Don’t Pursue Difficult Goals the Same as You Pursue Other Goals
If you want to achieve a difficult goal, you must not pursue it the same as your other goals. People reach goals all the time, but most people fail to reach their difficult goals. To be specific, a goal is “difficult” when 1) it requires a minimum of 4 years effort to achieve and 2) there is no structure or blueprint to follow on your way to achieving the goal.
So, for example, even though graduating college is hard, it doesn’t meet the requirement for what I describe as a “difficult” goal because there is structure and a blueprint. Even still, in 2022 the college dropout rate is nearly 33%.
If nearly 1 out of 3 people drop out of college, what percentage of people would you guess fail at pursuing goals that have less structure than college? There is no way of knowing for sure, but would you think 50% was too high? How about 80%?
Based on just the people you know (friends, family, social and professional networks), would it surprise you if 90% of them fail at reaching their goals?
- We all know a handful of people who set a goal to lose weight. These people may or may not lose it in the short term. And if they do, 4 years later they are right back where they started.
- We also all know another handful of people who have set a goal to pursue their passions or start a business. Sometimes they take the first step, and often that’s the only step.
The bottom line is that pursuing difficult goals require a unique process. Maybe 1 out of 10 people achieve difficult goals that take multiple years of consistency to achieve because they don’t know how to execute that unique process. So, the question is what is that process?
How to Pursue a Difficult Goal
By definition, no two difficult goals are exactly the same (i.e., there is no structure or blueprint to follow on your way to achieving the goal). Therefore, there is no step-by-step process anyone can regurgitate. As a result, the best thing you can do is to make sure your process to pursue a difficult goal includes the following:
1) The Process is the Goal
When pursuing difficult goals, you must flip the script. The process must be the goal, and the goal must serve as your compass. When the process is the goal, then achieving your goal is 100% within your control. By having complete control, you eliminate all excuses. What’s more, you must set your compass accurately with the right goals so that you can ensure you’re following the right processes.
2) Even If You Aren’t an Athlete or Executive, You Still Need a Coach
Coaches are the best people to help you find the right goals to serve as your compass. This is why I believe everyone needs a coach. Unfortunately, the problem is that almost everyone other than athletes and executives ignore their need for coaching. You must not fall into this trap. Never let the lack of coaching be the reason for not achieving the difficult goals you pursue.
3) The Right Mindset
You must have the right mindset when you pursue a difficult goal. This mindset is one in which you accept the reality that the journey to the finish line will be difficult every step of the way until the very end. This is what I call the obstacle mindset, which contrast with having a problem mindset. There is a subtle but critical difference between the problem mindset and the obstacle mindset.
On the one hand problems require solutions. Once you solve a problem, you can use that same answer to solve that same problem over and over. On the other hand, obstacles require navigation. The circumstances in which one faces an obstacle are constantly changing. The path through, around, under, or over an obstacle is unique to that moment in time and may or may not be available for reuse.
You have no control over the answer to a problem. There is only one solution, and your only choice is to find it. Conversely, you have nearly infinite choices with obstacles. You can choose everything from neutralizing it to creatively doing something no one has ever done.
Therefore, when you have the mindset of a problem solver this means you put things in a box. But when you have the mindset of one who overcomes obstacles, you see no box.
To conclude, pursuing difficult goals requires an obstacle mindset because there is never one solution to do things that have no structure or blueprint. Moreover, as time passes, circumstances change. If you think you can follow someone else’s path and get their same result, you will set yourself up for disappointment. Unquestionably, each step, each, day, each month, and each year will require finding your own unique path to overcome the obstacles, not copying the solution to a problem.
The sooner you accept these facts, the better off you will be in the long-run, and the happier your will be in the short-run.