The first time I ever wrote a goal down on paper, I crushed it.
It was high school, I had a weight bench in my parents’ basement, and I lifted weights multiple days a week. Next to the weight bench was a big stereo, the kind with a record player on top and a dual cassette tape deck. The stereo sat on a giant speaker, about 3 feet high, with black foam on the front. Why everything had to be so large is beyond me.
I wrote something on a piece of paper and taped it to the top of the speaker, it read:
Get to DECA Nationals This Year!
DECA stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America, at the time, it was a “business competition”, where high school students competed in district, state, and national competitions. It was my second year in the program, I had made it to the state competition the previous year, and I wanted to advance even further, to nationals in Orlando.
Studies show that writing down goals increases the likelihood of achieving those goals by 42%. Researchers also have found writing down goals is more effective than simply thinking about them or verbally expressing them to others.
I didn’t know any of this information in high school.
Yet I looked at that piece of paper 50+ times over the course of a few months and manifested my destiny. I dominated my district competition, moved on to the state competition where I placed third, and qualified and went to the national competition in Orlando!
Best Year Ever
I began following Michael Hyatt years ago.
The one word I think of when I hear his name:
Intentional
I respect the character Hyatt has displayed over his corporate executive turned entrepreneur career and am super impressed with how he appears so focused and determined to design and create the life he wants.
Hyatt taught me…
- To be intentional in writing down my goals
- It does not take a tremendous amount of effort to separate yourself from 98% of the competition – this is true in nearly all endeavors
- Most importantly, with effort, it’s possible to get more than the status quo
I’ve read many of Hyatt’s books, and the first real engagement I had with him was an early installment of his Best Year Ever course (check out his revised Best Year Ever book).
It’s my opinion many in corporate business are simply drifting through their careers, in some ways, I’m one of them. You perform at a high level, you create a reputation of results, you do right by others and demonstrate a duty to do so, and because of the trust built you get asked to go do bigger things.
Repeat.
While I certainly have become an expert and thought leader in my corporate line of work, how much intention and purpose is there? Am I designing the life I want, or drifting to some destination?
In 2022, Hyatt rebranded his 8-figure solopreneur business from Michael Hyatt & Co. to now be called Full Focus. A play on the Full Focus Planner he released in 2017 and a perfect brand under which Hyatt can create a legacy around what he calls the “Double Win”, to win at work and succeed at life.
Create a 10-Year Life Plan
Hyatt is introducing LifeFocus, a new approach to life planning, and I’m excited to lean in with Hyatt and his team on April 5-6, 2024 for the LifeFocus Retreat.
I know first-hand from making it to DECA nationals all those years ago, that when you’re intentional about designing your life you’ve got a much better chance of getting the outcomes you hoped for.
The reality Hyatt has instilled in me is, and this hits hard, no one ever drifted to a destination they would have chosen. Without a life plan, that’s essentially what I’m doing, just drifting.
No one ever drifted to a destination they would have chosen.
LifeFocus Retreat Outcome
With LifeFocus and the virtual retreat, I intend to get super clear in 4 areas:
- Document my core values
- Create my personal mission statement
- Admit what my current trajectory is (i.e. if nothing changes, where will I end up (this might be scary, but it’s motivation for change)
- Clearly articulate my desired future (clarity on 9 dimensions of life)
Pretty neat stuff 👍
Especially if you think about doing the retreat with someone like Michael Hyatt who I respect and want to emulate. I also like the idea of surrounding myself with like-minded people who want to level up, that’s encouraging to me, my Advocate personality type wants to encourage others, too.