All of us want to see some type of reward for all our hard work. But are we all willing to do what it takes in order to succeed?
In a recent interview, when asked what he does in his spare time, Elon Musk said, “usually it’s work more.” Without a doubt, success is hard work. The head of SpaceX and Tesla is said to put in more than 80 hours of work each week. Most of us are not willing to put in the required work to reach the heights of success like Elon Musk. Not only that, but musk sings the praises of getting enough sleep every night.
“Sleep is really great. I find if I don’t get enough sleep I’m quite grumpy…I could drop below a certain threshold of sleep, although I would be awake more hours I would get less done because my mental acuity would be affected.”
Many people I coach have specific goals they want to achieve. Some are held back, contained within their comfort zone. Others never test their limits because they just aren’t willing to put in the effort. Successful people tend to be very focused and intent on achieving their goal. When we look at someone that is highly successful, we sometimes don’t see the sacrifice they have made. They may have sacrificed time, money, relationships, or hobbies.
Successful people still have those things. But along their journey they gave up something to stay focused on their goal. We all want success, but there is a limit to how much we are ready to sacrifice. Having a limit is fine and knowing that sacrifice is required, shouldn’t we be able to make better decisions? What are you doing to reach those goals that you wish to achieve? A post by Jack Klemeyer talked about how to map your goals in order to find success.

© Flickr user Sander van der Wel
When you set goals for your business, you determine the direction your business will go in the next year, three to five years, ten years or longer. Your goals may define:
- How much profit you want to make each year.
- How your business will grow in terms of your product offerings, sales territory, physical size, number of employees, etc.
- How you will market your business.
- When and what your exit strategy will be.
You must be able to have a set direction in which you are wanting to take your life. If you don’t choose a road to follow, you will end up getting stuck at a crossroads. And these aren’t the only benefits that come from figuring out your end game. Klemeyer went on to explain:
Other benefits that goal setting can provide to you and your employees are:
An improved focus. You and your employees will know exactly what needs to be done on a daily basis to achieve your business goals. And you and they will likely use time more efficiently to achieve each step. Greater motivation. You can run a contest or incentive program to make it more fun to achieve your business goals. Evidence of your progress. You’ll be able to measure your actual results to determine if you’re on track with your goals. If you’re not on track, then you can make changes to your plan if needed. Plus this evidence will let you know when you have actually achieved what you set out to do.
Setting goals can be daunting. It can feel like you’re putting a deadline on your shoulders and adding more stress to your life. We have to be willing to make sacrifices if we want to become successful!