In 2014 when I started my first job as a personal trainer, I was introduced to a book called Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

That changed my entire life. As an 18 year old reading that book, I clung to this concept of setting significant goals, and having a burning desire to achieve them.

Just like any naive kid, I set some outlandish goals:

• Become a millionaire by 21

• Buy my parents a house

• Plus tons more that are embarrassing to share.

Realistic, not so much. Ambitious for sure.

Issue was I used to set these outlandish goals, get a motivational boner for 3 days, and then drop off the bandwagon. Shout out to all the 91% of people who never complete their New Year's resolution.

Over time I ventured out, started my own business, and this is where I needed to set goals to have something to aim towards.

I started learning concepts of: SMART Goals, the 90 Day Year, OKRs, and hundreds of others techniques.

All of these techniques are great, but techniques, tools and frameworks all enhance the experience of the person using them.

And if the person using them doesn’t understand HOW to use the tools, then the tool itself is useless.

I got to a point where I was sick and tired of setting big goals and never achieving them.

Here is what I have come to realize from that experience:

The Hardest Respect To Earn, Is Your Own.

Everytime you set a goal and don’t achieve it, it chips away at the self-belief you have about yourself.

Which slowly deteriorates the confidence you have in yourself.

“Goals are for people who want to win once…” - Jame Clear

I did not want to win once, I wanted to win repeatedly. I wanted to create my life, play by my rules, and accomplish everything I chose to.

By chance, I stopped setting big goals. My focus narrowed to the present — 12 to 24 months. I just focused on the actions I needed to take, to have the life I wanted. No more large aspirations, just one foot in front of the other.

At the time I did not know this but I started focusing on what I call Outputs.

Today I want to share with you the concepts of Outputs.

• What Outputs are

• Why Outputs are different from goals

• How to use Outputs to improve your health, wealth and happiness

By learning about Outputs, I believe that you will have a systematic way to get what you want out of life. As cliche as that sounds, stick with me. The goal is to give you practical tools and frameworks to live a life of design, which is the mission of this newsletter.

Problem is, many people don’t understand the mechanics of how to accomplish their goals.

It’s either because:

• They’ve never been taught how…

• They’ve stopped aiming or having aspirations…

• They’ve been dragged by life, diminishing their internal fire…

• They’ve got a fixed mindset that hinders their goal setting…

If you’re at a point in your life where I was tired, frustrated, disheartened by setting goals and not achieving them, & you’re ready to put your foot down. Then Outputs may be the solution.

Let’s start by defining terms.

What are Goals?

The definition of a GOAL is: end toward which effort is directed: aim

Goals by definition allow you to have an aim, a direction to work towards for the future. At its core, the practical use of a goal is to drive motivation and give us a benchmark for success.

What are Outputs?

The definition of an OUTPUT is: the amount of something produced by a person.

Outputs are the direct results of actions taken in the present. At their core, outputs give us real time feedback which allows us to course correct easily.

What Is The Difference?

Goals are assumptions you make based on your perception of what you're capable of achieving.

Humans are subjected to the Overconfidence Bias: where people overestimate their abilities or chance of success, due to their inflated perception of their skills.

Aim high. Accomplish nothing, which chips away at the self confidence that you have.

The Problem With Goals Setting:

#1 Are future based projections; lacking inputs of current reality.

#2 They lead to a binary view of success: you either achieve your goal (success) or you don't (failure).

#3 Are primarily aimed to seek external validation

#4 They differ ownership to other factors (resources, people, situations, etc)

Outputs on the other hand:

#1 Show what one is currently capable of, based on their actions and efforts

#2 Are small and incremental in nature making them more realistic

#3 Empowers ownership, since there is no one else to blame

#4 Primarily aimed to seek internal validation

This becomes the stepping stone for long term success & self leadership.

As you have small wins, it stacks chips in your favor.

Why Does The Delineation Matter?

The words you use influence the way you think.

If we can be precise with our words, we can be precise with our language, and if we can be precise with our language, we can be precise with our thinking.

Precise thinking is what allows a person to live intentionally, and have continual growth & evolution towards the life they want.

Here is why understanding Outputs vs Goals is key:

• Goals are future based assumptions vs Outputs are results produced by action.

• Goals may foster a fixed mindset vs Outputs may lead to a growth mindset.

• Goals are hopes that something will happen vs Outputs are what will actually happen — if you take action.

• Goals are future pacing vs Outputs are focused on the present.

Which One Is Better?

When I first thought of this concept, I sold myself on the idea that Outputs were better than Goals.

My thinking was flawed, Outputs are just the building block of Goals.

Goals are the desire we have for the future season of our life.

Outputs are what we are achieving in this current season.

Goals are the North Star, the long term direction this can change over time.

Outputs are the definitive outcome you achieve NOW to get close to your Goals.

4 Steps To Achieve Your Most Ambitious Goals.

Step #1: Fewer Big Goals

When it comes to Goals, fewer the better.

Having too many can be dangerous. When you have too many goals, your mind becomes obsessed with the little things.

Remember, goals are future paced aspirations that you aim for.

You can’t be Mr/Mrs.Olympia and become an Astronaut. Pick one.

“If you chase two rabbits, both will escape” - Chinese Proverb.

Step #2: Set Seasonal Outputs

We all have different seasons in our lives.

Highschool. College. First Job. Marriage. Kids… these are all different seasons.

I find when you look at life in seasons, you’re more prepared for it.

Seasons can last months or years.

That is why I have a Preseason Theory:

Just like sports they have preseason and then regular seasons. Sports teams use preseasons to prepare for the season.

Same concept can apply to life.

Example:

If having children is a season of life, then the preseason is preparing for it. Reading books about parenting, doing research, talking to other parents, taking classes, etc.

This is one of the ways to live an intentional life focused on continuous growth towards the life you want its being as prepared as you can be for the next season of your life.

Every quarter, I set Life Outputs for my health, wealth, and happiness. Doing it quarterly, lets me adapt to life’s seasons and allows me to put energy towards specific pillars. I will usually set an Output to grow 2 areas of life while maintaining 1 area.

For example: This season my health is on maintenance, while I work on improving happiness & wealth.


Step #3: Track Progress

What gets measured gets managed.

Easiest way I have found to track life progress is through Strategic Cadence.

My business partner & I used this for our business, I adapted it to my personal life.

Every week I have an hour, where I reflect on the previous week, plan out the next week’s non-negotiables to get to the Outputs I have set for my health, wealth, & happiness.

Remember momentum compounds, start by winning the day, win 7 days; you win the week, win 4 weeks; you win the month, win 12 months; you win the year.

Output is what allows for daily wins to happen. Without it reaching our goals would be futile.

Btw if you’d like access to my Strategic Cadence Template for free just shoot me a DM here.

Step #4: Keep Inching Forward

When you set goals you get stuck in this binary thinking; success or failure.

However, there are a lot of gray areas in life.

Instead of thinking in absolutes, let’s think through a continuum.

Example; not whether I lost weight or not…instead how much weight, did I lose?

Progress is not linear, but all progress no matter how small needs to be accounted for. This allows you to stack the chips in your favor to keep the momentum going until the Output has been achieved.

TL;DR

Goals are for people who want to win once.
Outputs are for people who want to win again and again.

Goals are assumptions you make about the future.
Outputs are results produced by the actions taken in the present.

4 Steps to Get What You Want In Life:

Step #1: Fewer Big Goals

Step #2: Set Seasonal Outputs

Step #3: Track Progress

Step #4: Keep Inching Forward

If you’re tired of setting goals and not achieving them, perhaps this perspective will help.

By focusing on Outputs, personally I have found great progress in the 3 pillars of my life: health, wealth, and happiness, I hope using this system you can as well.

If you found this deep dive helpful, feel free to share it with someone using this link: https://mohammedmalik.com/newsletters/b/atgongoals

Also I love hearing feedback from readers, just hit reply and let me know of your thoughts regarding the newsletter.

Till next time,