Mastering the Art of Achievement: A Step-by-Step Guide

It’s frustrating to miss your goals, especially when it happens repeatedly. Maybe you’ve felt like you’re putting in the work but not seeing the results. The key is to focus on the right things. This guide will give you a two-step process to achieve any goal this year.

Step 1: Focus on Inputs, Not Outcomes

It’s time to understand the difference between inputs and outcomes.

• Inputs: These are the actions you control that help you reach a goal. Examples include exercising, eating healthy, and studying.
• Outcomes: These are the results you want, but don’t always control. Examples include how much weight you lose, hitting a sales target, or passing an exam.

Early in your career, you might fixate on outcomes. You set huge goals, thinking that hard work alone will get you there. But what happens when you don’t hit those targets? It can feel like a failure.

The problem is that you can’t fully control outcomes. Instead, focus on the actions that lead to those outcomes.

Instead of obsessing over a sales target, ask yourself:

• What specific actions can I take to increase my chances of hitting the target?
• How many calls can I make?
• How many businesses can I visit?
• How can I improve my sales process?

For fitness, don’t just worry about the scale. Focus on:

• Hitting your macros (protein, carbs, and fats)
• Getting your workouts in

When you focus on inputs, you feel more in control. You measure your success by whether you followed through with your commitments. Consistent actions add up over time, and results will follow.

Repeating successful actions makes success more likely and sustainable.

Why This Matters

Focusing on inputs reduces anxiety. Your goal is to hit the inputs, not just get the outputs.

If your goal is to lose weight, focusing on the scale can be discouraging. You can’t control the scale, but you can control what you eat.

How to Focus on Inputs

1. Define actionable steps: Instead of saying, “I’m going to get fit,” commit to walking 10,000 steps a day or going to the gym three times a week.
2. Track your inputs: Use a habit tracker or checklist to monitor your daily tasks.
3. Detach from immediate results: If you invest money each month, you will grow wealth over time, even if it seems slow at first.
4. Reflect and adjust: If you’re studying three hours a day but still struggling, maybe you need to change your study method. If you’re walking 10,000 steps and eating 1,500 calories a day but haven’t lost weight, consider a different exercise or more cardio.

The point is to stay in the game. Focusing on inputs helps you see small wins every day, which keeps you motivated.

Pro Tips

• Use leading indicators, not lagging indicators: Track actions that predict success, not just results. For example, if your goal is to increase revenue, track how many qualified prospects you’re getting, not just how much cash you’re collecting.
• Automate inputs: Use tools like fitness apps to track your steps and food intake. Make it easy to follow through with your actions.

Your future self is built by today’s actions, not just ideas. Clarity creates confidence, and confidence creates consistency.

Step 2: The A4 Method

This method brings awareness to what you do. It has four parts that work together to help you achieve your goals.

There was a time when you may have felt overwhelmed by tasks. You may have felt like you’re solving everyone else’s problems instead of focusing on the bigger picture. It might be time to track your behaviors to see where you’re getting in your own way.

1. Awareness

Awareness is recognizing and understanding your current behaviors, habits, and patterns. You can’t fix what you don’t notice.

• Track your actions and results to gather data about yourself.
• Identify triggers, habits, and routines that help or hurt you.
• Become an observer of yourself, without judgment.

It can be painful to observe yourself, but it’s better than remaining stuck.

2. Affiliations

Your social environment matters.

• Align yourself with supportive and ambitious people who encourage your goals.
• Distance yourself from people who undermine your efforts.

If you have people or environments that make it harder to hit your goals, consider making a change.

3. Aptitude

Aptitude is about getting the skills you need to overcome challenges.

• Invest time in learning and developing tools to succeed.
• Practice new skills regularly to improve.

If you’re constantly overeating, you lack the skill of discipline. You have to learn how to control yourself in those situations. It’s not that you need to want it more; you need more skills.

4. Autonomy

Autonomy means taking ownership of your choices and actions.

• Make decisions based on your values and goals, not just what others want.
• Understand that only you can take the necessary actions.
• You are responsible for your inputs.

If you’re not able to accomplish your inputs, it’s because you have unrealistic expectations or you don’t have a skill. If you are setting a goal to workout every day for 2 hours, it might be unrealistic.

Make sure you’re the one picking your goals. If you spend all this effort on goals that aren’t your own, you won’t feel any better.

Pro Tips

• Start with facts, not feelings. What and when you do things that interfere with your goals is more important than why.
• Make tiny tweaks. Instead of trying to become a competitive athlete tomorrow, focus on small changes that will build you into the person you want to be over time.

Final Thoughts

Success is not one big thing. It is many small things that add up. Focus on the inputs, apply the A4 method, and you will be more likely to achieve your goals. What is it that you’ve been trying to achieve? Now is the time to apply this framework and focus on the inputs. Good luck!

Ready to take control of your goals? Start by defining one actionable step you can take today!