Kia ora,

Maybe it’s the end of year vibes, or maybe it’s the fact I heard David Goggins speak yesterday, but goals are in the air, baby!

This week you’ll read about how to go from a non-goals person to someone who’s pretty good at making sh*t happen, consistently.

Estimated Read time: 4 minutes 38 seconds

The Deep Dive: How to Become THAT Person

I never used to properly set goals.

Part of it was because I was afraid of letting myself down.

But the other big part was that I didn’t really know how to actually set goals properly.

Sure, I knew SMART goals - but there’s a big gap between a well-articulated, well-intentioned statement on paper and actually making it happen in the real world. 😬

Things have really changed for me in the past 2 years, where my ability to set and achieve goals has radically improved. 

So what changed?

The first thing that helped was buying a planner which offered a really practical goal setting structure.

What I like about the structure is that it breaks down the big goal into lots of smaller sub goals and subtasks, and gets you to put a timeline to those subtasks. This makes the goal much more achievable and generates some highly coveted dopamine hits along the way. 🎉

The second thing that has improved my ability to make goals happen is by attaching a habit to the goal.

For instance; I have a goal of trying to buy a property in Auckland.

My budget is low, so I need to move fast before the property market soars back into the realm of costing your first-born and a kidney for a dingy 1 bed unit located two business days from the CBD. 

So I’ve attached a habit to the goal which involves ticking off one property-related task a week.

Some of the subtasks involved finding a broker, lawyer and building inspector to work with etc.

Now that all the admin is sorted, the habit is visiting 3 open homes per week.

Since getting preapproval 5 weeks ago, I’ve already bid on one home at auction and put an offer in on two others.

Unfortunately the building inspection in 2/3 cases revealed some nasty surprises, and on the third the vendor and I couldn’t come to an agreement on price. 

This process has naturally been costly and disappointing.

But having some really clear habits attached to my goal has helped with two things:

1. I’m not deterred by the setbacks - in fact I’m generally back looking at property listings within 30 minutes (though a tear or two of frustration has definitely been shed).

2. I’m not tempted into making bad decisions just to secure a particular property, because the habit of viewing so many places has built an abundance mindset around what’s available.

When you have consistent habits attached to a goal, a failed attempt is less off-putting because it’s just one of many.

E.g. 

A lacklustre gym session or run isn’t as offputting when you know it’s one of many sessions in the week, and you know your consistency will build progress over time. 📈

Getting rejected from job interviews is easier to bear when you’ve got a habit of applying to a couple each week.

Having pitches rejected gets easier if you’re pitching frequently.

A LinkedIn post that doesn’t perform the way you thought it would becomes less important when you know it’s one of many you’ll post that week/that month, and it simply becomes a data point.

Success is not a lack of failure.

Success is a string of failures where you pick yourself back up, review your performance, and take the learnings into your next attempt.

Action of the Week:

Is there something you said you’d do in 2024 that you haven’t done yet?

What would it look like to make a small start on that goal this year?

E.g. 

If this was the year you wanted to start running, can you start instead with going for a 20 minute walk before or after work or at lunch every day for the rest of the year, and check it off on a calendar when you do? 🏃‍♀️‍➡️

Creating a habit of moving your body for a set period each day is a nice way to ease yourself in.

Once a daily walk becomes a habit, you can start making one walk a week a 20 minute gentle jog, then increase from there - but build the habit first.

Once you’ve built the habit, you can make it harder gradually over time. This is what helps your goals have longevity rather than going hard, burning out and then falling off the bandwagon.

(If you’d be interested in more goal setting-related stuff, I’m considering doing a mini-series/course in the new year. Hit reply to this email to let me know if you’d be interested!)

Inspo & Recommendations:

LinkedIn post: “How I generate income for my portfolio career/one person business” by Anna Mackenzie

Podcast ep: Jay Shetty: the untold journey behind becoming one of the world’s most influential voices by Wellness with Ella.

Learning: Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson.

Tech: Auckland Council flood viewer tool. V random this week, but if you too are looking at buying a property, PLEASE check it’s in a flood plain before even going to the open home. To check if your city has one, Google “[your city] + flood viewer”.

Money: Gyms are on sale rn. A lot of gyms (specifically Anytime Fitness and Les Mills) are running deals called “pay nothing until 2025”. Now is a good time to sign up and at least get a month or so free to ease into a gym habit.

Love from your business-minded friend,

Elise