffersons great white whale.Theres some debate to be had about which term more accurately names the antecedent of Americas first true encounter with terrorism commerce or theology, but for the sake of my aim Ill favor the former.In defiance of the Barbary menace on free trade, Jefferson, with the aid of President Madison, championed a refusal to bend to temptation. This galvanized the American people. The nautical conflict aggravated both their ethics and their fiscal liberties, and bid them welcome the inevitable war. Madisons statement, lyrical and potent was as followsThe United States, while they wish for war with no nation will buy peace with noneSaying nothing about whether or not we have upheld the virtue of conviction since, Jeffersons role in embedding it into our countrys fabric should be noted.The battler, replete with flaws and questionable a mbivalences, procured a legacy of passion and innovation fundamental to the American ideal. His many careers confirm liberty to be the reward of courage and a commitment to enlightenment.