You need better systems, not better goals

Everyone wants to do well, to be a success in whatever they’re doing - to get that new job, win a medal, lose weight or run their first 10k.

And we’ve been wired to believe that to achieve those successes, we need to set better goals.

But if we’ve all got roughly the same goals, then why is it that some people achieve their goals and some don’t?

Setting goals is not what separates success or failure. You can have the most measurable goals in place, and you can still fail to achieve them.

Results have little to do with the goals we set. They have everything to do with the systems we have in place to achieve those goals.

Those systems - how you think and act every day - is what separates the people who reach their goals and the people who don’t.

As James Clear said “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

Goals tell you where you want to go; they’re focused on tomorrow. Systems tell you what you need to do every day to get there; they’re focused on today.

The small decisions and small actions you take every day are critical and matter more - because it’s a journey, not an end point.

And that’s why you don’t need better goals, you need better systems.

So what exactly is a system?

A system is designed to make it easy for you to regularly repeat the necessary tasks that will help accomplish your goals.

So if your goal is to lose 30 pounds in six months, then your system is how you build a lifestyle that makes it easy for you to commit to daily exercise and healthy eating.

The secret to building a great system is to focus on small consistent wins. The key being those two words: small and consistent.

So if you want to lose 30 pounds in six months? Eat two healthy meals [small] per day [consistent] and exercise for 30 minutes [small] every other day [consistent].

Small, consistent steps are the secret to creating big, sustainable changes.