You Should Write 100 Goals At The Start Of 2021
That way you won’t miss anything
Years ago I read an article telling me to write down 100 goals. It changed my life.
Here’s the first 20 of them from three years ago. Never mind my horrible handwriting — everything that’s checked are things I accomplished already.
I think I wrote 80 of them before fizzling out.
When I look back on these writings, it’s insane how many things I’ve accomplished. These 80 or so “goals” have been a guiding hand for my life without me realizing it.
For instance, “Go to the Philippines” was one I wrote down three years ago, and now I live there. I wrote these 100 goals one time and never looked at them since (until now), so it’s a bit crazy that I’ve followed many of them unconsciously.
They’ve sort of been an invisible hand guiding me the last three years, and I think they can be the same thing for you, too.
Here’s how to do it.
Write Down 100 Goals As Fast As Possible
Write anything. It could be “climb everest.” It could be “become President.” I don’t care how grandiose these goals are, you need to allow yourself to dream big. You may only accomplish 20 of these goals in your lifetime, and that’s fine.
The trick here is, you need to blindly write whatever comes to your mind. You need to train your mind to not inhibit what your hand is writing.
I don’t care if one of your goals is to go play professional soccer and you’re currently 50 years old. Write it down. I don’t care if your goal is impossible. Write it down.
Here’s a list of my personal goals that I wrote down three years ago..
- Go To Europe
- Live in San Francisco
- Start a Successful Youtube Channel
- Write a book
- Write an insanely viral article
- Start a consulting/coaching business
- Maintain a high level of fitness
- Go to Coachella *Winces*
- Write a screenplay
- Get nominated for an award in entertainment
Out of these first 10 goals, I’ve already done four of them. The problem is I have another 70+ goals on this list that I’m far from accomplishing.
You may be feeling a little overwhelmed here. You might be saying to yourself, there’s no way I’ll ever get to visit the Pyramids or get elected to public office. Those thoughts may come to your mind. Banish them immediately. It’s normal to get those thoughts, but tell them to go away for just 20 minutes while you write your goals down.
Here’s a few things to keep in mind…
Break Your Goals Down Into These 5 Categories
Break down your goals based on five different categories: Work, Relationships, Location, House, and Hobbies.
Let’s take a look at some of my goals for a second..
Go on a road trip out West with my Dad. That’s relationships.
Go to Europe. That’s a location.
Get 1,000 email subscribers. That’s work.
When you’re writing down these goals and you’re at a loss for what goals to write down next, just think in terms of category. Think about a few goals you can add to your “relationships” stockpile, or a few goals you can add to your “house” stockpile.
“House” is just a clever way to say your future living situation. Maybe you want a house with 5 bedrooms or maybe you want a house in France. Great. Those would belong to the “House” category.
The Benefits Of Writing 100 Goals
They don’t tell you to write down 100 goals in college. I have no idea why. Nobody ever tells you to do this in high school either.
Writing down 100 goals is different than writing down 10. You’re forcing your mind to scramble. It’s like trying to lift heavy weights in the gym. You’ll find ideas and goals buried in the deepest parts of your mind, and then everything you’ve ever wanted, kind of wanted, or barely wanted is out in front of you.
You now know your deepest desires, which as of 20 minutes ago were unknown to you. These will be a guiding light for the next 5–10 years of your life.
When it comes to planning for the future, most problems arise from us being crappy judges of what we want.
Taking a second to stretch our “desire muscle” can fix all of that, and give us a clear roadmap moving forward.
Spend 20 minutes writing down 100 goals at the start of 2021. It may just be the best investment you’ll make this year.
I’m broadcasting a few presentations next week called “How To Make An Extra $1000 Per Month On Medium.” Get your free seat right here!