5 Ways To Reach Your Goals (Including Why Being Stuck Can Be A Good Thing)

By Doug Bennett aka The Goals Guy® with special guest Joanne Kaminski

If you’re a goal-getter, it’s likely you’ve heard time and time again the importance of “taking one action every day that moves you closer towards your goal”; but have you stopped to consider how you could make that action even more hands-on so that you can evidence your progress?

I recently chatted with Joanne Kaminski, an online reading tutor and business coach. She helps great teachers and tutors get students from all over the world. She’s also the author of How to Start an Online Tutoring Business: Making 4–5 Figures a Month.

You can hear our full conversation on the Goals Do Come True podcast (click here to listen).

You’ll notice in the heading of this article I mentioned that “being stuck can be a good thing”. In general terms if you’re stuck, you often learn to be more resourceful – and in this blog, that term specifically alludes to sticky notes! 

I’m going to share five ways that Joanne moves from goal setting to goal getting. I’m a particular fan of #5 because, in the past, I’ve wanted to dig up my goal to see if it’s taken root or not (it’ll all make sense in a minute!).

1) Create one clear, compelling goal

Joanne: “Instead of coming up with 5,000 different business goals this year, I came up with one, and then I devised my strategy. My goal for 2022 is to feature on 100 podcasts. When I started sharing this goal with other people, they told me I was crazy and I’d never achieve it. I just started with the belief that I could make it happen, then started to explore the actions I’d need to take.”

I love how clear-cut Joanne’s goal is. Rather than have a handful of massive goals, she just created one because she already has a strong business foundation in place.

2) Break your goal down into bite-sized chunks

Joanne: “I stuck Post-it® notes to large sheets of paper in my room. Each Post-it® has an action that will bring me closer to my goal, such as reaching out to another podcaster and getting them to schedule me. It’s something that I can easily keep track of so it helps me to be consistent. Each day all I need to do is remove one Post-it®, take the action and move it across to the next board.”

I love Joanne’s idea because she’s not just taking the action, she is also physically moving the   Post-it® note, which helps her mind to recognise real progress. The fact that she’s broken her goal down into these smaller actions instantly makes it easier for her to complete them and move closer to her goal.

3) Build momentum

Joanne: “Once you get started, it’s much easier to keep going. Even if you only have 15 minutes to focus on your goal on one particular day, you can still take an action to nudge you forward. There might also be times when you take a three-week break and that goal is not a priority, but because you have your Post-it® notes in a strategic place where you have to see them, you’re reminded about that goal. You can check in to see if that goal is still aligned to how you’re feeling, and if so, start taking action again. These sheets are so big that I have to look at them, and that often leads to action.”

4) Measure results

Joanne: “I’m constantly asking questions to see if I’m on track: did I do anything towards my goal today? How did I connect with people? How did I add value? Did I reach out enough? Did I listen? If I’m honest with myself about the steps that I took, I can see what else needs to happen. It’s really easy for us to lie to ourselves and believe that we’re taking action, but when you have physical evidence [like the Post-it® notes], you can validate and evaluate progress.”

Pause for a moment and be truthful with yourself; have you taken action towards your goal today? Have you thought about your goal? Have you visualised success? If you aren’t committed to taking action, your goal is, unfortunately, just a dream.

5) Be patient

Joanne: “Reaching your goals is like planting seeds: you don’t sow and reap in the same season. In the beginning you’ll be doing a lot of planting and not much reaping, which can be really frustrating; but it’s the compound effect – the more consistent you are, the more inevitable your success will be. If you keep taking the right actions, then things will fall into place. You just need to keep taking action, which is why the Post-it® note is such a simple tactic; it’s a mental and physical game that brings all of you into it.”

The right support

During our conversation, Joanne also touched on the importance of surrounding yourself with the right support so that you feel compelled to take action – or feel pretty embarrassed if you have nothing to share!

Sometimes it can feel intimidating or scary to share your goal with other people. I’m sure most of you have at least one goal that’s firmly under wraps. If you’d love to share it, benefit from some valuable insights and make rapid progress towards it, why not click here to book a complimentary discovery session with me?