SECRETS TO SUCCESS: UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GOAL, A TARGET, AND A TASK
It’s almost a new year and that means it’s New Years Resolution time! For many people this means reflecting on the prior year, celebrating accomplishments, and setting up a wish list of new goals for the upcoming year! But did you know that over 90% of people don’t achieve their new years resolutions? Why? Because most people write down things they want (to lose weight, to spend more time with loved ones, to clean out their closets, to start on that side hustle project they have been putting off, etc). Most people haven’t figured out the difference between a “target”, a “goal”, and a “task” and without identifying all 3 you are setting yourself up for failure.
Think about looking through a telescope; first you look into the distance without it and see a big wide beautiful landscape, then you look through the telescope and see a beautiful ship heading for the beach, then you focus in and zoom and see activity on the ship making it move faster towards the beach. That is an example of the concept behind setting targets, goals, and tasks.
A “Target” is a long term vision of what you want your life (or business) to look like. It’s a secret window into the future of where you want to end up long term. Aka your “beautiful landscape”. Most people skip this step, and even worse skip the most important step which is to determine “why” you want to reach this target destination? Why do you want to be here? How will you feel when you get there? The “why” must be so compelling to you that there is simply no alternative. The “why” is one of the most important clues that will allow you to reach this amazing destination without quitting along the way!
A “Goal” is the medium term steps that are necessary to reach your target destination (aka the ship heading towards the destination). Goals are benchmarks that allow you to check with yourself to make sure you are on track to reach your target destination. Goals should be quantifiable so that you can check in and measure your progress. What are some things that you need to address or change in your life right now to ensure that your “ship” is going to stay on course and get you to your target destination?
A “Task” is what most people confuse for goals and where most people spend all of their time and ultimately quit along the way. A task is the daily or weekly activities that allow you to reach your goal and ultimately reach your target destination. Tasks are what keeps the ship moving. They can be tiring or overwhelming, and if you are not careful you can spend an entire lifetime checking off ‘to-do’s’ on a list but you are not actually propelling your life at all. It is easy to allow daily life stressors to derail you from reaching your goal or target if you are only focused on the task step of the process. We all know someone like this. This is the “busy” person lifestyle who’s life is always so busy but never changes. Is that really your goal? I hope not. Make sure you are checking in with yourself and constantly reminding yourself of the “why” you really want to reach that target destination and make the changes necessary to get yourself there!
Make this year, a year of a new decade, the year that you truly establish your target destination (and your “why”), outline your quantifiable goals, and your daily/ weekly tasks to ensure a lifetime of success ahead!
I am excited to announce that I completed my coach training at Robbins-Madanes Training under my teachers Tony Robbins, Cloe Madanes, Mark Peysha, and Magali Peysha and will be launching personal and group success coaching as well as career success consulting in 2020! Email support@kaseydamato.com for more information on personal or group coaching/consulting services.