While we all generally agree that all five parts of a \u201cSMART\u201d goal are wise, it\u2019s your interpretation of the \u201cattainable\u201d goal that is killing your potential. “Attainable” has become synonymous with \u201csafe.\u201d It’s been defined as “easy to obtain” rather than “what’s possible when stretched.”<\/p>\n
You started your journey reaching for the stars, but soon discovered that the stars are an awfully long way away, so you decided that a more \u201creasonable\u201d goal would be better. After all, you don\u2019t want to miss your goal and let down your team, your family and yourself.<\/p>\n
You set \u201creasonable” goals only because you lacked the courage to tackle the big ones.<\/p>\n
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Small goals = small thinking.<\/h2>\n
The problem with small goals is that they encourage small thinking.<\/p>\n
For example, in my real estate investing business, I spent years trying to buy two properties a year. I believed that the goal of two properties per year was reasonable and I would be able to accomplish this goal. And guess what? I usually did.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, I bought one property, sometimes I bought two… but never much more. Besides, I couldn\u2019t handle more than that anyway, could I? I couldn\u2019t physically rehab more than a few houses per year because each took hundreds of hours of work. It was crazy for me to think that I could buy more than one or two homes, right?<\/p>\n
But then I started talking with others and realized I was selling myself short and paying the price because of it. Many of the 150-plus guests we\u2019ve interviewed on The BiggerPockets Podcast<\/a> have inspired me to raise my goal, to shoot for “greater,” to be more.<\/p>\n So, this year, I decided to increase my goal from two to 12.<\/p>\n That kind of goal, of course, required a whole different set of plans. I couldn\u2019t physically fix up a dozen different properties, so I had to use my head and get creative to solve the problem.That’s how I came to hire a full-time contractor. I couldn\u2019t physically analyze and make offers on the number of properties I would need to buy a dozen homes, so I created an analysis tool<\/a> and hired a lead manager to find and negotiate deals.<\/p>\n Today, I\u2019m halfway through the year, and I\u2019ve purchased six homes\u2014and I’ve put in far less work than almost any previous year. I know people buying over 100 homes a year\u2014and they work the same number of hours as I do, if not fewer.<\/p>\n When you increase the size of your goal, your entire mindset is forced to shift and think of the problem differently\u2014to think bigger, smarter, and with more efficiency.<\/p>\n Related:<\/strong> Why I Set Highly Ambitious Goals for My Real Estate Business (& Why You Should, Too)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Let\u2019s do a quick exercise to further drive home the point.<\/p>\n If I told you that I needed to increase the traffic to your website by 20 percent over the next 12 months, what could you do with that? Go ahead, close your eyes and brainstorm a few ideas that you could activate to achieve that goal. You might:<\/p>\n Will these actions get you to a 20 percent lift over the next 12 months? Maybe, or maybe not. If you hit it, you\u2019ll feel real good about yourself, that you achieved your \u201cattainable\u201d goal. Or, maybe you\u2019ll come close and miss it by a few percentage points and tell yourself, \u201cI did my best.\u201d And these are the kinds of goals most companies are setting!<\/p>\n Related:<\/strong> The 3 Main Reasons Entrepreneurs Fall Short of Their Goals<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n But, now, let\u2019s try something different. What if I told you that you needed to increase the traffic to your website by 500 percent over the next 12 months, and that if you didn\u2019t, I would chain you up in a basement for the next 30 years, forcing you to watch 18 hours a day of Mork and Mindy<\/em><\/a>?<\/p>\n Although it might take you some time, you would likely come up with some other, very different ideas, like:<\/p>\n Will these plans work? I don\u2019t know\u2014but it took me just a few seconds to brainstorm these for this article. Imagine what you, and your team, could do with more time.<\/p>\n Instead, you may be too busy making funny faces on Snapchat in hopes of that 20 percent lift in traffic.<\/p>\n In my favorite business book The ONE Thing<\/a><\/em>, authors Gary Keller and Jay Papasan tell the story of how early on in their career, the leadership team of Keller Williams Realty locked themselves (Keller and his partner Joe Williams) in a room to brainstorm ideas for the \u201cone thing\u201d that would make their real estate brand a national player. After numerous ideas, they narrowed down the list to just one: Keller would write a book about being a successful real estate agent.<\/p>\n This plan worked magically for them: The Millionaire Real Estate Agent<\/a><\/em> They set big goals and took major action.<\/p>\n So, you are faced with a choice. You can go back to your comfortable, easy-to-attain goals, and you\u2019ll likely achieve them. Or, you can reach for greatness, take massive action and revolutionize your industry forever.<\/p>\n As Marianne Williamson, an author and spiritual activist, has said, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented\u00a0and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.<\/em>”<\/p>\n [This post originally appeared on Entrepreneur.com<\/a><\/em>.]<\/p>\nDo an exercise in big thinking.<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nThe one thing that could transform your business.<\/h2>\n
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What are you going to do?<\/h2>\n
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