Why your goals are ruining your progress

You know that giant goal you keep writing down? The one that looks so inspiring on your whiteboard?

It might be the thing that's keeping you stuck.

Sounds backward, I know. But here’s the truth:

Big goals kill small wins. And without small wins, you lose momentum. Every time.

The Lie of "Go Big or Go Home"

We're told to dream big, shoot for the stars, 10x everything.

So we set goals like:

• "Make $1M this year"

• "Lose 50 pounds"

• "Build the next big startup"

Ambitious? Sure. Helpful? Not really.

Big goals feel productive until they become a distraction. You spend more time fantasizing than doing. You obsess over the gap instead of building the bridge.

That $1M goal just reminds you that you only made $400 this week. Now you're demoralized. Again.

Here’s the twist: High achievers don’t obsess over goals. They obsess over inputs.

Inputs vs. Outcomes

You can't control how much weight you lose this month. You can control how many workouts you do.

You can't control how many people buy your course. You can control how many cold emails you send.

Outcomes are lagging indicators. Inputs are daily actions.

If you anchor your self-worth to the outcome, you’re setting yourself up to feel like a failure 90% of the time. Anchor it to the input, and you feel like a winner every day you show up.

Small Games = Big Wins

Let’s flip the script: Instead of saying, “I want to lose 50 pounds,” say, “I want to be the kind of person who never skips a walk.”

One is about fantasy. The other is about identity.

Small games are:

• Embarrassingly simple

• Ridiculously winnable

• Repeatable, without burnout

Examples:

• 1 push-up a day

• 5 cold emails before lunch

• 10 minutes of writing before work

You don’t need motivation to win a small game. You just need to start.

And once you win a few? Momentum takes over.

A Real-Life Flip: From Stuck to Stacked

One of my coaching clients was stuck in a cycle: She wanted to launch a podcast. Had the gear, had the idea. Zero episodes.

Her goal? "Launch a top 10 podcast." Big. Vague. Paralyzing.

So we scrapped the goal. I gave her one input: "Record a 2-minute voice memo every day. No editing. No posting. Just talk."

She did it for 10 days. By day 15 she had 3 full episodes ready. By day 30 she’d launched.

All because she started with a game so small, she couldn’t lose.

The Paradox of Lowering the Bar

We think we need higher standards. But most of us need lower bars.

You don’t need to write a best-selling book. You need to write 1 crappy page every day.

You don’t need a six-figure business. You need to sell one thing to one person.

Set the bar low. Clear it daily. Stack the wins. That’s how momentum is built.

How to Break the Goal Addiction

Here’s a 3-step process that works:

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