We love setting some goals.

• Business goals

• Personal goals

• Life goals

You name it. We all got some goals. (Sorry I had to make the goal shoutout a little louder by humongously sizing them)

We write them on paper, on note taking apps, on our presentations, heads, emails, social media posts and even on fridge doors.

When it comes to motivating ourselves to achieve them though...

Let's cut the crap out, kick negativity to its corner.

I set many goals. Failed at hundreds. Achieved hundreds. (I could have added more zeroes here but hundred sounded about right...)

I look back and remember one thing. I remember what I did to achieve my goals. I don't remember the reasons clearly for a goal that I did not achieve.

This tells me one thing. Setting up a goal is only the tip of the iceberg. Setting up routines, strategy, actions, measurements and mentality is the actual GOAL is all about.

Let me elaborate.

I was 15 years old. Oh gosh! gone are the days...

My life was simple. School and basketball.

Nothing else. No time for girls. No time for any other hobbies. Nothing.

I was giving everything I had to basketball. I was taking it too serious. So much so, I could never lose. Losing a game was like the end of me. I had to win it.

I would not stop due to being TIRED.

I would not stop if I was injured (unless I broke a leg).

I would not stop if the game did not finish and I had to go home.

I just would not. I had one goal. Play it, play better than before, win it.

This made me happy. I felt satisfied. I felt complete.

I was recognised by my friends, by neighbourhood, by peeps I was yet to meet.

I still was not very happy though. I went ahead to play with elder kids. Those who were 3 years older and much better built. More masculine and athletic. More experienced. I was not winning that often against them but it was strangely feeling better in a way. I was getting injured more often due to them taking me serious and playing rough. I did not care. I proved a point that I could play against the big boys. It felt good.

So what did I learn? I guess I did not pay attention to this back then but in hindsight there were some valuable life lessons.

I not very arguably took playing basketball a little too serious. So much so it affected my mental wellbeing. Made me super competitive. To a level I guess it developed my thinking in a way that 'to achieve a goal, one of the best hacks is to become competitive'.

Winning against weaker opponents is boring and not a fair game. Compete with those who are equal and Win. Do it again and again and go for e better WIN.

Don't stop there. Seek better competition. Don't hold back. Don't waste time. Challenge. If you lose, let that teach you a lesson. Pay attention. Care about it. Let it disappoint you. Feel sad. Anger. Fall down. Make it painful.

Once you hit rock bottom, there is not much to lose. Your mind tells you to get up. Nothing else to lose anyway. What's the matter? No need to worry anymore.

That time you already learnt some valuable lessons. Next try will be better. You know you can do it now.

When you go through this cycle, one important thing you achieve is the compounding effect of each try. Each go adds up.

You then realise, you are much better at your moves, playing the game, have tactics against many sorts of opponents, you can win the game despite a bad start.

Your goal to become a better basketball player is in fact achieved.

You never set your goal to become the BEST PLAYER anyway. Even if you did, that was just a North Star metric rather than the actual destination.

Nevertheless, this proved a point that I was a strong achiever of goals when I was 15. Two major factors also helped with achieving my goal. Enjoying what I did and my dedication to it.

Fast forward to now. I am going through some new challenges.

Current Goal - 2022

I've had a 2 year break from the gym. Covid hit the land, we got locked up in a cage (well not really but felt like that). Instead of finding a way to exercise, excuses took over. Laziness won.

Enough was enough. I started a new routine. Typical life goal you can imagine. Lose weight, look good on the mirror. Well I defined it better by saying by my birthday, I am going to have a 6-pack. For context, I'm heading for an approximately 18% weight loss while gaining a couple of kgs of muscle.

What's best about it is that I can't really remember myself with one. Even when I was super active back in the days playing basketball.. I can't remember if I had the Ronaldo like torso.

Nevermind... It's a nice desirable goal. It combines the elements of losing weight, controlling what I eat, exercise, do this super regularly, stick to a plan and don't give up, there is a timeframe and deadline, the visualisation of how I would feel if I achieved it and more.

Did you get it? The above paragraph is the ultimate hack to achieving a Goal. Read it once more. Do the same.

It worked for me. It will work for you too. (I'm super close to completing my goal by the way. 11% weight loss in 4 months and +2kg of muscles. Not going to put a gym photo here but feel free to google one and photoshop your head onto an athletic human being body to bring a smile to your face). Once you are done, get started. Don't stop.