I’m sure we’ve all heard it before “Go big or go home!”, that we need to go “all in“, or always give it “110%” (not possible btw). But you know what that typically leads to–Not starting at all, or starting something that is simply unsustainable.

Why do you think gyms are typically so busy in January, and then dwindle off by mid Feb? Because we build up the the challenge and the need to take massive action to the point that we need so much willpower to keep us going. Then the moment we have a “bad day” or some other bump in the road happens, we’re all too quick to say “well, I just don’t have time for that today”, then that leads to “well, I’ve missed so many days this week, I’ll start fresh next week.” And so on…You get the point.

That goes for anything though–not just hittin’ the gym. Ever try learning a new instrument, new skill, or tell yourself you’ll go outside more, call mom more often, or eat more healthy? And how did that go?

And I’m not here just to call you out–I’m here to help you out. And a very basic step towards achieving your goal, is ditching the “All or Nothing” mentality, and swapping it with “All or Something” mentality.

You might be thinking–but wait, what happened to shooting for the moon, or setting big goals? This is when we need to separate your long-term objectives, from your everyday goals that help you get to your final destination.

Think of it this way, if you want to go on a road trip–you will have your final destination–Say Montreal. You’ve got a couple buddies, a nice place to stay, and your GPS set. You’re flying down the highway blasting your tunes for an hour, only to be hit with your first traffic jam!

Now, you’re just inching along. So frustrating, right? But do you just turn around and say, forget it? No! You just keep going. You’re inching forward, toward your goal. Right now it’s slow, but it will pick up again.

That’s how you’ve gotta look at your long-term objectives. You’ve heard the “where do you see yourself in 5 years” question, well, this is the answer. If you haven’t asked yourself that question, I definitely recommend that you do. But it doesn’t have to be 5 years, many coaches recommend 3 years–But what’s important is that you have a vision for your future.

Once you have that in mind–you can formulate smaller immediate goals that will get your to your final destination:

If I want to be in Montreal in 6 hours, where should I be in 3 hours?

If I want to be a series regular in 3 years, how many TV credits would be reasonable to have after 1 year?

If I want to lose 50 lbs, what is a healthy weight loss target per week?

For many people–You may not even know where to start, and that can be daunting. That’s when we make these outrageous plans to take MASSIVE ACTION, when what we should be doing is slowing down, and making a plan. This is where coaches, personal trainers, mentors, teachers come into play–and many resources to get you started can be found in free webinars/challenges/masterclasses.

The point is, getting to where you’re going takes time, and steps to get there. Yes, you can take big leaps sometimes, but at others, you’re gonna take little baby steps. The thing is, just don’t stop. So go in with all you’ve got when you can, but if you suffer some setbacks along the way, don’t just turn around and go home. You keep going, and rest when you need to. Do what you can and just keep working at it. 5 minutes playing an instrument/working out/reading a book is better than not doing it at all.

Do all or something.