How to Achieve Anything in 2007

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never scoring.” - Bill Copeland

I set myself up for failure...

Foolishly, one year ago, I shared my “Goals for 2006” with you. Perhaps more foolishly, I promised to report back to you a year later on how I did on meeting those goals.

I did this because of my multimillionaire friend Michael Masterson. He’s launched successful business after successful business. And he told me what he believes is a key secret to his success...

“At the beginning of each year, I write down a single goal for the year in four areas of life: health, wealth, social, and personal. And I make each goal significant, yet specific.”

I took him up on it. I figured if I tried and failed, at least I tried. So I set significant, but specific goals. For my health, the goal was to get in better shape. Specifically, I said I’d reduce my body fat percentage by 15%. And I said I’d get there by making specific improvements in my diet and by training for a 10-plus mile paddleboard race.

I’m pleased to report that I achieved those goals. I cut the weight, and I competed in a 12-mile race around Key West in May. (I didn’t even come in last... but I did cross the finish line a full hour after the winner.)

In 2007, I’m going to do it again.

I’d like to get healthier... Specifically, I’d like to reduce my body fat percentage by another 15% (don’t worry, I’ve got it to lose). And this year, I’d like to qualify for and compete in the Catalina Classic paddleboard race in August. It’s 32 miles from Catalina Island to Manhattan Beach. This is daunting... but so was last year’s goal at the time.

In last year’s letter, I said, “If all goes well, I’ll weigh less, be more fit, be wealthier, be able to sing a bit, and have made the world a little better place than I left it the year before.”

I’m proud to report that all of those goals came true in 2006. And I strongly feel that writing them down, and knowing that I had to be accountable to you in a year’s time, made a big difference. It sounds strange, but I didn’t want to let you down.

The biggest thing that setting these four goals did for me was it focused my energies for the year.

Instead of pursuing all kinds of different things (as I usually would), I focused on accomplishing four specific things... things that I’d thought a lot about and decided were important to me.

I strongly urge you to do what I’m doing... to take a good amount of time and write down what you really want to accomplish in 2007. Set one goal in each of these four areas:

1. Your health
2. Your wealth
3. Your personal self (hobbies and interests)
4. Your social self (friends, family, and community)

And remember to make sure that each goal is significant, yet specific.

Also I highly recommend that you write these goals down and share them with someone that you’ll feel accountable to a year from now. Make yourself a promise that you’ll go over those goals with that person one year from now to see how you did.

Last year was one of the best years of my life, if not the best. I feel like it was particularly fulfilling – in part because I accomplished what I set out to do. As the quote at the beginning says: “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never scoring.”

Set those four goals now... and make sure they’re significant, but specific!

P.S. Michael Masterson’s first book, Automatic Wealth, does a great job of getting you focused and how to accomplish your goals. I strongly recommend the first 150 pages of the book. Though it’s hardly “automatic” wealth, it is the right way to get better. Everyone should read it with an open mind and think about how it applies to their situation. You will get out of it what you put into it.