Back in 2018 I wrote a short book. It was called “7 Proven principles to become unshakeable.” I decided to hold off on putting it out into the world because I felt like it did a great job capturing the experiences at the time but couldn’t shake this feeling that things would change.
They did.
At the time, it was the first time I sat with my self for a few months to dissect my thinking, so I needed simmering time to let life take shape after.
I’m proud to say - “I’m proud of you Adam.”
I took every step I’d laid out for myself and oh how things have changed. Since then, I’ve grown from sales to entrepreneurship. I’m also married and have a kid now.
And best of all, I’m surrounded with people I admire. It sounds simple, but the simple things are what make life a joy to experience.
What surprised me the most is how evergreen the content turned out to be.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll share a few excerpts from the book I wrote.
I hope it finds you well, starting with chapter 1.
1) Create Clarity, & Set Functional Goals
“Being is the first step to becoming. The next step is to navigate, and take conscious, imperfect action. Then refine as you go” - Adam Elhalaby
The truth is, you need to set clear, functional END goals. When it comes to goal setting, most people just get it wrong.
They focus on the result instead of the why behind the result.
If you don’t know your why, you’ll eventually give up, or worse, risk feeling unfulfilled once you’ve achieved it.
Getting clear on your End goals (aka your why), then clearly identifying the result behind the end goals will help you break-down the smaller goals you need to achieve in order to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you need to go.
Realize that your goals will change over time as your purpose in life changes.
Changing your goals as you evolve is also key to continued growth and avoiding ceilings that will inevitably get in your way.
When I first started my career in sales, my goals were all about the money.
The market was hot, so it tricked me into thinking I was good until I realized I wasn’t.
I went from beating my quota to selling nothing within one month.
That’s when I learned about the power of end goals from one of my mentors, Vishen Lakhiani, founder of Mindvalley.
I immediately shifted my focus to active listening.
I started focusing on my customers’ problems, providing solutions and giving them an amazing experience.
Those small changes quickly doubled my sales, built lasting relationships and made me more money (the result).
Darren Hardy, author of “The Compound Effect”, tells the story about how he met his wife.
He struggled with women too for a while.
At first he focused on finding “the one”...
He even wrote down a bucket list of traits he wanted in a woman.
After reading through the list, he realized that the person he was now, wasn’t the person he needed to be to attract that kind of woman into his life.
Then he shifted his focus to personal growth.
He immediately started making small changes in his life that compounded overtime allowing him to become the version of himself he needed to be so his future wife would come to him.
And that’s when he met her....
Darren goes on to say that his wife is exactly as he described her in his list.
With some conscious effort, an open heart and an open mind, solutions will fall right into your lap.
Focus on your end goals and the results will follow.
Write your end goals down on a piece of paper, then outline the results of reaching your end goals then put a date on it.
From there you can create stretch goals and smart goals that help you take immediate, practical action.
Key Takeaways:
1. If you focus on the result, you will lose focus on your End goal.1
2. Your goals will change, and that is ok. Pick a target and go after it.
3. Write your goals down. Writing them down makes you feel, which makes them real.
I didn’t elaborate much on what I meant by “End” goals so here is what it means looking back 8 years now. Money is a great example because money is a means to an end. One of my personal end goals is to become a full time philanthropist. That’s a goal that keeps on giving, so it has no end. So when setting an end goal, it has to go beyond the means. Money on its own is only a means to an end. A vehicle to help you do things you couldn’t do without it. Money just becomes a consequence of the actions you take to get to your end goal. To be a full time philanthropist means I need resources, so the solution? Become an entrepreneur. Questions like “What business should I start?” turn into questions like “What does my community need or what gaps in the market can I fill?” which start taking shape in the mind, and now we have something practical to work with. 8 Years later, we’re off to a great start. Am I there yet? no, not even close. But am I closer than I was when I started? YES, by miles.