The top achievers in the world are not naturally excellent, and they learn excellence.
Eric Potterat, PhD, a performance psychologist known for developing the mental toughness curriculum utilized in Navy SEALs training, and Alan Eagle, who is an executive communications consultant with 16 years of experience at Google who both co-authored the book "Learned Excellence," shared with CNBC Make It that they have worked with over 25,000 high-performing individuals from various fields and discovered that the most successful individuals set ambitious goals in six areas of their lives, namely:
- Work
- Relationships
- Health
- Spirituality
- Hobbies
- Legacy
Here are three steps top performers follow to establish and accomplish their objectives:
1. Identify Your Goals
Clients are asked what they aim to achieve in the six aspects "one, three, and six months" from now.
Setting a few high-quality goals rather than numerous mediocre ones is always advisable. Additional goals can be added later, and keeping things simple helps ensure that resources remain tightly focused.
The Navy SEALs utilize the SMART framework, which stands for:
- Specific: Goals are precise and well-defined.
- Measurable: Progress can be quantified, and achievement is identifiable.
- Achievable: Goals are challenging yet feasible to accomplish.
- Relevant: Goals are meaningful and aligned with overall objectives.
- Time-bound: Goals have a specified deadline for achievement.
Individuals are often more driven to achieve goals rooted in their values (intrinsic) rather than those influenced by external opinions (extrinsic). To ensure a goal is intrinsic, one should question why it is a goal. For example, if the goal is to lose 10 pounds, why is that? Is it because someone remarked that you appear out of shape (extrinsic) or because you desire to feel better and healthier (intrinsic)?
Crafting meaningful goals should be a deliberate and ongoing process. It is essential to take the time to reflect, revisit, and refine them over time.
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2. Write Them Down
Codifying a goal establishes accountability. Once it is documented, action is required to achieve it. Toby Miller, a professional snowboarder, recalls that, at a young age, he would write down all the tricks he wanted to learn. He still sets overall goals and specific objectives for each camp, carrying the list to rely on if he encounters a tough day, finding something he can learn.
3. Commit by Sharing with An Accountability Partner
Sharing the goal with friends, colleagues, or family increases accountability further. One can enhance this by regularly updating their "accountability partners" on their progress.
A 2015 study by psychologist Gail Matthews supports this hierarchy of goal-setting effectiveness: 43% of participants who thought about their goals achieved them or made significant progress. Writing down the goals and sharing them with a friend increased this rate to 62%. Moreover, sending weekly progress updates to a friend increased the success rate to 76%.
These public declarations and updates serve as a valuable strategy to push oneself toward success.
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