Lance Smith ... "Takes on Life."

I was talking with a partner this morning and he asked me: "What goals are you shooting for next year?" He went silent when I said; "I am not setting goals for next year. I didn't set any this year, and it was a record year for us... so I am skipping setting goals for next year as well." He was shocked, but then I explained to him my thought process...

We all have things that we want to achieve in our lives — getting into the better shape, building a successful business, raising a wonderful family, improving our financial situation, and so on. For most of us, the path to those things starts by setting a specific and actionable goal. I have taught people this process for years and this is how I approached my life until recently. I would set yearly goals for my health, my finances, my business, and my life. Setting goals has been a huge part of my life for over 25 years... But the results have been mixed.

Today, what I’m starting to realize is that when it comes to actually getting things done and making progress in the areas that are important to you, there is a much better way to do things. It all comes down to the difference between your goals and your system.

What’s the difference between your goals and your system?
If you’re a coach, your goal is to win a championship. Your system is what your team does at practice each day.
If you’re a writer, your goal is to write a book. Your system is the writing schedule that you follow each week.
If you’re an entrepreneur, your goal is to build a million dollar business. Your system is your sales, marketing, and training process.

Now for the really interesting question… If you completely ignored your goals and focused only on your system, would you still get results? 

You know you would!  My friend Randy Schroeder says this; “DDDDBC – Daily disciplines done daily build character.” And they do… but they also build businesses, finances, better health and so on.

There are two more reasons why you should focus on systems instead of goals.

1. Goals reduce your current happiness.
When you’re working toward a goal, you are essentially saying, “I’m not good enough yet, but I will be when I reach my goal.” The problem with this mindset is that you’re teaching yourself to always put happiness and success off until the next milestone is achieved. “Once I reach my goal, then I’ll be happy. Once I achieve my goal, then I’ll be successful.”

SOLUTION: Commit to a process, not just a goal.
You can keep things simple and reduce stress by focusing on the daily process and sticking to your schedule, rather than worrying about the big, life-changing goals. When I started my business years ago I set goals to hit three separate levels by certain dates. I missed my first one by three months, the second by six months, and the third by two and a half years. Needless to say I was unhappy and frustrated. However, I found it much easier to focus on the daily disciplines I could control (how many phone calls, presentations, etc. ) The key to our success in network marketing has nothing to do with the ranks we have hit, it's all in our "system." We have simply averaged 15+ presentations a month for over 25 years. When you focus on the practice instead of the performance, you can enjoy the present moment and improve at the same time.

2. Goals are strangely at odds with long-term progress.
You might think your goal will keep you motivated over the long-term, but that’s not always true. Consider someone who sets a goal to lose 30 pounds. Many people will work hard for months, but as soon as they hit that goal, they stop training. Their goal was to lose the weight and now that they have completed it, that goal is no longer there to motivate them. This can create a type of “yo-yo effect” where people go back and forth from working on a goal to not working on one. This type of cycle makes it difficult to build upon your progress for the long-term.

SOLUTION: Release the need for immediate results.
When you set a goal and you don’t reach it, you often feel like a failure. But with a systems-based mentality, it’s much easier to carry on. Systems-based thinking is never about hitting a particular number, it’s about sticking to the process and not backing off of your efforts.

None of this is to say that goals are useless. However, I've found that goals are good for planning your progress and systems are good for actually making progress.
Goals can provide direction and even push you forward in the short-term, but eventually a well-designed system will always win.

Having a system is what matters. Committing to the process is what makes all the difference!

You've got this!

LWS