I used to think I was a pretty put-together guy.

But I would still experience bouts of sadness and frustration—what’s the point? Why am I working so hard on something that isn’t reaping the results I want?

The problem wasn’t my work ethic, it was my lack of goals.

When I started taking entrepreneurship seriously about 18 months ago, that’s when I began to understand how despite the yoga, nutrition, cultural awareness, authentic relating, ayahuasca, and spiritual yada yada that had directed my life for so long did not serve me in the realm of accomplishing anything worthwhile.

So I’ve been studying up on becoming a better version of myself...

“Self-Development,” they call it.

From priority placement to goal setting, habit formation to mindset development, if there’s anything I’ve learned so far from my recent binge, it’s that keeping focused is the key to feeling like I have purpose.

And how to keep focused? Set goals.

As Napoleon Hill famously said, "goals are dreams with deadlines.” They inject structure into our imagination.

Staying focused on the goals keeps the purpose flowing towards making the vision real.

Today I’m going to share with you how I’m implementing Gary Keller’s goal-setting formula from his book “The ONE Thing,” which has been really impactful on my life.

But first:

Speaking of goals...

Since I embarked on this whole "authentic video coach" thing, I can't tell you how often I hear from clients that "getting into video" is their goal...

Actually, their goal is "getting CONSISTENT with video."

It's easy to start making content.

But without systems in place,
without a routine that minimizes friction,
it's not so easy to continue making content.

Step-by-step goals are necessary to get to where we want to be, without setting unrealistic expectations on either extreme of the spectrum.

So I've been putting together a program that combines goal-setting and skill development in order to develop a powerful video creation routine.

The Creator Sovereignty Video Bootcamp is 4 weeks of learning, accountability, systems building, and self-discovery meant to propel you forward down the path of creation.

If you've run out of excuses to get your butt moving, this is for you. Check it out.

And now for the juice of this post:

How I Learned to Stay Focused

First, I had to I think long & hard to decide what I want… which was always hard for me as a “go with the flow and don’t force things” kind of guy because I always believed setting goals would limit my possibilities and restrict my personal expression.

Lo & behold, I was wrong.

Setting goals for myself and adjusting my daily habits to achieve them has lead to more possibilities for personal expression than I ever could have experienced without them.

So here’s a goal-setting technique I learned from "The ONE Thing" by Gary Keller:

1. Draw out the “SOME DAY, I will ___” vision for your life.
   
   I did 15 years. This is the long-term goal (that I believe must be somewhat materially nebulous by default)
2. Next we come closer to the present:
   
   “In order to _____ in 15 years, I need to be/have accomplished ______ in 5 YEARS.”
   
   This is more concrete, though still perhaps somewhat intangible based on the facts we have today.
   
3. After that, it’s the “in order to be/have ____ in 5 years, I need to ____ in this next YEAR” goal.
   
   This time frame is much easier to imagine what can actually be tangible 12 months from now...

See where we’re going with this?

Makes sense, right?

Keeping everything we do aligned towards the “some day” vision keeps the eyes on the prize.

For me, as you can see, I’ve chosen to be writing more to share what I’ve been learning and experiencing.

This is because over the next 5 years, I want to build a lucrative brand-facing business that supports others do the same thing I’ve been doing the past year: use one's own creativity and “multi-purposeful content” to start generating income on one's own terms.

Keeping focused on this 5-year goal keeps me filled with purpose. I have the ultimate reason to start creating each & every day.

It’s only been a couple months that I've been using Gary’s formula, but so far it’s changed how I’m structuring my day-to-day. Small tweaks in approaching things = big results.

Keeping full of focus keeps me full of purpose.