Have a goal you’re looking to achieve this year? In this post we explore the 6 essential ingredients you’ll need to bring it to life.

KEY LESSONS:

As I’m sure you’re aware by now, achieving goals and dreams takes more than just “rolling up your sleeves and getting to work.”

Success works like a recipe. There are essential ingredients you need to make your dream “rise,” and if you’re missing even one, it falls flat.

To help ensure you’ve got everything you need to win, here is a list of the 6 essential ingredients you need for your dream to rise.

Make sure your goal is…

 

1. LEGENDARY

As I explain in the above video, one of the major values of creating clear and compelling goals each year is the focus and direction it gives to your life.

But even more, I have found that the real value of setting goals is the person you get to become in the process.

This is why we must set goals that lure us out of our comfort zones, and call forth something great from within us to achieve it. 

Or as Earl Nightengale put it:

“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”

So, perhaps one of the major reasons you haven’t achieved a certain goal in your past is because the goal just wasn’t big enough.

Whatever you’re imagining for this year, take the limiters off.

Aim for legendary.

 

2. ELECTRIC

Okay, so you have a clear goal that calls you to greater heights.  Awesome. Now it needs to be backed by the kind of fuel that will propel it throughout the duration of the journey.

This potent and charged source of power is more than just “finding your why,” as most people put it. It’s significantly deeper and more personal.

As I state around the 3:30 mark:

“The only thing we’ve found that will carry people through, is a purpose-driven reason. A clear understanding of who benefits if you bring this dream to life.”

So take the time to explore what fuels you. Digging deeper and deeper until you feel the warmth rise in your chest; or a tickle of inspiration flow down your back.

When your goal turns electric (maybe through something you wrote down or something you directly experienced), NOW you’ve got the right fuel in the tank.

 

3. GEARED TO GO

I’ll be direct with this one.

You can have the clearest and most powerful forward vision, fueled by all the passion and care in the world, and still fall very short of your mark.

As Jack Canfield puts it:

“I believe that people make their own luck by great preparation and good strategy.”

To emphasize Jack’s point, we need to be ready with the right map when an opportunity comes knocking.

This means we need to do our homework, study the success of others, and not in any way think we can wing it and win.

A great strategy involves knowing your industry (and competition), knowing your audience, knowing your differentiators, building a quality product, building a quality network, asking for feedback, etc.

So the question I have for you is, are you willing to do whatever it takes to bring your dreams and goals to life?

If not, that may be one of the major reasons your dream isn’t geared to go.

 

4. ACTIVATED

This one I learned the hard way, and I hope you take my advice to heart.

As I say around the 8-minute mark:

“If you have not built the habits and rituals that consistenly move you towards your goal, then you will not achieve it.”

I know so many talented and amazing humans (myself included) that sat on their goals for years because they did NOT develop the daily disciplines that inspired action.

Whether that’s a morning focus ritual (which I teach in our Elevate™ Program), a habit tracker, or even a daily planner, you’ve got to understand a universal truth.

“You do not rise to the level of your goals.  You fall to the level of your systems.”

I first learned this from James Clear in his book Atomic Habits, and it changed my life.

So if your goal and dream are not “activated,” it’s probably one of the major reasons you haven’t seen traction in the past.

Let’s move on to number 5.

 

5. COMMITTED

Anyone worth their salt will tell you that the road “from nothing to something,” or from idea to reality involves a truckload of dedication, persistence, and resolve.

Why? Because it involves a LOT of falling flat on your face. Getting back up, then falling straight on your face again.

Super motivational, right?

I recently attended a Masterclass with Sara Blakely and her incredible story of success proves that if you’re committed enough to your dream, you’ll push through any of the rejections, setbacks, and obstacles life throws at you.

Especially in the beginning, when some very well-intentioned people who love you very much, try to convince you that your dream is too big, too wild, or too risky.

And maybe they’re right, but if you’re ready for the climb, then I default to the wisdom of the great Jim Rohn:

“It’s all risky. The minute you were born it got risky. If you think trying is risky, wait until they hand you the bill for not trying! Here’s how risky life is: You’re not going to get out alive. So give it a go!”

Take a chance on yourself, and if you’re truly committed, then you’ll make it through.

But there is one last thing. If you want your goal to grow, then it needs to be…

6. YOURS

How many people do you know who are in a career, not because they love it, but because they already spent thousands of dollars on a degree and feel stuck in a corner?

How many talented and remarkable humans do you know who put their passions in the closet in order to follow in their parent’s footsteps?

That number turns out, is around 70% (according to a recent Gallup study).

Or in the immortal words of Steve Jobs:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

I want to see you find and follow a path that is YOURS.

Something that gets you up early and keeps you up late.

Something that ignites your inner fire and has you ready and willing to climb any mountain to get it.

You have something great the world needs.

Live your LEGACY.

 

See you on the path,

-Patrick