Your Best Year Ever, Chapter 13: One Journey Is Many Steps

0:02Well, hey there. First of all, thank you. You're nearing the end of your best year ever on this podcast, and I'm thrilled to have been with you on this journey. and I truly hope you found immense value in what you've heard. And remember, while listening provides insights, having the book in hand lets you constantly refer back to it, ensuring that the lessons stay with you throughout the year. There are detailed exercises in the physical book designed for you to take a deep dive into the content. It's a tool that you can use repeatedly to recalibrate, refocus, and get your best year ever, every year.

0:39And here's something exciting. For those of you who buy the book before December the 31st, 2023, there's a special bonus I want to tell you about. So head over to your bestyeareverbook.com, input your order number, and in return, I'm going to give you a free ticket to our biggest virtual event of the year. It's called Your Best Year Ever Live. Now, this isn't just another event. It's a chance for you to delve deeper into the book's content and expand on it and make sure that you actually apply it to your life. So imagine leaving that event with a full set of goals for the upcoming year, plus a solid plan on how to achieve them.

1:17Normally, the tickets for that event, they go for$197. But with your book purchase, you get in for free. That's right, absolutely free. It's my way of saying thank you and ensuring that you have everything you need for an incredible year. So if you're eager to make the most of the insights and you don't want to wait for the remaining podcast episodes, grab your copy from Amazon or Audible. Don't miss out. Secure your book and your free ticket to Your Best Year Ever Live at yourbestyeareverbook.com. Hope to see you there. Chapter 13, One Journey is Many Steps. Dreams and reality are opposites. Action synthesizes them.

2:01Asata Shakur. The great doesn't happen through impulse alone and is a succession of little things that are brought together. Vincent van Gogh. We started this audiobook with Mount Everest. It's a perfect metaphor for the goals we want to achieve. Another image that comes to my mind is the Empire State Building. Stand on the sidewalk and stare up its length. It's massive. The roof towers almost a quarter of a mile above the ground, more than 1 ,200 feet, and the building tops out at just over 1 ,400 feet. They don't call it a skyscraper for nothing. Standing at the building's base, you can't really see the top.

2:39Our goals can feel like that. You can imagine the end, but can't see it from here. The immensity of the undertaking can sap our courage and undermine our confidence. Let's say we set an ambitious goal squarely in the discomfort zone. We can't possibly accomplish it in one go. And as we reflect on the difficulty of the undertaking, we might succumb to doubts we'll ever make it. We're not Superman, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. But we can do it in several bounds. People regularly make it to the top of the Empire State Building all the time. In fact, you can take the stairs. There are 1 ,576 steps to the observation deck, and runners regularly compete to see who can get there first.

3:22If you're quick, you can do it in 10 or 12 minutes. Think about that. No one can make it to the top of a skyscraper in one leap. But taking it one step at a time can get you across the finish line. John Korf has participated in the Empire State Building run-up nine times. After a hip replacement a few years back and some knee trouble, the 71-year-old businessman, sports promoter, and former ultramarathon runner was forced to walk his most recent trip to the top. But he did it. And when it comes to our goals, so can we if we follow the same strategy. Take it one step at a time. We'll look at how to get started next.

4:03The Art of the Start I meet people all the time who get bogged down in planning and preparation. They'd like to launch a new product, find another job, get fit, write their first book, but they just can't seem to pull the trigger. Like General McClellan, they feel unsure and unready. So they spend their time dreaming, researching, and planning. Don't get me wrong, detailed action plans are terrific. If you're building a nuclear submarine. For most of the goals you and I will set, however, detailed planning easily becomes a fancy way to procrastinate. At this stage of the game, the most important aspect of making it happen is practicing the art of the start.

4:46You don't have to see the end from the beginning. In fact, you can't if your goal is big enough. And the good news is that you don't need to. No one has to see the top of the Empire State Building from the bottom to make it all the way there. All you have to see is the next step. Any goal is manageable, one action at a time. But like McClellan, when we let the task grow and become daunting in our minds, it can leave us feeling indecisive, discouraged, and even paralyzed with panic. What's the alternative? Do the easiest task first. Years ago, I heard a motivational speaker encourage his audience to eat the frog.

5:29The line has a long history, and it makes sense in its own way. Stop procrastinating and just do the thing you fear. Once you do that, everything else is easy. While that may be helpful in overcoming procrastination, it's exactly backward for big goals and projects. Instead, you should tackle your easiest task first. I've written several books now, and the way I do it is almost always the same. I start with the easiest task first. I write the title page. the dedication, and the table of contents. Then I think through the chapters, pick the easiest chapter, and tackle it first. A book feels daunting, but one chapter is doable, especially if it's the easiest one.

6:12When I launch a new product, create a new program, or undertake any major goal, I operate the same way. While we should set goals in our discomfort zone, the way to tackle a goal is to start with a task in our comfort zone. There are at least three reasons to front-load your task list with easy items starting with motion. The first step on any project is usually the toughest, but when you start with the easy steps, you lower the threshold for taking action. This is how you trick your brain into starting. Second, emotion. Getting some quick wins boosts your mood. According to researchers Francesca Gino and Bradley Stotz, finishing immediate, mundane tasks actually improves your ability to tackle tougher, important things.

6:59Your brain releases dopamine when you achieve goals. And since dopamine improves attention, memory, and motivation, even achieving a small goal can result in a positive feedback loop that makes you more motivated to work harder going forward. That's exactly what happens for me. My excitement level goes up as I work, and it's the same for my confidence. Third, momentum. Getting started and feeling good about your progress means it's easy to build momentum, just like I did with my manuscript. Gino and Stott say checking items off your list frees up mental and emotional energy to focus on other projects.

7:37You might also find that the tough items get easier as you go. The opposite is also true. When you start with the hardest projects first, You can drain your mental and emotional energy. Now you're lagging and still looking at a handful of small jobs on your to-do lists. Suddenly the easy looks hard. It's a momentum killer. You risk getting discouraged and chucking the whole goal out the window. That's like me walking into the gym and my trainer says, let's go over to the bench press and press 150 pounds without warming up. That would be stupid. You need to warm up first. That's what identifying a next step in your comfort zone is all about.

8:15Take the example of fitness. Let's say you set a goal to run a half marathon this year. The goal is in your discomfort zone. You're not exactly sure how to accomplish it. Maybe you've already tried a physical challenge like that and failed. Don't let the size of the dream be its own demise. Instead of worrying how you're going to succeed, just commit to an easy next step, like calling a coach. You're looking for one discrete task. You basically want to put the bar so low you can fall over it. Then once that task is done, you can set the next. I don't care how big the goal is, it can be accomplished if you take it one step at a time.

8:54The sample goal templates included with this audiobook break down your big goals into next steps. What if your next step feels uncertain? Don't sweat it. Just try something and don't worry if it's wrong. The goal may be risky, but the next action isn't. That's by design. You're stepping out, but not far. If it doesn't work out, you just take another step. Stick with a running example. Let's say you call around and can't locate a coach. Oh well, now try posting on Facebook and seeing if any friends have a recommendation. Maybe there's a local running club you can join and train with. Whatever the situation, try something.

9:31And if you get stuck, try something else. Sometimes you have to try several different things before one works. Well, hey there. It means the world to me that you've made it this far into the book. Clearly, you've got some exciting things in your future. I can't wait to cheer you on and have it your best year ever. I bet if you've made it this far, you really do feel like it's added a lot of value to your life. I mean, you wouldn't be listening this far if it hadn't. But would you be willing to share this with someone you know, somebody you care about? If so, just take a quick second, hit the share button, and then send it to someone in your life that you want to have their best year ever.

10:16Seek outside help. Sometimes we just can't land on a next step because we're not aware of our options and we don't know what it takes to make the progress we want. The good news is, for almost every goal you want to accomplish, someone else knows how to get there, or at least has a better hunch than you. It may be a friend, an accountability partner, or a professional. You don't have to start from scratch. A few years ago, I was really struggling with strength training. I've been running for years, but working with weights can be tough on your own. I've done strength training in another season of my life, but this time I couldn't make any progress.

10:53I just couldn't gin up enough motivation to get started. I'm stuck, I told a friend. I've had this on my goal list for the last couple of years and haven't made much progress. He said, Mike, you need to bring in an outside resource. Call a trainer. I wanted to slap my forehead because it was so obvious, but I hadn't thought of it. I should have known better. After all, when I decided to learn photography, I found a course. When I wanted to learn to play the guitar, I hired a guitar teacher. When I decided to learn fly fishing, I found a guide. There was no difference here. So after the conversation with my friend, I hired a fitness trainer and started working out with him three times a week.

11:33Suddenly, I got momentum and began experiencing positive results. Outside resources are almost always helpful in finding the right next step and accelerating your achievement. And outside help can appear in a variety of guises. It doesn't have to be a professional coach. It could be a book, an article, or a podcast. It could be a friend or somebody at church. Whatever your resources, I bet you can find the help you need to get you off the dime and into motion. If you're not sure how to move the needle in your marriage, kickstart your new business, compete in that triathlon, restore your relationship with your teenage child, save for retirement, or whatever else you've decided to do, I've got good news.

12:16Someone out there has already been to the mountain. Even if your peak is different than theirs, they can help. There's a person who knows what to do, even if you don't. Your next step could be as easy as Googling to find out who. Commit to Act Whether you determine your next step yourself or resort to outside help, next you need to schedule it and commit to act. If it doesn't get in your full focus planner, on your calendar, or in whatever task manager you use, it's probably not going to happen. You're never going to find time in the leftover hours of the day to accomplish your goals. You have to make time for it.

12:55You have to make it a priority and keep it like an appointment, just like you would keep with anyone else. There's a huge difference between saying, I'm going to try to make something happen, and I'm going to make something happen. The first one is almost like saying, I'm going to give it a go. If it works, great. But until I see the end result, I'm not going to fully commit. The problem is, it won't happen until you fully commit. In fact, researchers have found that when we create backup plans, we can reduce our chances of achieving our original goal. The mere existence of Plan B can undermine Plan A.

13:33How? We might divide our energies or settle for second best too soon. Scottish mountain climber W.H. Murray put it this way, Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creativity, there is one elementary truth, that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events, issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings, and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

14:17The Other Half of the Job General McClellan felt certain that his goal was important. God has placed a great work in my hands, he said when he took charge of the Army of the Potomac. My previous life seems to have been unwittingly directed to this great end. But then he stalled out. And this can happen to any one of us. A big goal is only half the equation. If you expect to experience your best year ever, you must take action. The next two chapters will show you how. Chapter 14 shows a practical method of tracking next steps for achievement goals, and Chapter 15 provides a method to take effective action on habit goals.

15:00Hey there! Just want to take a quick moment to thank you for tuning in. you've just heard a chapter from my newly revised book Your Best Year Ever I'm hoping it's offered to you some actionable insights to fuel your dreams and if you found this helpful it'd mean the world to me if you'd leave a review on Amazon or Audible your feedback helps others decide if the book is for them so simply search for Your Best Year Ever and then share your honest thoughts thanks