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Goal Setting 101: How to Scale the Mountain On Your First Attempt

Written by Jacob Salem

We all have goals – in personal life and for our business. And many times, our goals can seem so large that we aren’t sure where to begin.  I want to share with you a simple “mind-hack” that my team and I use to accomplish some pretty epic goals!

Set an end goal, and imagine it as the peak of a mountain.  You have to scale the mountain, and you need to take incremental steps to get there.   

Maybe you could draw a mountain on your office board, give the project a name like ‘Mount BigDeal, or just imagine each micro-goal you achieve as taking you one step higher in the chain of goals. 

Thought experiments like this help to break down complex, often long-term goals.  As you probably know, achieving long-term goals requires a number of short-term micro goals.  It’s not hard to grasp in theory – but in practice it takes a lot of diligence and focus.


Zig Ziglar said, “A goal properly set is halfway reached.”

Maybe you are looking to get an X% increase in sales, or an X% growth in Facebook conversions over a 12-month period. 

Whatever the goal, what matters most is the procedure you follow to get there.

Here are a few tips from experience that will help you scale the mountain on your first attempt, each and every time:

Tip #1 – Start Slow

Many people in business try and get things done too quickly.  Want an example? 

Say you are looking to increase Facebook conversion rates by 10%.  To achieve this, you decide Facebook ads will be the key. 

It’s in your best interest to learn everything about Facebook ads before starting a campaign, but often in the haste of business you just go with what you know. 

Do you know how Facebook defines ‘engagement’?  If you do not, then take the time to read up on it.  It will help.

DON’T FORGET: Facebook has many different types of advertisement platforms.  Do the research into each of them to get an idea which one works best for you.

Developing Facebook ad campaigns can be broken into 6-10 incremental micro-tasks that build on each other.  Write them all down so that you remain accountable to them!

That’s how you get to the peak of the mountain – but you have to build on what you know. 

Tip #2 –  Make A Daily Routine

One of the best ways to scale a mountain is to hike at a consistent pace the entire way up.  That way your body gets used to the exertion and can ensure you have enough energy to reach the end goal.

It’s exactly the same in business.

If you put 60 hours a week into achieving a long-term goal for ONLY 2 WEEKS, how can you expect to achieve it? 

More importantly: how can you expect to have the motivation to continue working on it after 120 hours in 14 days. 

SOLUTION: Make it a daily routine to accomplish one micro-goal a day.  It could be as simple as scrolling over competitors Facebook ads to see what you like. 

It might not bring results overnight, but it will harness all your capability to write engaging copy and give you industry insight that you would have overlooked otherwise.    

Tip #3 –  Use Software Like BaseCamp

Basecamp.com is a great resource to keep every project organized and on schedule.  It’s especially effective when working on a large-scale project with a number of participants, as the user-friendly interface keeps track of all tasks, deadlines, and goals. Basecamp is a fantastic alternative because it tracks everything on one central page. It doesn’t matter which program you decide to use, as long as it works for you & is something you can stick with.

Structure Is Key, Not Energy

The final thing to say about goal setting is that it’s all about building AND maintaining a structure around your goals. 

You have to make sure to maintain a pace which will leave you with endurance near the end, to actualize your goal and enjoy the fruits of your labor. After all, you want the energy to celebrate a job well-done with your team!

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