Goal Setting Strategies

“really can get like a full picture after having that conversation. And that really helps like to be able to develop these concepts and ideas.
Yeah, well, okay, so then we kind of talked a little bit about like brainstorming about what we wanted to bring to the table today. You and I were gonna have a conversation about goal setting and goals are something that we need to encourage in all aspects of our lives. So let's dive in there.
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All right, so both of us are teachers, and we talk often about what we do in our classroom, how we talk about things in our classroom. And one of the things that I bring to my classroom, especially at the beginning of the year, is that I really focus on talking about goals and what goals are. And so for my students, it's mandatory for them to have goals “because without a goal, you don't have a direction.
You're not moving anywhere, you're not doing anything. You're just stagnant. You're just sitting in one place.
You really don't know what you're doing with your life and what direction you want it to go. So in order to move, to keep moving forward, you have to have some type of goal in place to give you a direction. And that's the start of kind of like what goals do in life and how to use them.
But the better you get, obviously, with setting these goals and using them, the more successful you are in life and the different directions you get to guide your life and the way you want it to go. So it's a very powerful tool, but it's used a lot for direction.
Right. And I think it gives you, like you said, like a direction of where you want to go within your life. And so, but with goal setting is, I think oftentimes you and I talk about like, how big do your goals need to be or how small, “and you and I often talk about how it's okay to have like micro goals as long as you are moving towards a direction or, and so a lot of times people have an intimidation of choosing goals, either too big.
And so let's kind of talk about how they set a goal or what are the goals that we kind of focus on ourselves, so for like goals, the first thing I like to break down is kind of like what the definition of a goal is to you.
And, you know, if you have your like mainstream idea of what a goal is, it's something you want to accomplish, you know, something you want to achieve. So you set this thing that you're going to accomplish or achieve, and that's your goal. But with a different perspective, I look at goals as more of a measurement.

“They're a form of a measurement than something that you want to achieve. It measures the distance that you've gone from one point to the next. So if you can change that and you can use it as a measurement, like we were talking, often people are saying, well, you can't set a goal that's out of reach or too big of a goal because you won't be able to achieve it and then you're going to be devastated that you couldn't accomplish this thing you wanted to accomplish.
But if you change that perspective and you look at it more as a direction that you want to go and that it's, you know, guiding you in that direction, well, you can choose that destination as far out as you want it to be. So like you can set a goal like I use like Elon Musk a lot where he's like, I'm going to go to Mars. Everybody just laughs at him like, you're not going to go to Mars.”
“It's impossible, but he's already building ships and he's, you know, moving towards that goal and he's doing things that are going to accomplish that goal. And all the stuff that he's learned and developed along the way has only built his brand and his companies up 10 times more in his direction of this massive goal of going to Mars. But I mean, he's got satellites, he's got internet now, he's got all this different stuff that he developed on the way to going to Mars.
Where everybody's like, you can't do that. So it's more of a destination. You can set it as big as you want.
And then you can have, you know, other stops along the way that are there that are a little bit more easier to measure and get to where you can then feel like you're making progress.”
“Right, you and I had that conversation about, you're one of your students. You were talking about like going to like a skills competition, and the student was like, why are, like already broke down the goal, like, well, I'm not gonna win that, or I'm not gonna be able to achieve that. So can you tell me about a little bit of that?
Right, so I think like a lot of times in society, it's kind of set up that if you don't accomplish your goal, you're a failure. So that's why people are like, well, don't set a big one because you're gonna fail, and then you're just gonna be worthless, or you can't achieve what you wanted to do, or all these negative things are built around this thing where they say, you know, like, if you can't do that. And so my student was just a defense mechanism.”
“You know, he said, well, I'm probably gonna fail. That way, if he did fail, nobody's gonna tear him down for failing because he's like, well, I already told you guys I was gonna fail, so you can't make fun of me if I don't reach that goal, or if I don't accomplish it. So like, that's such a negative, I think, point of view that's wrapped around like setting goals, you know?
That's why when you change your perspective and it's more of a measurement, you know, people can't really make fun of you if you're telling people where you wanna go and how you're gonna get there. But so that's kind of like the, to remove that negative part of it, you know? And people have to understand, and me, you say this all the time, you know, in power lifting, we set all kinds of crazy goals, and it's like, there's no failures, there's only attempts.”

“You know, if I didn't get it this time, I'll get it next time. You know, I'm just gonna keep lifting until I get it.
Well, and that's why I really like that power lifting mentality, is like when you step on the platform, you have three attempts, and you go into it with a game plan of like, hey, I wanna do this for my first attempt, my second attempt, and my third attempt. Usually the third attempt is like this, like a new PR or something crazy kind of thing, right? But if you miss your first attempt, you can either jump to the next goal, or you can backtrack and say, I'm gonna try to hit that again.”
“But you have multiple attempts, you have three attempts within the same exact setting. And so it's not even like you missed it, and now your shot is taken, like you won't be able to retake that shot. So I really like that type of behavior within the industry of power lifting, just because of that.
It's really similar in life too, is that it's not the end of the world. If you miss the one attempt, you'll have another chance at it, usually, whatever your goal is, whether that's gonna be a physical goal or an educational goal. You and I had to take tests in order to become teachers.”

“And sometimes it takes multiple attempts in order to achieve that goal, and it's not the end of the world. And it feels that way a lot of times, but I think you were 100% right when you said that it's a defense mechanism. We're so used to talking ourselves out of achieving the goals because we are deeming them as being out of our reach.
And so if we make the goal even smaller, then nobody else can tell you that it's too big. And I think we oftentimes see that we are surrounded by so many people that are already diminishing our goals because they're afraid of their own goals. They're afraid of even reaching bigger goals.”

“So I think it's really important that you surround yourself with people who are dreaming just as big as you or bigger. So I need to associate with somebody like Elon Musk, who's dreaming of going to Mars and accomplishing that big goals.
Well, so you just hit on like a whole bunch of different points. It was awesome.
I know, it ran.
Yeah, but you were just nailing them all down. And that's great because, for starters, that perspective in life that you're always gonna get it. There's always another opportunity in life.”

“And that's a great perspective to have because then you're not focused on like failing and not failing. It's just, you just keep moving forward towards that goal and you'll find a way and eventually you'll accomplish it. So I love that.
With that perspective, then you don't set those limitations, which was the next point you brought up. And that's one thing that I look at and it kind of frustrates me when I see people do that. It's like, there's already so many limitations set in life as it is, so many challenges that you have to get over that why would you wanna put a limitation on yourself when you're like, well, I can't achieve that goal.”

“I can't reach that goal. Why even start to put that limitation, whether that's true or not? Why put the limitation?
Life has its own challenges already built in. You don't have to add to it. Set that goal, just hide it as big as you want it to be.
And don't be the first one that shuts you down. And that's kinda what you were saying. So if you can change your perspective on that, goals can be such a powerful tool to use to help you become successful and to have a fulfilled and joyful life.
And again, we're gonna go back into the power lifting thing because being a lady in the fitness world, oftentimes, I mean, this is, I would say it's kind of relatively new for power lifting, for women to be lifting big weights. And I remember when you and I first started going to the gym together, you would tell me like, oh, you're more than capable of lifting those weights. I couldn't do that.”

“Like, I can't lift a 35-pound dumbbell. I can't lift, you know, whatever that was. I was putting that limitation on me, mostly because I hadn't seen anybody else do it.
And again, it goes back to Jamie, our traps and Jamie, our friends there is, Jamie was like the very first lady that I had seen in person being able to lift bigger weights. And I was like, oh, I'm like Jamie. Like, Jamie and I are really similar.
Like, if Jamie could do it, I could do it too. Now our world is saturated with social media. We can access those types of people.
So you don't even have to be within like the physical realm of being around people who can help you achieve your goals or helping you push your own goals to be bigger and higher and like wider out than you really thought because they're showing you that it's achievable. And once you see that it can be done, then it takes off that limitation like you were saying. And I think that's easier for you to see yourself reach that goal if you've seen somebody else lay the paid work.”

“Oh, definitely. And I think you also touched on a good point when you talked about the type of people that you surround yourself with. You know, like I'm very selective in the people that I spend my time with.
And I like it to be with people that are like-minded where they are also pushing themselves and challenging themselves. The people that struggle with that and, you know, talk themselves out of everything and they can't do anything because they have a million reasons why they can't and excuses. So that's the type of people that I don't really associate with because I want to be around the people that motivate me to progress further and be better about myself and to keep, you know, moving forward.
So you touched on that and the people that you surround yourself with. It plays a big part. So that's a very valid point that you brought up.”

“Well, and on that note, too, is that I think about, I mean, I'm grateful that you and I have each other because we do already push each other in that sense of like, you told me this big goal. And back in the day when I first like started dating or in the very early stages of our marriage, I would look at your goals and be like, that's crazy. You're a little bit crazy.
And now I have got back onto your level because I've had my own successes and I'm like, oh, okay, I see where he's at. But, and I'm so glad that you are strong within yourself. So then that way I never like tore you down, hopefully, in that sense of like bringing you down and being like, oh, she doesn't believe in me.
Like I won't be able to do it kind of thing. But there are so many people that maybe have never even achieved any sort of success in their lives. And so one person putting a limitation on themselves or saying like, do you really think you're gonna do that?”

“You're gonna open up your own business? Oh, that's really scary. You're gonna, why would you want to leave your job?
And if you didn't have somebody already in your corner where you might double-suspect them, how many of these people talk themselves out of their own goals just because of the people they surround themselves with?
Oh, all the time. And one of the saddest things I think you see is that people that are naturally gifted, that have a talent, you know, and they're phenomenal at what they can do, but they just can't use that tool of goal setting. And like you said, they talk themselves out of it.”
“Maybe they're a gifted artist or a musician or all kinds of different aspects in life, and they just have so much talent and so much skill, but they just can't ever step to that next level because they're so afraid, you know, and they can't use that power of goals to be able to accomplish and move forward, or they just don't know how. You know, a lot of it too is they don't know how or they're scared to do it. Like you said, they've seen other people that are successful, but they don't know how they got there.
They don't understand that. So like you really have to change that perspective. And when you do, it takes a lot of that fear and all that other stuff out of that.”
“You really see what goals are for what they are, you know? And one of the things like I always tell my students and just different people I'm talking about, I'll always say the goal is obsolete. It's just a measurement, nothing else.
There's no magical rainbow and a pot of gold at the end of your goal. You know, like when you hit that new PR that you've been working for for three or four months, you know, and you finally hit that number that you've really been trying to pull or push in the gym, you feel great for 30 minutes, hour maybe tops, and then it's gone. And so you can do that, but now it's time for the next goal.
It's time to move on. There's nothing, it's the journey between goals that you really grow and you really achieve all that you wanna achieve. So that's the real good stuff is between the goals.
The goal itself is just a measurement. Once you reach it, it's time to move on and continue to grow.”
“Well, and that's why you have to set your goal so high because then that way you are hitting all these other milestones within the middle of reaching that goal because sometimes people sit, well, I've reached my goal, now what? Because that's as big as they were thinking and they don't know how to think even bigger than that. That I think is almost detrimental a lot of times because those people, once they hit that goal, they got the dream job that they thought they wanted and then they're just now stuck again and they don't know how to move forward.
Well, and I think they get a little bit devastated because they put so much into what this goal is going to mean for them and how it's going to give them this wonderful life that they want when they're missing out on all the good stuff that happens in between the goals. They reach that goal and then they realize that didn't make my life amazing. That didn't make, it didn't change everything for me.”
“You know, like I'm still the same person. I'm still doing the same thing every day. I'm still going to wake up tomorrow.
It's the same world I live in. Like, so that kind of is devastating for them sometimes because they'll hit that goal like you're talking about. Like, you know, my dream was to be a scientist.
I graduated college. I got the job. I'm a scientist now, but now what?
You know, like, that's not the end of life. So what am I going to do? So we got to, but when you look at it as a form of a measurement, you're like, okay, all right, so this is where I went.
And okay, now where am I going to go next? And if you can see it that way, then you're always moving forward and your life is going to progress.
And maybe it is almost like changing and looking at, because I want to move into, like you were saying, is people don't know how to make goals or what it takes in order to get that goal to be formulated in your mind. So I look at their scientist example of, maybe your “goal isn't to become a scientist. Maybe it is bigger than that.
What's your why? Maybe it's more of like, my goal is to cure some sort of disease and the measurements in order to get to curing that big goal is what do I have to do? I have to become the scientist, then I have to do the research, and then I have to, and then all of those other steps are already laying themselves out as micro goals leading up to the big why.
And maybe that is your why of when I'm curing this disease, then I will feel fulfilled, then I will be able to say like, I can look back and go, oh, I did this, and maybe that part is enough. But maybe just becoming the scientist isn't enough, but when you attach your why to it, maybe that becomes enough.”
“So that's what I would call advanced use of the tool. So you have mastered like the using of goals and how to really to set it to that level. And so like we talked about how people often, oh, their goals are ridiculous, they're too high, because they don't understand that concept.
So they can't see everything you just laid out, like they can't see what that is. And so that's, I would say that's advanced usage of that. So once you start to learn how to use goals, you can start getting to that point.
Like the people that do that, you see they're wildly successful beyond what most people can comprehend or understand. And it really is one of the main keys of that is using that method of measurement successfully.
So in order to get people to be just even understanding like what goal to start working towards or how to achieve whatever goal that they're wanting to do, let's say they wanted to start their own business or something, because that's something you and I have in common and we can talk about.”

“But I have on my website digital downloads for people to download a goal setting sheet. And some of them are very basic, where it's one specific, it's called a SMURF goal. So it's stating it, how is it measured, how are you going to achieve this?
And it lays it out, it's very systematic. That's one method. There's mind mapping where you're like, I'm gonna start with an idea and then it's gonna just spread out into so many different avenues within my life.
There's the vision board of what you want your life to look like. And so you're gonna have education, you're gonna have family, you're gonna have friends, you're gonna have looks, you're gonna have all these different things that accompany to one vision, centered around you, your person. So there's lots of different avenues of how you can build goals, but what do you think is one of the most helpful tips for somebody just getting started?
Well, one of the things, again, I talk with my students often because it's mandatory that they set a goal, but I tell them also...
Hold on, do you have them set a goal for the whole year “or a lifetime goal?
It's a career goal.
Okay, it's a career goal.
So they set a career goal because we're career-type. So that's what they're there for, is to develop their career.
So with the two years after they leave your program, hopefully they have achieved that goal.
Or moving in that direction. It could take 10 years to accomplish their career goal.”

“Speaking of, before we move forward, let's put a pin on this. What if we had, what if you created like a bulletin board with like everybody's names, like at the beginning of the year kind of thing, and that stays up in your classroom for the two years? It's like, this is your goal.
Hey, do you remember that? It's what your goal is. Maybe you and I can talk about it afterwards.
Okay, so when you talk about that, so you have to set the goal. But one of the things that with goal setting that you have to learn to develop is you have to be able to pivot. So a lot of times, I have these students come in and say, you know, I really like framing.
I really want to work on a framing crew or have my own framing crew, whatever they want to do. But they've never built cabinets before. And then they start going to cabinets, this is Mr. Dan, I love cabinets.
This is what I really want to do. So then they pivot. So now that career pivots.”
“So as life brings you opportunities, you have to be able to see those opportunities and learn to be able to pivot. I never dreamed I would be a teacher. I didn't think that that's what I was gonna do, was work with young adults and high school students, helping them prepare themselves for their career.
That's not something I ever envisioned in my life. It was just an opportunity that came my way. And I pivoted to it, and now I have some whole new set of goals that follow with it as a different career or a new career.
So you never know what life's gonna bring you to. So you do have to be open for those pivots, especially in the beginning, when you're starting to learn to set these goals. Because as you start to move forward, more opportunities come your way.”
“And that's one of the great things about moving forward in life and improving and growing, is that the more you grow, the more you improve. All these different opportunities start coming, start meeting different people and different things, and people say, wow, I bet you'd be really good at this. What do you think about coming over here and working on my team?
And all that kind of stuff, you're like, wow, you know, I never thought about that. But then you do, and you're like, wow, I really like this and this part of the aspect of life and doing this as my career. And then a whole new spread of goals stretch from there.”
“So you have to be able to do that, to be able to pivot, see opportunities, and be able to say, if you're too fixated, sometimes you can miss a lot of opportunities in life as you go along. But like you said, though, if you had a real why to your goal, like maybe your sister had cancer and you want to work on curing that cancer, or like I've heard parents talk about their kid died from a certain disease and they built foundations for it, or they've started doing research and they got their degree and they're trying to solve this problem out there in the world and that's a completely fixated goal. So that's something you're going to drive really hard on.
But even that goal, you may pivot some because different opportunities come in life and you get opportunities to work with different people on that and there may be other diseases that come your way that you're going to start working on as well, or whatever you know. Yeah, so you never know what life's going to bring. So that's something you have to be aware of.”
“And that's what I tell my students all the time. You're going to set this goal, okay? But that's, we're going to pivot, if need be.
You find something else that's your passion and you love in life.
Yeah, you're not stuck.
Yep, we're going to pivot that goal, and we're going to change it, but we're going to keep moving forward regardless of what we do.
Okay, so that's a good thing for us to remember. But I think a lot of time is people have what's called like, oh gosh, what was the word? It's like the paralysis, where they have saw all these things of what they want to do, or they know where they want to go.
I want to own my own business. I want to be my own boss, or I want to lose 30 pounds kind of thing. Whatever their specific goal is specifically, they now have that paralysis because they just don't know what to do.
So what are we actually achieve that goal? Maybe they have no problem setting the goal, but it's actually like putting it into action.”
“Right, achieving goals is a whole different thing. And it requires a lot of different aspects to it. But one of the most important parts of being able to achieve a goal to move forward is that you have to build confidence.
So those two play hand in hand. So if you don't have any confidence, it's very difficult to chase a dream or perceive a goal or even set the goal because you don't have the confidence to do it. So then you have to talk about confidence.
And confidence, I always say, is the building blocks to success. So I talk in several different lectures and when I'm lecturing to my students and when I'm helping adults in developing their business or starting a business, that kind of stuff, this is one of the topics that I bring up and is very, very crucial and important, is understanding confidence and how to build what is called interior confidence. So, confidence built within yourself, and that's really what you need.”

“A lot of people can tell you, you're great, you're awesome, you can do a really good job, you're wonderful, but that doesn't carry very far because those same people can come back ten minutes later and tell you that you suck and you made a horrible decision, and all that confidence that was built up is now gone again. So it's not sustainable. It has to come within and from within to build confidence.
You have to have knowledge and experience. So those are the two things you have to do. So if you need to build internal confidence and you've set a goal, you need to start learning everything there is to know about that goal you set.
That will build that knowledge, and that knowledge will then in turn start to build confidence.”
“So when you say knowledge, it's like using power lifting. I have a goal of going to Olympia, and I'm bench pressing 200 pounds. So how am I going to do that?
The knowledge of I'm going to do all this research of what it's going to take in order to have the best technique, and how much muscle mass I need to have in my body, like all that stuff, that's the knowledge.
Yep. So the knowledge is you're going to learn everything there is to know about benching and improving your benching. You're going to hire a coach, which you already have, that is going to give you knowledge on how to bench and improve your technique.
So this is how you're gaining the knowledge. The experience that you're going to gain is in the gym. Yep.
So that's your training. So you are in the gym six days a week, seven days a week training, and you're gaining experience on that bench. I benched 185 today.”
“Next two weeks, three weeks later. I benched 190. And eventually you get to that 200 pounds.
You have the experience and you have the knowledge. You have now built the confidence to go up onto that stage and attempt that goal. So same thing applies to business.
It's that same thing. You have to get knowledge, and then you have to have experience. My students come into my program, they get the experience and the knowledge in my program, which builds their confidence.
They get to practice building things. They get to learn how to build the things. They have the knowledge, the experience.
They now build the internal confidence. They're ready to go out into the world and pursue that goal.
I like it. But I see a lot of times is people will come and ask me questions, like, how can you do that? Because, like you said, they might not know the knowledge behind it, but I might give them the knowledge, but then they just don't do anything with it.”
“So I think a third part of what you're saying about that, actually achieving your goals, is just acting. And so you build confidence within yourself by just moving. As long as you're moving in one direction, as long as you're moving forward, you are building that confidence within yourself, because you're telling yourself, okay, I told myself I'm going to work on this goal, and that means that I have to go to the gym.
Okay, that was one day, and I'm going to go to the next day, and then the next day, and then soon enough, you're starting to build the confidence within yourself that I'm finishing what I said I'm going to do. Because I think a lot of times we hear from people that they set these goals, but then they are already telling themselves it's not achievable because they haven't actually ever acted upon their goals to actually make them achievable for themselves, so they don't have any confidence.
Right, and self-discipline is a key part that you're describing right now. But I think what you're looking at is there is a reason why not everyone is successful in life. It is not easy

“not everyone is successful in life. It is not easy.
Yeah, it's not. And that's what you have to look at. You have to want it bad enough to do it, and to keep moving, like you talked about, especially in the beginning.
The beginning is the hardest part. Once the momentum is behind you, you get to a point where you can't even stop. You just move in, and you're like, I can go seven different directions, and I can do them all at one time.
Watch. And you just can't stop. You're just moving so fast.
But in the beginning, it's like getting that thing moving is almost impossible. You just feel like every day is a grind. Like every day of going into the gym is a grind.
I see no results. I can't do anything. They look at me like I don't look better.
I don't feel better. Like it's a grind, a grind, a grind. Every day is a grind.”

“But you got to get through that, you know, and that's where it wants to. And sometimes some of that external confidence can help that you're talking about. That's where that can kind of come into play.
Once you're building your internal confidence, your external confidence can give you a little push to help you do that grind.
If you set a person, having a coach, having a friend, a role model, it could be that you're going to go out and buy a new workout outfit, because once you look good, you look good. And I am envisioning in my head when you and I are trying to move a hay bale down to feed the cows when our tractor was frozen. And it took so much stinking effort behind just getting the stinking hay bale to move.
Because you're talking about 1,100 pounds of us physically trying to push it, and these cows are jumping all over, and I'm just envisioning this as all of these outside forces, like, okay, are you ready?
“And they're just making it so much harder. And then once you can get an inch, it kind of rocks backwards. And it's like, one step forward, one step back.
And you push it again. And once you start to push back, and it pushes back at you, and you're kind of making that swinging motion, then it finally starts to go, and you can just feel this release come over you by being like, okay. And then you just start running after that veil.
I'm just like envisioning us like, running down the hill. And then at one point, like you said, you can just put your arms back, and it will just keep going. And you can really, not saying you should let off the gas on the bulls, but it just becomes second nature.
And you're like, oh, I can move that bull. I can move that veil. I've done it before.
It does. And that's a wonderful analogy. So I think you nailed it right on the head.
His arrangement is exactly what picture I'm drawing in my head, because I'm sure they've done it too.
Exactly. And so I think that that's perfect.

“And it really is.
But once it comes down to being successful with that tool, the better you are with any tool, the better your project comes out with, the more successful you are. So goal setting is just a tool. It's just simply a form of measurement.
And the better you are with it, the more successful you will be. And that's the way with anything in life, I think. But you're 100% right.
Getting started is difficult. And I think that's why they have schools where we teach to help these kids get started, to help these young adults get started. And that's why there's power lifting coaches, and that's why there's athletes have coaches and stuff like that.”
“Business coaches.
Business coaches. All these different people are out there to help you begin to get that momentum moving. And that's why there's a need for it.
That's the purpose behind it, I think. And that's a void that we feel, that we work on very hard helping other people to get that momentum moving. See their potential.
Yep. Learn how to master using goals and learn how to be successful in life. Probably the biggest thing I talked about in my classroom when it comes to success is quality of life.
And so you talked about, okay, well, how do they know what goal is that? How do they know what to do? And my kids come in here all the time with that.
Like, what do you want to do? They're like, I don't know. What do you want to do?
I don't know. What are you going to do next week?
I don't know.
So I'm like, okay, okay, okay. You don't know. I got it.
Well, how are you ever going to know? And they, I don't know. I said, well, we need to look at quality of life.
For every person, you know, every “every person is different. We talk about that all the time. We all got our own thumb print.
So everybody's different. What quality of life means to you might be different to me. Like I talk all the time.
Do you want a two-story house and a really nice car for five kids? Or do you want a little traveling van and you're just hitting the coast and hitting the waves? Like, what quality of life mean to you?
You know, what do you want? What do you envision that you want your life to be that's going to make you happy in life? So let's set that.
Let's figure that out. Then we can build our goals around that. And a lot of people do this naturally.”

“They just don't realize they're doing it. But when you're talking about that, you're like, hey, so they're kind of like thinking maybe they want to have their own business. But okay, well, what kind of quality of life do you want?
And we can build your business around that quality of life. You know, because if you're like, well, you know, I want to have a vacation home and a home in the mountains, a cabin in the mountains, and in my regular house, and I want to have, you know, five cars, and I'm going to open up a little mom and pop restaurant. I'm telling you, you're not going to meet your quality of life on this business plan that you've developed.”

“You know, we're going to have to think a little bit different here to reach that quality of life that you want, you know? So looking at that on the business aspect, anyways, of, you know, how to set that, or, you know, just in life general, like where do you head it and what do you do, and how do we set those goals? Well, first let's decide what life, what we dream we want life to look like.
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, and then I also want to remind our listeners about like the pivoting, because you can dream up what you think is going to make you happy of having this quality of life, of having a jet and having a really nice car and all this, but then you're going to get all of that and realize, oh, this isn't actually even what I really wanted, so it's okay to pivot even after that. But I think about when you and I started, like trying to figure out like what was going on with like our stomach and our health issues. And so you and I had jumped on the bandwagon of trying the carnivore diet.

“And so I think it's important for people when there's, like when we want to get them to choose the type of quality of life and just getting started and having that momentum and just acting and not sitting on their bowl for too long and just trying to, because a lot of times I think people like sit on their bowl and they're like, well, I can't start yet until I accumulate all of this knowledge. And then I was realizing like I'm looking at the carnivore thing that we were doing, which is like mostly animal-based diet. So you're just eating animal-based products.
And we gave ourselves 30 days. Let's just see what happens in 30 days. Let's just be on it and stick with it for 30 days.
And then we can adapt and change and subtract and add things in or whatever that is. But we didn't sit too long of like researching, like what is the carnivore diet? How does that gonna make me feel?
Is this bad? Is this good? We just needed to put feet on the ground and see what was gonna happen in the moment.
And so I think “that's also important too that the three things that you and I talked about of act, knowledge, and then, what was the front of the confidence?
Yes.
So all three of those really have to interact with each other. But I almost want to say like act is first because you're gonna start gaining knowledge when you act. You are your best teacher of being like, well, that didn't work.
I need to pivot and change.
Well, I think confidence comes first because confidence is what gives you that ability to act.”
“So like when you're confident, you're able to act, but it's internal confidence. Now you don't have to have, when you build internal confidence, like you power lift, but because you power lift, so many other things in life to you now are, oh, I can do that.
Sure.
I can do that because I can do this, so I can do that easy. And it's nothing related to power lifting, but you built internal confidence that allows you to do whatever it is that you want to do.
You have to act in order to gain the confidence.
You do some, but you do have to act some, but you have to get experience, so you have to train. You don't go on to the power lifting stage first day of power lifting. You go into the gym and you train.
So you get knowledge, you get experience, that builds your confidence, then you go and perform.
So you're using the word act and experience interchangeable.
Yes.
I think that's more clear.”
“Yes, act and experience are the same thing. You're right, because you're moving forward towards that goal, but you've got to get in, you've got to move, you've got to follow the steps, definitely, 100%. But that's where a lot of people struggle, but it's also personality, because my natural personality is Geronimo.
Like, I'm like, what are you talking about? Like, hey, let's do this. I'm already like, yep, I'm in.
What's it cost? Oh, I don't know. We haven't looked at that yet, but let's do it.
Well, it's actually going to cost like $200,000 for us to keep going in this. Yeah, let's do it. I'm ready.
Come on, let's make this happen. And you're like, I think we should take this through for a minute. And sometimes that pays off big, and sometimes it bites you real big.
This did not work out. Oh, I thought I was going to. This was not what I was thinking.
And so you can be a little too quick to pull the trigger, and you can be too reserved, where you're like, well, I got to figure everything out. I don't know. It's a little risky.”
“And then you never take those risks, those opportunities in life. So it is a balance. And we balance each other out really well, I think, because you have mellowed me out a little bit, and I'm a little calmer of, yep, let's go.
I'm like, you know, this is a great idea. Let's give it a couple of minutes and think about it. And you've gone where you used to be like, I don't know, man.
Like, I don't know. And now you're like, yeah, I can see this happening. Let's go for it.
So you've like moved a little more towards the center and I moved a little bit more to the center because we bounce each other out. And like that has really helped because I think there's a lot to say about planning things out a little bit and looking at all the different possibilities and aspects of it and risk to reward ratio. And but, you know, also there are times that you just got to go, you got to jump and you got to do it.”
“And like when I was given the opportunity to become an instructor, you know, like that one, I just jumped, you know, and I'm glad I did because if I had really thought it out and I think there's a million reasons I could talk myself out of that one, for sure. High school kids? I don't know, man.
You know, but like I could have, but I didn't. I just jumped and I'm kind of glad I did that time.
But also there wasn't as much of a risk on our there because it was like, okay, I'll just finish out the school year and see and revaluate. So there are some goals that you can jump for or opportunities that you can take on that don't have a whole lot of risk. So it's okay to jump right in without doing the whole lot of the knowledge prep, and you can just immediately start to act.”
“And then you can pivot and change when needed, as opposed to if I'm going to start a brand new adventure of a business, then I have to invest $200,000. Well, now I'm stuck with this 30-year loan. I better make sure that I will actually have thought this through.
That's why a lot of times banks need a five-year business plan and et cetera, because those are just two different extremes. But like you said, I think you can find a middle ground on a lot of these different aspects and be successful in your life.
And I think that is really the key. But sometimes it requires you just figuring that out and learning that. So maybe you didn't pull the trigger fast enough and an opportunity slipped by, and you regret that.”

 “Or you jumped in too fast and you get burned a little bit, and you got to restructure and build the pieces up. But I think learning where that middle is, that's just part of life. And honestly, a fun part of life, even though it can be painful in the moment, when you look back and you learn so much from those attempts, we like to call them, that it really prepares you for other things in the future.
I would say some of my businesses that didn't pan out very well, I learned so much more to build the next business, and it was so much more successful because of what I learned from those, than the ones that were really successful that I ran. I've run one that's really successful and think that I can just start another one, and it's going to be successful too, and that's not always the case. And so by learning that, learning like, hey, I got different skills, learn different things, learn how to map to do things and what to do, mistakes that apply, then I can apply them to the next business in a while.”
“It's even more successful than my first successful business. So that's just all part of learning in life. I would encourage them to, you know, figure where that middle ground is and go from there.
Because again, it goes back to what's the worst that can happen? You know, you, the worst, I mean, really the worst that's going to happen is that you're not going to act and you're going to have all this regret. But with your goals, it's like, if you didn't make that goal that you set for yourself in the platform, there's going to be other competitions you can go to.
There's going to be other days that you can go back in at the training session. And so it's just what's really the worst that can happen is you miss that attempt initially, but there's going to be so many more opportunities that you can reach to. There's very few situations in life where you miss the opportunity and you'll never get that other chance again.”

“We talk about that often, and we prioritize things in that manner. So we talk about health. To us, health is probably the most important thing because we have experienced when the health goes, all these other things are just obsolete.
They no longer carry any weight. Your worries, your burdens, your achievements, your accomplishments, all these things that were so important in your life that just carried everything and maybe even made up who you were, all disappear in just a flash. And all of a sudden, all that you're hanging on to or striving for is that health.
So that really puts things in perspective. And then when you have your health, and you've been through experiences like that, it's really easy to be like, yeah, I'm going to go try this, this goal.
I'm going to set this goal. I'm going to get it.
I'll get it next time. Like you said, what's the worst thing that's going to happen? It's not incomparable.”
“As long as I'm healthy and my family's healthy and everybody's good, all the rest of it's just life and having a good time. So I think if you can look at it that way, I think it will help you to be more successful with your goals moving forward. So perspective.
Sure. Well, let's go ahead and wrap this up. Let's kind of summarize some of our key takeaways and leave our audience with any other type of lasting advice that we can leave them about goal setting or just mindset within achieving the life that they want to live.
So my last thing I would say is that it's perspective, perspective, perspective. If your goal's not working out for you, if things aren't working out for you, check the way your perspective is, check the way you view it. Because a lot of times all you have to do is change your perspective slightly.”

“And if you change that perspective slightly, you'll find that you'll be able to get over that obstacle and move forward in that goal. And like Lauren said, act. You gotta act and go for it.
All right. That sounds great. Well, I really like having these conversations with you.
You and I have, you and I think a lot of, a lot similar nowadays now that we have kind of, I mean, we'll never master communication within like our relationship and whatnot, but I value hearing what you have to say because I do know that it makes an impact within your classroom. And then I learned from you and I've taken like, oh, I like that idea. We're gonna do that in my classroom too.
So that's helpful. And then we have, we share a lot about what we do. I share more than you do on like social media and stuff.
So I hear a lot of these conversations from people all over the world who ask me like, who have said like, oh, I've been following you for so many years, and how did you do this? Or wow, it's just amazing you've done this...

“So that's why I'm really glad that we're kind of sitting down and having conversations like this together, just so then hopefully we can kind of let them in on life. Because you're kind of a private person. I'm not as private as you.
We were talking yesterday that like, I think I'm more of like an introvert, extrovert. So I enjoy watching other people succeed in their life. And I want, if I can be at any sort of helpful avenue for them, then I enjoy that.
But then afterwards, like, I like just having conversations with just you and I at home. And it's like really silent because it does take a lot of energy in order to outwardly express my thoughts and stuff. So I appreciate you sitting down with me today.
I hope you can make this a regular thing.”