Welcome to the start of a new year, and in today’s Q&A, in case you decided on making any New Year’s Resolutions, you’ll learn strategies from the wisdom of both Marie Forleo and Tim Ferriss on how to set and achieve goals so that you don’t leave yourself behind ever again!
Get ready to own your tomorrow!
“I'd like to clean the slate from this last year, which has been extremely difficult, both financially and emotionally.
Consider it my New Year's Resolution to become successful, rich and in control of my life from now on as freedom is my ultimate goal.
What tools do I need to set goals and achieve them within the coming year, and above all, maintain integrity, high levels of success, happiness, and financial wealth?
In other words… I'd like to know how to set and achieve goals - guaranteed - and stick to my New Year's Resolution of living my best, happiest, richest, and most successful and fulfilling life in the coming year."
Let's start with Marie Forleo who's expertise in the fields of Entrepreneurship and Personal Growth inspires action with pragmatic solutions for challenges.
Here is her approach around how to set and achieve goals this year...
First of all, you're encouraged to acknowledge where you are right now—it's been a tough year for you financially and emotionally.
It's so important to honor the courage it takes to ask yourself, 'How do I make sure this coming year is different?'
According to Marie, this is the very first step… Acknowledging where you ARE and deciding that it’s time for change.
The next step is figuring out HOW to go from where you are now to where you want to be, and for that, we need a framework on how to set and achieve goals and keep the momentum going.
Sure, that sounds good, right?
But HOW do you actually make it happen?
How do you make sure that you STICK to it and don’t fall off track again?
Well, one of Marie’s coaching clients, let's call her Sarah, came to Marie about a year ago feeling stuck.
She had big dreams—wanted to write a book, start her own business, travel more—but she felt overwhelmed and paralyzed.
Together, they started Sarah’s journey with something Marie calls The Clarity & Action Cycle, which is a system to help people get clear on their goals and take consistent, small actions.
Here’s how it works:
1. Clarity
Sarah first had to get crystal CLEAR on what her 'best, happiest, richest, and most successful life' looked like.
It wasn't just about having more money.
It was about aligning her work with her VALUES, having freedom to travel, and being PRESENT with her family.
So, they sat down, and Sarah mapped out her VISION.
This clarity gave her direction and motivation.
2. Action
Once Sarah had clarity, the focus was placed on creating a micro-action plan.
Instead of setting vague goals like 'I want to write a book,' Sarah had to break it down into measurable tasks—like writing 200 words a day, finding an editor, and scheduling time each week to connect with other writers.
3. Celebrate & Adjust
After a month of consistent action, Sarah celebrated the small wins.
Each time she hit a milestone, whether it was finishing a chapter or booking a speaking gig, she celebrated.
This built her momentum and helped her stay on track.
When things didn't go as planned, Sarah adjusted the course.
Life happens, but it's the SMALL TWEAKS that keep you on track, not the big failures.
Sounds totally doable, right?
But what about STAYING motivated when things get tough?
Motivation is key, but here's the thing: motivation is not something you wait for; it’s something you create.
Marie tells all her clients that you can’t rely on inspiration to show up every day.
Instead, you build a routine that keeps you focused and moving forward, even on the hard days.
This is where a concept she calls 'Everything is Figureoutable' comes in.
It’s the belief that no matter what obstacles you face, there's always a solution if you’re willing to learn, adjust, and keep going.
You need to cultivate that mindset every day.
For instance, when Sarah hit a roadblock—she couldn't afford the fancy course on writing that she wanted—she didn't give up.
She figured out a way to find free resources and built up her writing skills.
That mindset shift, from 'I can’t' to 'How can I?' made all the difference.
So it’s really about breaking it down into smaller, manageable pieces and making sure you celebrate your wins along the way.
And here’s the final piece of the puzzle of how to set and achieve goals, Marie's way: you have to give yourself GRACE.
We all have those days when things don’t go as planned.
The key is not to make it mean you’re a failure or you’ll never achieve your dreams.
It’s simply part of the journey.
As long as you keep moving forward, keep adjusting, and stay true to your vision, you’ll get there!
Now, if you’re looking for guaranteed outcomes, you’ll want to see what Tim Ferriss (an expert in Lifestyle Design and Productivity) has to say about how to set and achieve goals this year, as his focus on efficiency and creating freedom through unconventional success strategies could come in quite handy...
First of all, you may want to think about the word 'guaranteed'—because there’s no magic bullet or surefire formula that guarantees success every single time.
But Tim believes there’s a systematic approach that drastically increases the likelihood of achieving your goals and staying on track.
Here’s a walk-through, and real-life example of how Tim applies these principles…
And it’s not just one thing, but a combination of things on how to set and achieve goals, okay?
Now, Tim believes that the first critical step is deciding WHAT really matters to you.
What is your version of success?
For Tim, it’s about freedom—the freedom to do the things he loves, have financial independence, and still make a massive impact.
But not all goals are created equal, so Tim teaches people to use what he calls the '80/20 Rule' or the Pareto Principle.
This rule states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts.
Once you identify those high-leverage activities, you can focus on what moves the needle the most.
So essentially, it comes down to focusing on the essentials.
But how do you maintain that focus day in and day out?
According to Tim, here’s the trick: You need to simplify your life so you have more space to focus on what matters.
For example, when Tim started his podcast, he knew that the only way to make it successful was to focus on doing high-quality interviews and building relationships with guests. That was the 20%.
The 80%—all the marketing and extra work—could be delegated or minimized.
He applied that same strategy when he wrote The 4-Hour Workweek.
The real key is identifying what doesn’t matter and cutting it out.
Here’s a story to put it into context…
A few years ago, Tim was working with a client, let’s say it’s John, who had big aspirations.
He wanted to grow his business, travel the world, and still maintain strong relationships.
But he was bogged down by meetings and constant emails.
Tim asked him, 'What’s the one thing you could eliminate that would make the biggest difference in your life?'
It turned out to be his daily meetings.
After eliminating that one task, he freed up 40 hours a week.
This created space for him to work on the high-impact things like connecting with clients and traveling.
Therefore, in essence, it’s about eliminating distractions and prioritizing what truly drives success…
And here’s the next step to that: designing your environment.
If you want to achieve success, you need to design a life where you’re automatically moving towards your goals.
One of the ways Tim does this is by creating what he calls 'default actions.'
This means building habits and environments where success becomes inevitable.
For example, Tim has set up his office in a way that encourages focus.
He’s eliminated distractions, and his computer only has the essential apps and programs for his goals.
When you design your environment this way, you’re always set up to succeed without having to think about it.
And to stay on track when you encounter challenges or distractions, this is where the '5-Minute Rule' comes in.
If something takes LESS than five minutes, Tim does it immediately.
This prevents small tasks from piling up and overwhelming him.
And if a project feels too BIG to start, he breaks it down into tiny chunks.
When Tim was writing The 4-Hour Workweek, he would break down chapters into 500 words at a time.
Doing just 500 words each day meant he could easily make progress.
But the key is to consistently show up and make small improvements every day.
Simplify.
Focus on the 20% that drives results.
Build habits that set you up for success.
And make sure you’re consistent.
But most importantly, take action.
You’ll face challenges, but the consistency and small tweaks will get you to your goals faster than you think.
If you’d like to make this year the best year of your life, you’ll need a strategy.
And you can formulate your own by choosing a specific framework, or combining both frameworks to assemble your personal approach that will work best for you and your unique situation.
1. Get clear:
Define exactly what your 'best life' looks like. Break it down into actionable goals.
2. Create micro-actions:
Don’t aim for big, daunting goals. Break them down into manageable, measurable tasks.
3. Celebrate & adjust:
Acknowledge your small wins to build momentum, and adjust as necessary when things don’t go according to plan.
4. Cultivate motivation daily:
Don’t rely on inspiration to hit you—create a routine and maintain a 'Everything is Figureoutable' mindset.
5. Give yourself grace:
Embrace setbacks as part of the journey, but keep moving forward.
1. Apply the 80/20 Rule:
Identify the 20% of activities that will yield 80% of your results and prioritize them.
2. Eliminate distractions:
Cut out non-essential tasks that don’t contribute to your goals.
3. Design your environment:
Set up your surroundings to make success automatic.
4. Use the 5-Minute Rule:
Tackle tasks that take less than five minutes immediately.
5. Break it down:
Simplify large projects into manageable chunks and stay consistent.
6. Take action:
Show up every day and make small, consistent improvements
Now it’s time you build your personal framework that serves you best today, and for the year ahead!
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Has your Mind ever wondered…
Understand where you are and determine where you’d like to be.
Be clear on what your definition is of the goal you’d like to achieve, for example, what does success, or wealth, or health look like to you? Know your personal definitions.
If you’re serious about any resolutions you’ve made for the new year, then committing to doing what must be done to get what you want may be simpler, but be prepared to face some challenges.
So be realistic, and write down what your definitions and goals are so you can keep track of your progress, plans, and possible detours.
Remember, you have to be flexible in order to maintain the path to your goals because rigid structures are ineffective as they can be demotivating - adapt as best you can because obstacles are part of the journey to success.
Where one door closes, another opens so if your plan of action isn’t working, don’t stop until you find another way and enjoy the scenery of the detour as there is always something new to learn from unexpected experiences.
Make sure that as you track your progress, you celebrate every minor milestone and reward yourself adequately for reaching even the smallest goalpost.
And don’t be too hard on yourself - just keep going and you will get there.
Knowing where you are is one part of the puzzle, the other part is knowing where you’d like to be, so keep the outcome in mind and plan your strategy accordingly.
If you’re only getting into the swing of creating goals now, whether it’s a New Year’s Resolution you’re planning on working on, a radical lifestyle change necessitated by unforeseen circumstances, start small.
Make sure that the first goals you set for yourself are really simple to achieve - and only you would know what a small achievable goal is in your world.
Write it down.
Generate a roadmap to get to that goalpost.
Break down the steps needed to get to that outcome into smaller tasks that are easily manageable.
Set a deadline and take the action required to complete the steps necessary for you to achieve your objective - remember the importance of flexibility.
Do a happy dance, sing a victory song, or celebrate with a favorite treat when you’ve completed a task and make sure to re-evaluate, assess, and refine your process as you go along.
Only you can decide that based on who you are, what your values are, and why you choose the goals you decide on.
Although it does help to have time-based goals for the short, medium and long term.
We don’t always realize that what we do today is for the long term as our actions today contribute to our legacy.
So to answer this question, any kind of goal is great because as it stands, there are precious few people who have built the skill of effective goalsetting and even fewer who manage to achieve any kind of goals.
However, with the frameworks on how to set and achieve goals provided here, you will very likely be able to achieve any goal you set your mind to if you apply yourself and commit to the process.
After all, how do you expect to experience the benefits of a millionaire mindset if your goals are not specific and not aligned with who you are and what you’d love to achieve?
Thank you ! Your content helps a lot of people to build a richest mindset.