I tell people that setting goals has to become more specific. Here is how I teach students this lesson. I tell them we are going to drive to California. Going to California is too vague. Crescent City, California, is the northernmost city in California. Imperial Beach is the southernmost city in California. Between these two cities is about 900 miles and 16 hours. That is a lot of room for error. If I say we are headed to the iconic Santa Monica Pier, then the goal has become very specific. So, the more specific the goal, the closer you will come to success.

Now you may ask what is success. Earl Nightingale, a famous speaker, author, and writer, defined success as “the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” Meaning as long as we are working staedily towards a goal, we are succeeding. If you are running a marathon, every mile is a success, not just the finishline. While we are driving to California and the Santa Monica Pier, every mile is a success on the way to our goal. Once we learn to see it that way, we start to understand the mindset of success.