What if the reason you keep missing your goals isn’t lack of effort but the way you’re measuring success?
And what if you approached goals not as destinations but directions from now on?
Most of the big goals we have - career transitions, starting a business, building long-term health, even finding the right partner - are too complex, too dependent on variables we can’t control, to measure by a simple yes/no checkbox.
Did I get there or not?
That’s a setup for frustration, and for many people, it’s the moment they quit.
But if you choose to focus on direction, not destination, things shift.
If you pick your metrics for progress and a handful of actions that move you forward, you can guarantee one thing: you’ll get better.
And if you consistently get better, aren't you guaranteed to one day arrive?
Think about health.
You can’t guarantee you’ll drop 10 kilos by X date. Too many factors - genetics, sleep, stress, hormones, life, your own self - get in the way. But you can guarantee that if you consistently eat better, move your body daily, and invest in your sleep, your health will improve. Over weeks and months, those gains will compound and you will arrive.
I’ve seen the same in career transitions with clients.
Clients often arrive panicked: “What if I don’t land the right role in six months... or ever? What if it's too late? What if...?”
But the timeline again is the wrong question.
When we focus instead on upgrading skills, broadening their network, and practicing how to tell their story, applying for jobs, exploring options, reflecting on what we learn, measure progress - things keep moving. Inevitably, the right role comes. Because they’ve built capacity, skills, they took action and measured the progress - not just chased an outcome.
The same goes for business.
You can’t predict which pitch will land or which client will say yes. But you can commit to refining your offer, practicing your delivery, testing new ways to solve real problems. Each step forward makes you more ready for the opportunity when it arrives.
Getting better at the right things means progress.
Progress means you are getting closer. And closer, one day, turns into goals achieved.
“In the end, the money and success that truly last come not to those who focus on such things as goals, but rather to those who focus on mastery and fulfilling their Life’s Task.” ~ Robert Greene, Mastery
So if your goal feels impossible, you are frustrated, things seem to stall - stop measuring yourself against the finish line. Instead, design your “progress journey” - your way of mastering self and the world:
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Choose your direction. Where do you want to go? What's the goal that shows you direction?
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Define today. Where are you starting from as compared to your goal?
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Define “better.” How/when will you measure progress?
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Assign actions. What skills, experiments, or projects will help you make progress?
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Review regularly. Measure your progress regularly, take on new skills/projects, reflect on your goal monthly/yearly.
When you work this way, frustration gives way to fuel and motivation. Progress makes everything else irrelevant, it gives you pride and confidence to continue. Progress will eventually turn into goals achieved. And mastery will ensure the results are sustained over time.
Over to you dear reader, maybe it's time to stop chasing finish lines and focus on better instead?