Setting Goals vs. Objectives: What’s the Difference?

Most people think of goals and objectives as the same thing ... but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Let’s say you’re trying to get to the top of Mt. Everest...

Your goal is obvious…

Get to the summit.

The reality of climbing a mountain is that it’s going to take you a long time to get to the top.

But if you focus on putting one foot in front of the other...

Eventually you’ll make it to the top of the mountain.

Those individual steps to get to the summit are a lot like your objectives.

These small steps may SEEM irrelevant in the moment…

But every single step is required.

If you understand how to properly utilize objectives to get to your goals, it will have a massive impact on your life.

But first, you have to understand goals and objectives individually.

WHAT ARE GOALS?

For most people, this should be obvious.

I challenge you to think about what you want more than anything else…

These things should take years and years to accomplish…

And it doesn’t matter how crazy it may seem.

It could be an exotic car…

Your dream home…

Running a billion dollar company...

Anything.

Most people think these are dreams…

But the difference between goals and dreams is that goals must be actively pursued with a well thought-out plan.

Dreams are just something that weak-minded people hope will fall in their lap without doing any real work or planning to bring it into existence.

If you don’t already have goals … I would take the time to think about what it is that you want in life...

What you want more than anything else.

HOW TO SET GOALS

Setting your goals isn’t just thinking about what you want in your life...

If you really want to achieve your goals, you have to think big, be extremely specific, and determine the reason you want to accomplish these things.

Take as long as you need to envision what you truly want your future to look like.

Once you know exactly what you want…

Take that vision, and inflate it 10 times bigger.

The truth is, most people set goals that they consider to be "attainable."

When in reality … your goals should be so big that people laugh when you tell them.

When you set goals that are enormous and seem impossible ... they demand you to become great…

And force you to pursue your maximum potential.

You will perform at the level of the goals you set…

So why not set extremely ambitious goals?

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF OBJECTIVES?

Objectives are tasks that must be completed to get you closer to your goals…

They are the practical steps to help you get there.

I have objectives every single day of the week that I call critical tasks.

These are actions that you must take every day that are designed to advance your professional life, personal life, and make progress toward your goals.

If you complete all of your critical tasks every day…

You’ll be making progress toward your goals.

I’m sure you’re thinking…

“Well that sounds great, but how am I supposed to know what these critical tasks need to be if I want to reach my goals?”

Let me explain...

HOW TO SET YOUR OBJECTIVES

When it comes to determining your objectives…

You first have to know exactly what your goals are … then reverse-engineer them.

How do you do that?

It's simple ... just ask yourself this question:

"What is it going to take for me to achieve my goals?"

Start with what you need to accomplish within a year’s time.

From there, break it down into months…

Then weeks...

All the way down to a daily basis.

These daily objectives are your critical tasks.

I recommend that you make a list of 5 critical tasks to do every day.

This is a method I’ve been using for over 20 years called The Power List.

It's the ultimate productivity tool.

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF OBJECTIVES?

Let’s say your goal is to own an exotic car.

You will need the income to support that.

So what can you do on a daily basis that will help you build your income?

It could be spending 30 minutes researching new ways to become better in your field…

Or reading 10 pages of a personal development book…

Or knocking out extra tasks at work to make you more valuable to your company...

Or make one new business connection a day...

Or all of the above.

Your options are infinite.

The important thing is that these tasks are actually geared toward creating the life and future you’re looking for.

COMBINING YOUR GOALS WITH OBJECTIVES

When you combine your goals and your critical tasks…

You have a plan.

You’ll start to realize that by focusing on completing all of your critical tasks for the day…

You’re taking steps closer to your goals.

This is a concept I call “Winning the Day”.

All you have to focus on is completing all 5 of your tasks for that day.

If you can do that, you win the day.

When you get in the habit of winning your days consistently…

Your critical tasks will become habits and feel automatic...

Which will allow you to create new critical tasks to help you achieve your goals...

Driving you even further.

If you can get consistent with this...

You will have no problem reaching your goals.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES?

When it comes to your goals and critical tasks … neither is any more important than the other.

Without goals, your critical tasks have no direction…

And without your critical tasks, your goals are just dreams.

You need to understand that both work in conjunction with each other to create a plan.

All you have to do at that point is focus on winning every day by completing your 5 critical tasks.

But only if you are willing to put in the work to build the life you truly want.