20 Steps to Achieving Anything
by Daryl Daughtry, Publisher
“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent van Gogh
The secret to achieve anything is to be intentional and create a plan…
1 – Clarify Your Goal: Write down exactly what it is that you want to achieve. Include as many details as possible. The clearer your destination is, the clearer the path to achieve it becomes.
2 – Discover A Big Why: Write down a list of specific, positive, emotional reasons for achieving your goal. Post the list where you can review it regularly.
3 – Define The Pain: List all of the regrets and consequences of not achieving your goal. Focus on the big picture months or even years down the road.
4 – Capture Your Vision: Create a vision board with pictures (people, places, and things) and words that help you “live” the emotional experience of achieving your goal.
5 – Learn What You Need To Do: Use search engines like Google to find books, courses, articles, how-to’s, guides, tips, and videos that explain how to accomplish your goal.
6 – Find A Mentor Or Coach: Gather a list of 10 to 20 questions and interview someone who has achieved what you want to achieve. Another option is to hire a coach to help you navigate your way.
7 – Develop A Plan: Develop a simple step-by-step plan containing milestones with dates. You won’t know all of the details initially, but you do need a rough guide to get you started.
8 – Choose Some Rewards: Choose several small rewards (books, movies, clothes, tools, days off, etc.) to reward yourself after completing various stages of your goal.
9 – Identify Resources: Take inventory of the assets you currently have at your disposal, including tools, skills, experience, contacts, websites, etc. This will give you needed perspective as to where you are lacking.
10 – Eliminate Roadblocks: Create a simple list of potential roadblocks you could encounter, then decide (in advance) how to smartly overcome them. Preparing for them in advance will remove the drama when they present themselves.
11 – Remove Distractions: Too much television, online games, and over-socializing (in person, on the phone, or online) consume valuable productivity time. Create a “time-budget” for these activities.
12 – Enlist A Partner: If you know someone who desires the same accomplishments as you, enlist them to join forces with you. There is real power in synergy.
13 – Manage Your Time: Determine to take the steps within your plan. Assign them each a block of time (30 minutes, etc.) and totally devote that block of time to focus on completing each of those steps. Use a timer, if that helps you.
14 – Connect With It: Decide to regularly turn off all noise (TV, computer, phones, etc.) so you can sit quietly for 5 to 10 minutes to visualize and connect with your goal.
15 – Maintain Your Health: Good health provides energy. Drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep, eat healthy foods, breathe deeply, and get at least some moderate exercise. If you don’t feel your best, you won’t do your best.
16 – Become Accountable: Commit to your goal publicly by telling others about it (in person or online). Share your details and your progress. Give them permission to ask you about things frequently. If you know someone is going to ask you about things, it will motivate you to action.
17 – Immerse Yourself In It: Surround yourself with anything (people, pictures, books, music – whatever) that keeps you immersed in the reality of your goal. Own your endeavor and give it a fighting chance to succeed.
18 – Take specific Action: Take at least one action step towards achieving your goal each day – even if it’s something really small. Baby steps over time can add up to significant accomplishment. Every successful person started where they were and with what they had. Nothing happens unless there is action.
19 – Stay Excited: Keep yourself excited about your goal by adopting a positive “what if” mindset: “What if I do better than expected?” or “What if things work out?” There is is unbelievable power that comes from having genuine hope. Hope is a world-changing superpower. You don’t have to “feel” hopeful to be hopeful. You can actually mentally decide to be hopeful.
20 – Review Your Progress: Spend time each week reviewing the progress that you are making towards your goal. This will give you insights that will help you tweak your plans and it will give you encouragement, if you have taken action.
There are no shortcuts to success. Realizing your desired outcomes still requires planning and hard work. Things will challenge and discourage you along the way, but you don’t have to give up. You can decide to have a “whatever it takes” attitude and it will serve you well.
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