Tony Robbins’ Ultimate 10-Step Guide for Setting (and Accomplishing) Your Goals
The sweetest 1 hour you will spend with yourself
We read it often to have a clear goal in mind and write about them. There are various quotes on how goal-setting can transform your life. I know of all this and so do you if you’re a self-help reader. How many of us have implemented this knowledge though?
Last week, I spent one hour doing this exercise I read about and by the time it ended I was surprised at what all I wrote. I thought I know myself well. I know the kind of income I want to make and the things I want to do in life.
I was wrong. I knew these things vaguely, but in reality, they were ambiguous ambitions. In the process, I also learnt what stops me from being where I want to be.
If you’re reading until here, get your pen and a notebook and tell me down below if you completed this exercise and had a moment of enlightenment.
Step 1: Write down your dreams
Be limitless here, do not be doubtful about anything.
5 rules to keep in mind when you write:
- State your outcome in positive terms: Instead of “I don’t want to be broke” write “I will make X amount of money”. Eliminate can’t, don’t, wouldn’t.
- Be as specific as possible: I want to make $5000 per month > I want to be financially stable. Detail down as much as you can.
- Have an evidence procedure: Is this doable even if you think you cannot do it? Is it doable by mankind? If yes, then go ahead. This is to ensure you don’t write down about wanting to fly to Pluto.
- Be in control: You are the only person responsible. Whatever goals you write about should not depend on somebody else.
- Verify that your outcome is ecologically sound and reliable.
Take your time and prepare your list. The details are important so you can see it, feel it, visualise it.
E.g., if your goal is to be a bestselling author, write about getting ranked as #1 on various media platforms. Describe the reaction of your audience, friends and family. Think about what will you do after that — give talks, write some more?
Go wild.
Step 2: Put dates in front of your goals
Given a situation that everything you have written is 100% happening, by when do you expect to achieve these dreams and goals?
Put realistic timelines.
Step 3: Pick out the 4 most important goals for you for this year
Write them down again. Ask yourself why do you want to absolutely achieve them? Why are you sure that you can achieve them?
Reasons are the difference between being interested versus being committed to accomplishing something.
If you get a big-enough why, you can always figure out the how.
Doing this boosted my confidence.
I was in the zone that there are no limits to my capabilities and I can achieve what I wish for. I realised that I never took a step towards getting closer to any of my dreams which I listed because I felt incapable of doing it.
It’s natural human behaviour to put ourselves down. A behaviour which we need to disassociate from. A major hindrance between what we are and what we want to be are what we think of ourselves, our self-image.
Nobody puts us down the way we do. Think of how you speak to yourself, would you ever say those negative things to somebody else? If not, why say it to yourself?
Finding out the why was a deeply enriching experience.
Step 4: Make a list of the important resources you already have at your disposal
What are some resources which you need to attain these goals? If you already have them, list them down.
Do you need just a laptop? Maybe if your goal is to run a product-related business you would need a warehouse, machinery and so on?
Write down all the resources which you require and you already have them with you.
Step 5: Focus on the times you used some of those resources most skillfully
I really think this step exists only as an evil tactic to make us feel guilty. Anyhow, think about it.
If your goal is to lose weight, did you ever use your treadmill at home to hang clothes to dry instead? My grandmother did this with hers…
I faced a major bummer because my only resource which I need is a laptop. Yes, you guessed it right, it hasn’t been used skillfully.
Step 6: Describe the kind of person you would have to be to attain your goals
In the first step, you must’ve visualised your future image thoroughly. If you haven’t already, look that list and picture yourself.
Picture yourself accomplishing all that you have written.
- What do you look like?
- What do you feel?
- How does it feel to have accomplished all of that?
Write down about that person. What is their routine like and what all do they do? Create bright and big mental pictures.
Write down one day in your ideal life
From waking up till you sleep and the minutest of activities in between, write down an ideal day.
Step 7: What prevents you from having the things you desire right now?
Be honest with yourself.
I was annoyed when I finished this one. One of the outcomes of this step for me was lack of effort. Imagine wanting something badly but not putting any effort into it, how was I supposed to dream of things I am not working for?
I didn’t know this and a lot of other things preventing me until this exercise. If you have followed the previous steps closely, this one opens your eyes.
If at all you feel upset, think of what would’ve happened if you didn’t find this tiny bug in your system. This is a wonderful improvement opportunity!
Step 8: What are the necessary actions you must take consistently to produce the result you desire?
After you note down the actions, think of what alternations do you need to make in your life as it is now to inculcate those actions. From the headline above, I’d suggest you give special emphasis to the word consistently.
The brain responds most to repetition and deep feelings, so if you can continually experience your life as you desire it, and if you experience this life with deep and intense feelings, you are almost certain to create what you desire.
We’ve often heard that overnight success is backed by years if not decades of hard work. The only way to become better at something is by using this secret ingredient called consistently.
So dear reader, what necessary actions do you require?
“Don’t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.”– Jack Canfield
Do you feel just a little closer to clarity now?
Often, we think of goals and sometimes write them down. What we do not do is dig deep into them. Assess and formulate our goals and bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be.
Because we don’t introspect this deep, we make excuses take over and stay a bridge away from our goals.
Step 9: Take the time now to take each of your four key goals and create your first draft of a step-by-step plan on how to achieve it
Your strategies will change as you go, but what are some steps you can take right now as a stepping stone to achieving your goals? Keep this handy and you can edit your steps/re-strategise along the way.
Why do this?
What you’ve been doing is giving signals to your brain, forming a clear, concise pattern of outcomes.
When we don’t contemplate and write down the details (I’m aware I have emphasised on this word again and again but that’s because it’s super important in this exercise), we don’t give ourselves a sense of clarity. Our dreams remain a dream because the steps to get closer to it are vague.
Writing down the steps to make the outcome more achievable and give you a blueprint of things you can do right away.
Step 10: Come up with some models
Models are people who have achieved the goals you wish to. Often, we try to reinvent the wheel by starting from scratch. Why start from the bottom when you can learn and implement from those who have done this and succeeded?
Say you want to be a successful writer on Medium. Either you can start by writing and publishing every day, or you can study some top writers and posts related to writing on this platform. Learn from their techniques and failures.
List down 3–5 models in your path and study them. While one size does not fit all, trial and error from preexisting methods consumes lesser time and has a higher probability to reap results.
“We can change our lives. We can do, have, and be exactly what we wish.” — Tony Robbins
These ten steps are taken from the book ‘Unlimited Power’ by Tony Robbins.
Tony Robbins is a motivational speaker and coach who has coached hundred thousands of people through his seminars. He has individually worked with notable people such as Bill Clinton, Serene Williams and Hugh Jackman amongst many others.
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