Aspiring to be greater than the person you are today is the best way to push yourself in the direction you want to go. Sitting down and outlining your life’s goals will put you on the fast track towards success.
But how do you actually achieve your goals? What do you define as success? And what happens when you change your mind? No one has thought more about the answers to these questions than Keith Gutierrez, co-founder of Modgility, who has made a career out of defining, adapting, and actualizing his goals.
Here’s why Keith’s active commitment to outlining and evaluating his life goals has propelled him to success, both personally and professionally:
How To Set Goals: Get Inspired
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe the mind can achieve,” Napoleon Hill
Finding the inspiration for any endeavor in life is the essential first step, but it’s often the hardest! A stroke of genius can happen at any moment, and it can propel you to achieve in places you never knew were possible. Keith’s advice is to start with what you know.
Keith was inspired by his successful entrepreneurial grandfather. Together they went into business around a passion they both shared: golf. Through organizing tournaments for junior golfers, Keith traveled around the country and learned internet marketing strategies early on.
This early career path in a subject he loved, golf, led him to become a leading internet marketer. Over time the grueling travel schedule of organizing golf tournaments was too much for him, but he was able to use what he learned to pivot into a career in marketing and eventually became a HubSpot Partner in 2010.
Keith pursued his passion in life, and from there he learned strategies that he turned into an even bigger career in internet marketing.
Understand Why
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it,” Simon Sinek
It’s common to get caught up in the day to day tasks of what you’re trying to achieve, and thus it’s easy to lose sight of the greater purpose of why you’re doing something at all. Keith loved every minute of his golf business, but the grueling schedule wasn’t helping him achieve in other areas of his life.
He says this lapse in understanding is normal. “We just get busy. We don’t take the time to sit back and evaluate progress,” says Keith. “We’re constantly evaluating metrics and analytics, but sometimes that’s not the ultimate measure that we should be focused on.”
Taking a step back further to understand what you want out of life on a personal level can help inform you about which direction you ought to go. That’s why Keith periodically spends time reviewing his Life Goals Trello Board. It’s there that he is able to see what he has accomplished since he last reviewed it, and also to see where he got off track.
“If you have enough reasons in life, anything is possible,” Jim Rohn
He found his Life Goals Trello Board so useful he created a Goal Setting Template on Trello that anyone can use to do their own goal setting.
Make A Plan
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way,” John Maxwell
Getting down your goals is the first step to empowering yourself. Writing them down and being able to reference them is a way to keep them slipping from your field of view.
As Keith writes,
“Having positive present tense goals programs the subconscious mind and builds faith and conviction inside you, that the goal is realizable.
The way you accomplish this is by writing and re-writing your goals, having the ability to carry them with you and reviewing them on a daily basis.”
Keith set up a detailed Trello board to help him see the bigger picture. His list titles include questions like “What do I want to do?” and “What do I want to be?” and he makes cards for each item. He also has lists dedicated to the greater goals of his life, as well as drilling down his “main” focal points. His life roadmap is now presented in a clever, visual way.
Recognize Strengths And Weaknesses
“There are certain people you’re meant to serve, and others that you’re not,” Michael Port
When it comes to knowing areas in which you excel, as well as where you don’t, be honest with yourself and be realistic when setting goals.
“I love golf, but unfortunately I’m not good enough to try to become a professional golfer. As much as I’d like to dream that I could, that’s just not a realistic thing to put on my goal list,” Keith laments. There are certainly things in life that you enjoy doing and are fun, but are okay to just keep as side hobbies.
The greater point Keith is making is to understand areas where you are strong, and continue to refine those skills. As for weaknesses, one solution Keith provides is to be honest with yourself about where you struggle and surround yourself with people who pick up where you leave off.
Set A Goal To Constantly Improve
“Formal education will make you a living, but self education will make you a fortune,” Jim Rohn
“There’s always an element of surprise and transition in life,” Keith insists. So even if you know why you’re doing something, it’s still important to recognize the need to constantly refine it and get better.
Keith is an avid reader of self help books and listens to motivational speakers, old and new, to inspire him and give him a fresh perspective. (For his specific recommendations, look up the authors of the quotes found throughout this post.)
Even the very act of pushing himself to learn more has improved over time. He explains, “When I was young and I was told to read a book I was totally against it, and now I can’t stop reading!” That’s truly a sentiment anyone can relate to.
Ultimately, everyone is looking to be more productive. Mapping out life goals can help you to gain a greater perspective on what’s really important, as well as what is the most effective use of your time.
Have you ever mapped out your life goals? Tell us what works for you, and how you’ve implemented those plans in your daily life. Find us on Twitter, Facebook, or in the comments below.
Special thank you to Keith Gutierrez for sharing his goal setting ideas, templates, and endless words of wisdom!
Next: The Complete Guide To Boosting Your Personal Productivity