4 Lessons on Achieving Your Goals The bigger the goal, the more small steps are required to reach it.
By Timothy Sykes Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
We all have goals. How to achieve those goals is the number one question I receive about becoming a millionaire and succeeding in life. It's not as complex as you might think, either. Sometimes it's just about taking a step back to see the bigger picture.
Here are three important lessons to learn about achieving your goals to keep in mind as you take on the day.
1. Focus on what you need instead of what you want.
You might think you want that big house and three cars, but do you really need it? This is such a simple way to set authentic priorities, yet so few people get it.
A simple "want'' is nothing but a fantasy. You need to be passionate to achieve what you want to achieve or it's never going to happen. It almost must be tinged with desperation.
Related: Here's Why You Can't Stay Focused
2. Learn the lessons from all of it, positive and negative.
Life is never all good or all bad, so we have to learn from both. When you find yourself basking in all that is positive in your life, think about how you managed to succeed. How can you replicate that same success? On the other hand, you need to be able to grow on the negative. Think about why you failed and how you can avoid doing that again.
Set aside some time every week to reflect on your successes and failures. It's the only way you're going to grow to a point where you can achieve your goals. Don't over-think every project afterwards but if you can take one lesson from each experience you know you've done it right.
Related: If You Want to Succeed, Here Are 5 Things You Need to Do Differently
3. Stay focused on the prize.
It's easy to lose focus when you're taking on multiple ventures at the same time. To make sure you stay focused on the prize always have a plan for the short-term, medium-term and the long-term.
Question everything you're doing. Ask yourself: "Is what I am doing right now contributing towards my short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals?" Making sure that you're studying hard is key here.
If the answer is no then you know you need to rethink what you're doing. Staying focused on the prize is what will prevent you from wasting your time on the tasks that don't matter.
Related: If You Want to Win, Stop Focusing on Winning
4. The main lesson is to think before and after.
Think about what you're about to do and whether it takes you closer to your goals. Think about what you have done and determine whether you could have done it better or whether things turned out how you wanted them.
It can be hard to stop when you're in the middle of something, but this is the most important part of all. Once you manage to do this you'll get more results for every action.
