One word that changes how you reach your goals

We’re taught to start every goal with ‘what’ we want to achieve.

• Write the book.

• Run the marathon.

• Hit $500k in revenue.

It’s so normalized to think this way, yet most people never fully realize their goals.

Instead of digging for answers as to ‘why’, we just forget to question this approach all together, limping along passively trying to make something stick.

Our schools train us to pursue good grades.

Our employers pressure us into hitting targets.

And our society treats ‘what’ as the most important piece of the achievement puzzle.

Sure, that works for awhile.

We set the goal, chase the goal and maybe even hit it.

But then we feel empty, or we burnout halfway there.

Or worse, we abandon the goal all together the moment the initial spark fades.

That’s exactly what this University of Scranton study found. Roughly 92% of adults who set goals never achieve them.

This is a problem, because our brains are wired to achieve goals, but we’ve never been taught how to reach them.

Science has a reason for this

When we start with ‘what’, we’re starting in the wrong place in our brain.

Psychologists Gary Latham and Edwin Locke (the godfathers of goal-setting theory) proved in the 60’s that big, clear goals can boost momentum by 25%. This happens in the prefrontal cortex.

But here’s the problem: the boost only works if the goal is deeply connected to something that actually matters to you. This happens in the limbic system.

Without that connection (the ‘why’), the big, clear goal (the ‘what’) becomes a 50 pound anchor, dragging you down, killing your motivation, burning you out, and feeding you every nasty little thought that reinforces the idea that “you’re just not that good enough.”

(Ouch! Okay, that might have stung a little. My bad.)

Here’s what to do instead: Create a goal stack.

1. Start by setting your Massively Transformative Purpose (MTP).

   1. This is your ‘WHY’. The North Star. The big mission that will still matter to you 20-30 years from now.

   2. Example: “Discover sustainable ways to end world hunger”

2. Define your High-Hard Goals (HHGs).

   1. These are your big, measurable milestones, or your ‘WHAT’.

   2. These typically take 1-5 years to complete and move you meaningfully toward your MTP. They should stretch you and excite you.

   3. Example: “Develop a scaleable vertical farming system in one region that feeds 10,000 people annually”.

3. Determine your Clear Goals (CGs).

   1. These are your shorter, specific objectives that directly feed your High-Hard Goals.

   2. They’re concrete, with a clear finish line, usually set for weeks or months.

   3. Example: “Secure $500,000 in funding to launch a vertical farm pilot project within the next 12 months”.

4. Set your Goal-Directed Actions (GDAs).

   1. These are your daily and weekly actions you take to make your Clear Goals inevitable.

   2. They’re specific, measurable and 100% in your control.

   3. Example. “Schedule and complete three investor meetings per week for the next three months.”

So, the one word that changes everything isn’t ‘What’, it’s ‘Why’.

When you start with why, as Simon Sinek puts it, you anchor your goal to a deep, personal and emotionally charged reason.

It’s the fuel that creates long-term commitment. And long-term commitment is the most powerful motivator we have because it creates consistency.

Just don’t forget to align it with the ‘what’, the ‘how’, and the ‘when’.

Here’s the Goal Stack to try:

1. MTP (Why) → The big mission that would still matter to you 20 years from now.

2. HHG's (What) → The bold milestones that moves you toward your MTP.

3. CG’s (How) → The shorter-term, crystal-clear objectives that moves you toward your HHG.

4. GDA’s (When) → The exact daily or weekly actions that make the clear goal inevitable.

When you layer your goals in this way, you don’t just choose better goals, you align your entire being to actually achieving them.

Your energy is heightened. Your attention is directed. Your focus is locked in and you’re committed to the consistent effort it takes for momentum to compound.

And you hit goals every day, not just waiting for “someday”. Your brain loves that!

Before you set your next goal, take a second and forget the ‘What’ and ask yourself:

Why does this matter to me so much that quitting isn’t an option?

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Much Love,

Cory Firth
Creator of One Minute Weekend

Let’s work together!