SUMMARY 

• “A man who does not plan long ahead will find trouble at his door.” ― Confucius, Chinese philosopher 
• If you have a plan, you're going to be so much more likely to follow through. 

• A mentor once said: "James, an idiot with a plan is going to be way more successful than a genius with no plan."  
• Are you part of the 92% who set’s their New Year’s resolutions and gives up in February? In this episode, listen to James and how you can follow through on your goals throughout the entire year! 
• Learn the three vital steps to achieving all of your biggest goals. 
• “You’re 365 times more likely to achieve the goal if you read WHY you want to achieve it every day.” 
• If you are serious in following through on your goals this year and committing to your New Year’s Resolutions, listen to the full training. 

• Watch the video to get the full training. 

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Inspirational Quotes

Full Transcript

[The following is the full transcript of this episode of The Life On Purpose with James Laughlin Show. Please note that there may be small moments where grammar goes off track - this is simply due to the fact that the LIVE episode was converted to full long-form transcript.  For weekly motivation, please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Youtube.]

00:00 

Welcome to life on purpose. My name is James Laughlin, former seven-time world champion musician, and now success coach to leaders and high-performers. Each week, I bring you an inspiring leader or expert to help you live your life on purpose. Thanks for taking the time to connect today and investing in yourself. Enjoy the show. 

00:32 

Welcome to February! Yup, January, it's a thing of the past. So, many of us sat down on January 1st, and did that old thing, New Year's resolutions. That time when we get excited. It's the one time in the year when we get excited about changing some things in their lives, good or bad. For many, some of the most popular New Year's resolutions are to stop smoking, to reduce some debt. For others, it is to get healthy and get fit. So, many of us set these goals with massive excitement, massive aspirations to follow through and get those results. So, why is it that 92% of humans who do set those resolutions, they forget about them? They drop the ball. They move on to different things, just one month later. Yeah. So, it's February, most of us are moving on forgetting about those goals. The gym membership, yeah, we might be going once a week instead of the four times a week that we promised ourselves. All that debt reduction, we're going to eat a little less, and we're going to pay down a little bit more of our home loan. Yeah, those things have kind of gone awry because we find something that we want to invest in, or we just want to go out and party and enjoy time with our friends. So, so many of us do that we go off on tangents. The question is why? In today's session, what I'd like to talk about is, what is the difference between those who continue to continually move through the year and crush those goals? And those of the population that decide to give up on those goals? What is the defining difference, I'm going to teach you three ways to actually set up these goals and create a system that allows you to crush it every single time.  

WHY DO PEOPLE GIVE UP ON THEIR GOALS? 

02:17 

So, why is it that so many people give up on those resolutions? Why is it that so many of us humans have dreams that we just don't follow through on? Well, a couple of things.  

1- WE DON’T REFLECT ENOUGH 

One, people generally don't reflect enough, right? You know, and I've been guilty. And over the last four or five years, I've tried to be more reflective. So, you know, just sitting down and reflecting on your day, sitting down and reflecting on your week, sit down and reflecting on your month, New Year. Reflection reveals so many amazing insights into your life. Reflection, allows you to stay accountable to yourself. Reflection is you policing your commitments, nobody else is going to police those commitments, just you. So, think about reflection is one of the reasons why most of us don't follow through on our goals. So important. Another thing, most people that don't achieve the goals that they said is because they don't have a plan. I was once told this, I was told "Look, James, if you have a plan, you're going to be so much more likely to follow through." But, also, I was told that "James, an idiot with a plan is going to be way more successful than a genius with no plan." So, I took that on board, I think I was the idiot. And I was taken that on board and I was going to get that plan and move forward and start that business and write that book. And it really helped it helped to have a plan. And yes, as we know, from 2020, plans can change. The world can change. But at least when you've got a plan, you're really, really clear on where you're headed. 

2 – LACK OF CLARITY ON OUR WHY

03:55 

Why else do we not follow through? Well, "why". The word WHY itself that's the clue. You know, I feel like when you don't have purpose, when we don't have a reason why we're doing something. It's so easy to go for the next best thing. It's so easy to put your hand up when your friend says "Hey, let's go for drinks." rather than work toward your dream with passion. Having your why is so important. In fact, this past year, I decided to take on a challenge, right? Crazy, crazy challenge. A 365-day challenge by a company called One Year No Beer, right? And the challenge was that I wouldn't drink alcohol for a year. Being an Irishman who loves his Guinness, that's a big commitment, right? So, I started back in April. So, I'm several months into it now, I'm really enjoying it and really loving it. But, the first thing I did when I committed to that challenge, because I knew there would be distractions and temptations along the way, birthdays, New Year's celebrations, launches of products and celebrating family and friends and clients and their different successes throughout the year, I knew there would be distractions and many temptations. So, I wrote a massive page of why this challenge was so important to me. And I'm proud to tell you haven't touched a drop in many, many months. I do enjoy Heineken Zeros, zero alcohol, but I haven't touched a drop. And that "why page", that's so important to me. So, I wrote down why, I mean, many reasons, not just all because I want to get healthy or I want to challenge myself. Yeah, they were part of my why. But writing down so many reasons, you know, to have to leave a more positive legacy, to have more clarity to serve my clients better to have more energy to get up and run around with my toddler. Write a list of all the whys. To have more health at the end of life. Yeah, I'm not at the end of life right now. You know, 80s and 90s. If I get the privilege to live that long, then I want to be able to actually live a vibrant life, and a life full of joy and excitement and mobility. I know that alcohol is not going to support me later in life. In fact, it's probably going to hinder my freedoms. So, I wrote a massive page for why. And it's so much like, it's helped me so much to really follow through on that commitment. That goal. I know for sure, 100%, I'm going to make it to the 365 days. And I'm pretty damn confident that I'm going to continue on because I feel very good. So, I'm challenging you guys to think about, what is it that's in the way that gets in the way between you and your goal? And do you continually change your goal? Do you constantly change direction? "Oh, I don't want to do that anymore? I'll do something different?" Or do you follow through? Do you always follow through and complete that project? complete that course? buy that book? or read it to the end before you buy another one? Or are you more likely to do the opposite? Right? Just be honest, reflect on that for a moment? And if you are dropping the ball, so to speak, then think about what am I not doing that might help me to follow through on these badass goals and not be part of the 92% who don't?  

07:14 

As with anything, there's a cost, right? So, what's it going to cost you to not follow through? What's it going to cost you in life? If you don't follow through on your dreams? Well, there's a high possibility you're going to get to the end of life and have major regrets. You may even feel really unfulfilled. There's that feeling of "Wow, what if I hadn't started that business? What if I have asked that girl on the coffee did? What if I had started the first page of that book?".  What if's, right? So, it's about you thinking, Okay, there's a cost for me to be indecisive. There's a cost to my life, to not take action. There's a cost in life to not follow through on your goal commitments. There's a cost in life to not even setting goals. So, I want you to write down what the costs are. Take a moment to think, "What's it going to cost me if I don't actually dream big, develop a plan and a vision, get clarity, know why I'm doing it, and then move towards it." What is your cost to that? 

3 WAYS TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON YOUR GOALS 

08:21 

So, now I want to share with you three ways to follow through on your goals.  

1 – TO REFLECT 

Number one, this is the most important one, grab a pen, write this one down. Number one way to follow through on your goals, to not be part of that 92% of give up on them is to REFLECT. Grab yourself a journal, get your iPod or get a piece of paper and get a little post-it notes, whatever it might be, but every single day, every single day, endeavour to reflect. Now, does that mean you have to do this fancy journaling? Not at all. I'm very pragmatic with my journaling. I don't sit and pontificate about things. I asked myself questions. So, in that reflection, ask yourself some questions. Did I follow through today? Am I on track for my monthly outcome? Did I bring my best today? What did I learn today? Create some questions that really encourage you to go within and hold yourself to account hold yourself to a higher standard. That's essentially what we're trying to do. Right? As high performers and when you're trying to reach a goal is hold yourself to this higher bar and each day, you're holding yourself accountable. When you don't hold yourself accountable. I would say it's willful blindness, you know, you're not really moving towards it. You're happy to distract yourself with Netflix and maybe a couple extra glasses of wine and some cigarettes and some toxic relationships perhaps, hopefully not, but I think it's really important to realise that when you're not reflecting, you're not holding yourself accountable that there's an avoidance there, you're distracting yourself from where you could be going. So, take the time to reflect get a journal, or I just use my iPad, I have a reflection in my Boss Planner, I use a little Boss Planner in there. And it's awesome. Just keeps me accountable every single day. Now, does that mean every single day I'm moving forward and I'm doing amazing things. Hell no, I am human. Some days I don't move forward in all areas. Other days, I have massively productive days. Other days, I do too much and I feel overwhelmed. So, we're all human, I think it's important to use that reflection to figure out where you're at, and where you're headed.  

2 – TO CONNECT WITH YOUR PURPOSE 

The second tip for you to really follow through in those goals is to connect, connect with your purpose. So once a day, read your WHY. So, drop that why sheet or your purpose sheet, get a whole page and write down why each of those goals. So, if you have 10 goals for 2021, that's a lot. If you've got 10 goals, you should have 10 pages of why's, okay? So, let's say you want to get into the best shape of your life. Why? Not just because I want to feel great, I want to look sexy, that could be part of it, but expand upon that, a page of why, go deep. You know, get really internal thing, but what it means to you, to your family, to your loved ones, to your future kids and grandkids. Have a page of whys, and then have a reminder on your phone each day to read that page every single day. Your 365 times more likely to achieve the goal if you read why you want to achieve it every day. Every single day, don't skip a day, you will see some massive, massive changes in your life, and particularly in your daily habits.  

3 – DIRECT YOUR FOCUS TOWARDS A PLAN 

 So, the third part of moving towards getting new goals is to direct your focus. You got to direct your focus, right? Okay, so direct your focus towards a plan. Direct your focus towards accountability. W rite up a plan, what's 2021 plan? Where do I need to get to? And how am I going to get there? Okay, what's January's plan? Okay, yep, that's what I need to do. Okay, I've done that. What's February's, let's move towards that be really specific, on a monthly basis where you need to be at. That's your 12 stepping stones to completing that 12-month goal. It might seem mundane, it might seem really simplistic, but honestly, it's those simple strategies and plans that help you execute on these epic, epic goals. So, have that plan and bring it down to a weekly basis, I spend an hour or so on a Sunday, looking at what my monthly outcomes are reading why they are so important. And then making a plan for Monday through Sunday of the following week how I'm going to get there, what am I simple, seven little simple steps to get me towards that weekly outcome. So, have a plan and accountability. Have yourself a coach, have someone external that can call you out on your excuses. Have someone that can say, "Hey, you said you were going to do this, but you did this? What's going on? Like you, you want it bad enough? Are you hungry enough?" have someone that you know can hold you to account, preferably not your partner, because that will probably end in disaster. Get someone that's outside of your everyday life that can just give you that accountability, it could be a coach, it could be a mentor, it could be someone that lives overseas that you connect with every now and then. You'll know who's right for you. But have that focus in that direction. Okay? So, you reflect, you connect and you direct, that is the three- step process to really following through and achieving any goal. Reflect every day, connect with your purpose and your passion every day, and direct your focus with a plan every single day.  

13:54 

I want to wish you the very best for an amazing year ahead. Do not become one of those statistics in February. And if you feel like "Hey, I'm starting to become." that's okay, it's not too late to get some infrastructure in your life in place. Get out there and do it. And guys, if you want to come and join me, I've got an amazing community, a monthly membership, where I go live and I connect with them. I answer your questions. I present strategies on mindset, on manifestation, on business planning, everything you can imagine. So, please come and join us. And if you want more information that visit my website, or check out the link below. And you'll get more information but please do come over and join us come check it out and take your life to that next level. And guess what, guess what time it is. It's that time to get out there and live your life on purpose. 

14:54 

Thank you so much for listening in today and investing in your own personal growth. Please hit that Subscribe button. I would love, love love, if you leave me a rating and review as it really helps me to impact more people. I've got some amazing guests lined up in the coming weeks. And folks, it's that time get out there and live life on purpose.