Ok, so it’s not all that often that I get to capture my inspirations on video but this time I was fortunate (for all of us) enough to have the video cam available and ready to roll and was able to capture an interview I did with legendary cycler and true hero, Davis Phinney.

Davis  is a former professional cycler who In 1986, became the first American to win a stage at the Tour de France, while riding on the American-based team 7-Eleven Cycling Team.  He was known as an extraordinarily fast sprinter and very well have won the most races in American history.  His racing career spanned two decades and included two stage victories in the Tour de France.

Since retiring from cycling, Davis has remained active as a cycling sports commentator, public speaker, journalist, and avid Nordic ski racer. In 2007 Davis’ son Taylor became the Junior World Time Trial champion at the 2007 UCI Junior World Road and Track Championships.

Davis was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 40, and established the Davis Phinney Foundation in 2004.  The Boulder, Colorado based foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease – today and in future.

Listen to Davis’ words carefully they are the words of experience and true courage.  Applying them in our own lives would impact not only us but the world.

The most commonly used, dare I say “overused” goal setting worksheet formula out there has to be the familiar S.M.A.R.T. goals formula – which stands for….

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

 The SMART goals template has indeed helped thousand of would-be goal achievers move from desire to possibility.

All good for sure and certainly better than no specific criteria at all… but I believe however that the SMART goals formula falls short in several areas and may actuary be one of the many reasons most people fail to achieve their final desired outcome.

In my book 7 Rules of Achievement  I outline what I believe from my own personal experience and from having coached thousands of people through the process is a better more effective way.

I call it the -  A.C.T.I.O.N. GOALS CRITERIA – and it is designed to create, not just a “written” goal, but rather a more crystallized, powerful and effective “outcome achievement statement” and kick off the process of  programing (without any ambiguity) both the conscious and unconscious mind to move congruently in the direction of the goal seekers desired outcome.

How to Create Your Outcome Achievement Statement using the ACTION Goals Criteria: Goal Setting Worksheet

The proper guidelines for creating an achievable outcome or “Outcome Achievement Statement” can be summed up as “ACTION”

A – Accessible  

C – Clearly Stated and Concise  

T – Towards and Timed  

 I – Impassioned 

O – Organic 

N – As if Now  

Accessible:

This means simply that your objective must be accessible. Meaning it must be within reach and obtainable.  If for example you were to make one of your goals to own Fort Knox one day you may find it a little more than difficult to find a broker for that particular piece of real estate.  It’s not accessible or obtainable.  Is this to suggest that your desired outcome should be so easy to reach that it poses no challenge and therefore little or no reward.  No!  In fact it has been said that “a man’s reach should always exceed his grasp.”  I agree with that statement. The achievement of your desired outcome should always force you to grow, to become someone more, or learn something new in the pursuit of its achievement.

Don’t allow your objectives to be determined by others peoples beliefs or self imposed limitations.  I would also caution you on believing your own. Question your own self impose limitations and learn from those who place no boundaries on themselves and what their capable of.

Clearly Stated and Concise:

You need to state your objective as completely understandable and without the ability to be misinterpreted.

Towards and Timed:

Simply stated some goals are what we move towards and some we move away from.  We move towards those things that we want in our lives and are willing to sacrifice, work, or expend resources for.  Towards goals represent the pleasure side of what Tony Robbins describes as our twin motivators of “Pain and Pleasure.”  Away from goals represent the pain side of the equation and are motivated by what we don’t want or will work hard to avoid.

Timed: Consciously you may have a pretty good idea of when you expect to achieve your objective but if your unconscious mind and the universe don’t know “specifically” it’s a pretty good bet neither will rush to make it happen.  Remember when programming your internal success mechanism you must be as specific as possible. This means letting it know when the intended target must be achieved.  In addition, when you attach a challenging yet achievable time frame or “deadline” to your desired outcome you instantly move it from the world of the coulds, woulds, and some-days to the world of the tangible and measurable.

There is one more extremely powerful element associated with placing a deadline or timeframe to your objective.  It’s PRESSURE, or what business growth trainer, Blair Singer refers to as “PERTURBATION.”

Perturbation is a term used in physics and astronomy meaning “a variation in designated orbit resulting from the influence of one or more external bodies”

Impassioned: 

Anything we want bad enough that it becomes a must, not could, would, or should…but a true must can create enough passion and impetus that we can almost will it to happen.  Have you ever wanted something or needed something so bad for example that you simply could not live without it.  I’ll address the subject of passion and desire more in the next chapter when we explore the WHY, but for right now it is extremely important to understand that if you cannot convey in your Outcome Achievement Statement a powerful and impassioned message then it’s likely you yourself are not impassioned about achieving it…or you don’t truly believe you can.

Organic: 

If your Outcome Achievement Statement is full of additives, preservatives, or pesticides it is not organic.  Meaning it has to be natural for you.  It has to be in line with your values.  For example, many people value their family as their absolute highest priority. They will sacrifice everything for family.  For others, money or the obtainment of wealth usurps all else, including family. These people place the value of money in the primary position.  Almost unconsciously, they will make decisions that move them toward making choices that emphasize those values.

Setting an objective or desired outcome that is in direct opposition with their values hierarchy will cause massive conflict and very likely failure. For example if you were trying to motivate a weight loss client who valued being fit as a way of connecting with their family to drop 20 lbs so that they could look great in a bikini this summer it probably wouldn’t work so well. Sometimes however we can “re-frame” the desired outcome so that it aligns with our values or even to shift our values to better serve our and others needs.  More on values when we get into the WHY behind your desired outcome. For now it’s important to understand that trying to achieve

something that runs counter to who you are may wind up presenting immovable opposition.

As if Now:   

Your Outcome Achievement Statement should be stated in the present tense…as if it is happening now in this moment. Because of the way information is processed in the brain, future tense statements lack impact. Your mind says “OK” one of these days, in the future, I will earl a million dollars. What’s next to program?”

The mind works literally. With future tense statements the mind programs the idea that you will do something, rather than programming you for doing it. Writing or stating an outcome achievement statement in present tense may sound and feel a little strange at first.  However, present tense writing of your statement is the most effective way of conveying your intention to your unconscious and the universe.

Now that you have the formula for goal setting success there should be nothing standing between you and success…. except massive, consistent and courageous ACTION.

Please share your thoughts… I would love to hear from you.

Do you know the #1 reason why most people never get what they want in life?

It’s NOT because they don’t have enough time, money, or ambition to pursue it. Although they may think those things themselves are what they want. And it’s NOT because they’re not working their butts off.

In fact most people work far harder than they need to. All that work and effort in most cases is fueled by an unconscious desire not so much to “get what I want” but rather to “hold on to what I already have.”

It might appear to some that the age in which we live has facilitated a change in motivation for many from a burning desire to achieve what we want to a fear driven battle to hold on to what we have. Even with the wide spread achievement awareness created by The Secret and the Law of Attraction, “I just want to be comfortable” seems to be the battle cry of the fearful would-be survivors.

It is the psychology of how not to fail vs how to be victorious… and is very easy to fall into. This fear mentality blocks creative juices, stifles ambition, creates extremely tight comfort zone parameters and is the primary identifiable reason why most people never get what they want.The first step in getting what you want is to part the fear based curtain – look inside – identify your passion driven desire – and then define it.

The fearful only know what they don’t want. “I don’t want to lose my house, my job, my spouse, my big screen TV.”

And they define what they do want in vague cliché terms like “I want to be rich.” “I want a new car.” “I want a great relationship.” “I want to be trim and toned.” or “I want to be able to afford gas for my car.” Defining what you want in life with such obscure non specific terms will do very little if anything to help you get those things.

While our world is facing numerous economic, social, and environmental crises, one of our greatest signs of hope is the rapidly growing field of social entrepreneurship which embraces a triple bottom line – people, planet, and profit.

This truly unique global tele-series will inspire and empower you to think bigger, strategize better, and make the contribution you’re capable of making.

I am honored to share the stage with some of my personal heroes, NY Times #1 best-selling authors, self-made millionaire entrepreneurs, and global visionaries such as Marianne Williamson, John Robbins, Ali Brown, Bruce Lipton (<– one of my VERY favorite), Julia Butterfly Hill, Bill Drayton and more inspiring pioneers of social change.

Please join us and discover how these people came up with brilliant ideas, and against all odds, succeeded at creating humanitarian products, services, and organizations that are transforming the world.

I invite you to join me and the other 38 inspiring leaders:

Get the details and RSVP

All of this costs you nothing because we are committed to reaching as many people as we can with this series, and we don’t want money to be a barrier for anyone.

See the full lineup of speakers

These are people who have built movements for social change, justice, and environmental sustainability that have catalyzed millions of people. Their business acumen has helped them to build prosperous companies and organizations that are making a dramatic positive difference in people’s lives.

You’ll get the latest thinking on green marketing, conscious marketing, mission-based business, online movement building, client attraction, book authoring and marketing, branding, niching, outsourcing, generating a mindset for success, the blueprint for starting a social enterprise, and the steps behind a successful product launch.

The first wave (Jan 11-20) includes leading global visionaries and social change activists who will inspire our compassion, creativity, and collective vision of a better world. The second wave (Feb 8-17) features some of the world’s top business mentors sharing the inside story on how they became successful.

As I said, I am honored to be a part of such cool group of people!!

Registration details and a complete list of speakers

“Every great achievement is the victory of a flaming heart.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”
Napoleon Hill

“All achievement is based first on the strength of our will.“
Tom Terwilliger

“All you need is a plan, a road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.”
Earl Nightingale

“The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything if you want to succeed in business–or almost anywhere else for that matter.”
Lee Iacocca

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”
Mark Twain

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”
Pablo Picasso

“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.”
Vince Lombardi

“We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough.”
Helen Keller

“What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter, an art that could be for every mental worker, for the businessman as well as the man of letters, for example, a soothing, calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair that provides relaxation from fatigue.”
Henri Matisse

“A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do. Nothing else.”
Mahatma Gandhi

“There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.”
Henry Ford

“Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ballpark.”
David Ogilvy

“The value of achievement lies in the achieving.”
Albert Einstein

“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
Bruce Lee

“The world has the habit of making room for the man whose actions show that he knows where he is going.”
Napoleon Hill

“You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.”
Henry Ford 

“I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.”
Vincent van Gogh

“The future you see is the future you get.”
Robert G Allen

“I skate where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”
Wayne Gretzky

“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”
Frank Lloyd Wright

“My thoughts before a big race are usually pretty simple. I tell myself: Get out of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed. If you run your race, you’ll win….Channel your energy. Focus.”
Carl Lewis

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
Helen Keller

“Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.”
Muhammad Ali

“Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be.”
Henry David Thoreau

“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”
Hank Aaron

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement,
achievement, and success have no meaning.”
Benjamin Franklin

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up.
Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
Michael Jordan

“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
John F. Kennedy

“It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever – the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.”
Vince Lombardi

“If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.”
John Rockefeller

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Dr. Seuss

Can you really achieve something great in spite of the presence of fear?

Register for the  Achievement Bootcamp today.

Did you see Bootcamp Mini Training part 3? Is Conditioning Holding You Back

 

Achievement Bootcamp Mini Training pt 3 of 4

Your past conditioning may be the single most influential factor in the inability to achieve your dreams and goals. In this video The Achievement Mentor shares his Bootcamp training insights.

Did you see part 2 of the Bootcamp Mini Training? What The Hell Do You Want

Part 2 of the Bootcamp Mini Training Series is all about the #2 reason you’re not living your dreams… and it’s simple. Listen I don’t pull any punches when it comes to helping you get WHAT you want. And here’s the bottom line. You have not clearly identified your “pie in the sky” dreams¬† in a way that your unconscious mind completely gets it. A confused unconscious is a default unconscious…. that’s not what you want!

Register For the Bootcamp Today.

Did you see part 1 of the Bootcamp Mini Training? Your Excuses Are Keeping You From Your Dreams

In this video I point the finger at excuse makers and share why it must stop if they are ever going to achieve their goals and dreams.

Stop with the excuses and watch this video. Or watch this video and stop the excuses…

How often do you CHALLENGE yourself?  I mean really step outside your box and put your comfort on the line.

When you do, you begin to discover how your beliefs about who you are and what you’re capable of¬† impact your performance.

Case in point… The Warrior Dash in Copper Mountain, Colorado.

Challenge Yourself at Every Opportunity

The Achievement Mentor