Are your goals realistic? 🤔💭

“There are no unrealistic goals, only unrealistic deadlines” — Brian Tracy

Cool quote but how do I apply it? What does it really mean?

At 20 years old I was selling sneakers from a wholesaler I found online. I printed out pictures, put them in a binder, and told my cousins in high school they’ll get $25 per sneaker they sell.

The 3 of them started selling dozens. Pre-sales made in cash, sneakers got shipped, everyone was happy. It was a great feeling.

Then one day… the sneakers didn’t ship.

The wholesaler contacted me saying he didn’t have anymore. He stopped responding and his website disappeared.

My uncle said to me “our family is meant to just be.” In other words, when things get tough don’t overcome it. Just accept it and be average.

So I did. I quit and looked for the next thing to do.

It wasn't my goals that were a problem. I had no vision. The goals are what build the vision.

I challenge the term BHAG - “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” from genius author James C. Collins in Built to Last.

I’d call it BHAV for the word Vision. The vision should be way out of your comfort zone. It should literally feel like a dream.

However, the goals are very realistic. The goals are the steps on the way to the vision.

A baby has the vision of walking. They get there with 1 step at a time. We even get the most excited when we see them take the first step.

In the past I told my story about the 50k I signed up for. I treated it like a goal and didn’t put in the work. So I took a DNF 30k in.

The marathon I’m running in May is a vision I have. Call it a goal if you want but my goals are what I need to do each day to achieve my vision of running a marathon. 2.5 miles, 4 miles, 7 miles, and so on.

The vision needs to be further out of your comfort zone than you ever believed. Call it the “What.”

The goals are the baby steps that get you there. This is the “How.”

As you can see from the photos these steps have to be planned. I’ve even gone way outside my comfort zone to plan my entire year with the vision of having the greatest year of my life.

Dozens of you have asked me about The Big A## Calendar so I’m sharing more details before Jan. 1 shows up. I’m still adding to this daily.

The post its are because plans can change easily. When the day ends, I can write what happened in the box permanently. Use the colors however you want of course.

This is my vision of overcoming the most discomfort I ever leaned into. At the end of the year I want to be in awe of what my life was for 2024.

Feel free to reply back with your BHAV and the uncomfortable goals you need to execute to get there.

Give More. Joe

PS. Dozens of you have emailed me and it means the world. You are inspiring me to figure out more ways to give more!

PSS. Here’s a video of Cameron Herald talking about what a Vision is. It’s not a YouTube link so you can avoid the algorithm rabbit hole. Cameron Herald - Your Vision Statement Sucks