The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

My Goal Hack: How To Harness The Amazing Power of A.S.A.P Goals And Get Way More Done MUCH Faster!

Anything related to matters of the mind

V8Bill

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
334%
Feb 9, 2012
642
2,144
Australia
Ok, it's a bit rich to call one's own discovery "amazing" but it really is and my evidence is I have used this technique to achieve most of the amazing things I've accomplished in my lil 'ol life so far.

You may have to forgive me for pasting these two chapters directly from my book but it's a really popular and powerful yet incredibly simple way to smash your goals so I'm hoping some will agree it deserved it's own post. I believe it can really help a lot of who struggle (as I did) with the impotence and currently accepted largely ineffective method of setting goals.

Here's the technique in a nutshell for people in a hurry;
Unleash the power of your fantasy goals by removing your dates and replacing them with A.S.A.P!

I'll explain in detail by pasting some text from my book below (if you'll forgive me). I'll highlight some key points in bold to help if you're a scanner.

________________________________​

...Goals are great, aren’t they? Are they or aren’t they? What is this love/hate relationship we have with goals? I used to be a goal touter and faithful believer in setting goals in every sense of the word. I was almost addicted to it. It gave me such a rush when I decided how I wanted things to be.

Setting goals requires faith and having faith can sometimes (unproductively) be fully satisfying. So much so that the mere act of discovering, formatting and documenting a particular goal is often so satisfying that it’s a complete activity on its own. I rarely achieved many of those big goals, but I had a great time documenting them. Other times I achieved things on such a high level there’s no way I would ever have set the attainment of such a high goal. I wouldn’t have the cheek or gall to even think on such a high level.

I could be seen running up and down the stage during one of my talks, comically illustrating to people how to physically visit their goals. To smell the upholstery, watch the destination movies, listen to the stories and just immerse themselves into what they wanted until they believed (with all their heart) that they actually had the power and perseverance to achieve them all.

I would write all my goals down, listing all the steps carefully and in great detail, adding fake deadlines to push me along and excite me like I was taught to do by other goal touters I’d chosen to listen to and be influenced by and in some cases there’s some validity to taking your goals seriously. But there’s the problem. Why? What is it about setting and achieving goals that’s so addictive? What are we trying to achieve? Is there something else at play here? I believe there is.

Big fantasy goals usually have an underlying scent of freedom about them. If we could distil them all down to their essence, what are we really “wishing” for? I think it’s the freedom to live a life we choose. That’s what’s driving us but paradoxically that’s also why most of us fail to achieve our goals.

It’s not that we or the goals are lame per se. It’s just that we use them as symbols for what we really want – freedom. If we can have that massive house, and have millions in the bank, then we’d have to be free by default, and it’s often not the “thing” we want. It’s what it represents and how it makes us feel that we really want. So why are our goals often so big? Don’t get me wrong here, there’s absolutely a time and a place for big goals. I love them and I have them. It’s just that we often wish for the wrong thing without realising it, which is why we often don’t end up getting it because it’s not really what we wanted.

What we often really want is the simple freedom to be ourselves. So, if we can twist and mould our thinking to accept that what we really want is freedom, and we can have it much earlier than we thought; we can climb up to that level and start setting physical goals that matter. Here’s another problem with setting goals; they’re often dwarfed by what’s really possible. By setting goals we run the risk of blocking our potential. Have you ever done something you never thought you could ever do? Would you have ever set a goal to do that? Let me illustrate. During the last ten years I’ve achieved success on a sometimes fleeting, but spectacular, level.

Here are some real numbers to show you what I mean. I made $10,000 one morning before my coffee got cold (trading options on the stock market). I’ve sold over half a million dollars’ worth of information and training. I’ve doubled my money in a single day on one stock market trade and in another I made $20,000 overnight. I once sent out one email with an offer to my small email list and sold $67,000 worth of information to very happy customers.

I’ve lived in multi-million dollar homes. I’ve had the keys to top-of-the-range Mercedes, Lamborghinis, 40-foot luxury yachts, made $85,000 in one day, sold websites I built for over half a million dollars, and I’ve written books that changed people’s lives. I’m not mentioning these things to brag but rather to make a point. Rest assured, I’ve had my share of losses and made far too many dumb decisions in the mix to be bragging about anything. My point is this; I would never have ever set goals that massive and yet (much to my utter amazement) I achieved them all.

For example, do you think a “normal” person (like me) would have set the massive goal to build a website from scratch, invite people to join for a small monthly fee, enjoy an almost unbelievable passive income often exceeding $20,000 a month, and then sell my share for over $650,000 in just a little over two years? Not in my wildest dreams! Who sets a goal to make $85,000 in one day? Or to have the skills, cash and guts to make $10,000 a day? No way could I ever – in a million years – have been convinced that (and all those other massive achievements) was even possible, let alone plan it and achieve it – and yet I did it without ever setting the goal. What does that tell us? Was I just lucky or was there something else at play?

The lesson I learned here was to never underestimate the power I had within me to achieve really big things and to never limit myself to what I thought was “reasonable” to imagine. To do so shows contempt for nature and human potential. In that respect, the worst thing you can do is decide what you’re capable of. Let natural circumstances decide how awesome you can be – you might surprise yourself.

You don’t have enough information to make that decision because you’re probably capable of much more than you can imagine so it’s counter-productive to set limits in the form of goals you think you can achieve. Inversely, setting massive public goals just to show people how powerful you can be because can be just as damaging to your self-esteem as you might fail to achieve impossible or improbable goals.

Just set goals that you dream of, that excite and drive you naturally (and that you really want to achieve) and work out how to achieve them as you go along.

Lose the Dates On Fantasy Goals!

First, let me clarify what a fantasy goal is. A fantasy goal is something you’d “like” to achieve. Paying the rent by Friday, competing in the 2020 Olympics, making a loan repayment by a certain date each month, getting the contract on a job with an actual deadline are not fantasy goals. These are actual real dated goals with real consequences if you don’t achieve them.

What I’m referring to by fantasy goals are things you’d “like” to have or achieve that have no inherent value or purpose to the date attached other than the one you decide to attach. For example; “I want a new car by Christmas” or “I must finish writing my book by the 31st of December” or “I must become a millionaire by the age of 40”…etc. These non-mandatory, manufactured dates have no real meaning, relevance or consequences. There are better and faster ways to achieve fantasy goals than putting fake meaningless dates on them that have no real consequences if you miss.

Am I saying that you should just wander around aimlessly through life with no goals or direction at all, just reacting to what happens to you in life? No, but I have an even better suggestion that will feel like strapping freaking jet engines onto your back and soaring higher and faster than you ever imagined. You’ll be free of restraints, open to natural suggestion and flow with the river of fortune much faster than if you tried to carve your own way through the rock of resistance. There’s always resistance so why not go with the flow occasionally? Especially if it helps you get where you want to go faster. Set your sights on a goal. Get as clear and concise about it as you can – get emotional about it and make sure it’s something you really want but – and here’s the magic…

Unleash the power of your fantasy goals by removing your dates and replacing them with A.S.A.P!

This simple A.S.A.P. adjustment will unleash your true potential, supercharge your efforts and dump so much success on you that you’re going to be genuinely surprised and humbled. Just let go of the limiting belief that you already know how awesome you are. Trust me; you have no idea how awesome you are. You’d be surprised. You’re far more capable of extraordinary feats than you’re aware.

It’s a very simple thing, and yet the power is surprising and unimaginable. Get a marker or a pen and physically scribble and cross out any dates you set for your goals and replace them with A.S.A.P! Yes, you may keep your original goals and add as many as you like – there’s no limit to how many goals you can juggle at once. That’s the beauty; nature will take over, and your enthusiasm, curiosity and desire to move in the attractive direction will get you moving along the right path and then – bam!

Nature, circumstance, action and desire all take over, to really sing in unison to produce spectacular results for you! This is human nature given its wings…and nature loves to fly. Human nature unleashed is an awesome thing. Give it a chance to work for you without self-imposed limitations and you’ll see the results much faster than you ever imagined. I know this to be true in my case and have proven it many times over in my personal life.

The reason this works so well is that you’re driving towards your goal but you’re letting natural circumstance determine your speed. If it’s not happening one day – it’s not happening. Let it go. To borrow (and butcher) a line from a movie; the goal just “isn’t that into you right now.” Going with the flow is fine but when you power it with your goal, drive and desire, the thing can travel at light speed. I know this because that’s how it happened for me. I’ll give you a real example from my own life.

I set a goal to write this book (which I'm quoting from in this post) for you. I’ve been meaning to do it for ages, but the longer I procrastinated, the more experience I was exposed to by discussing these concepts with more people which (I hope) made this a more accurate, relevant and helpful experience.

I tested and validated all these things I’m telling you by sharing them with intelligent people from all walks of life, just like yourself. I’ve had feedback and taken on good points which (I believe) have actually made this book better. Had I set a firm dated goal to finish this book by a certain date I might have missed out on some vital information that could well have made a large difference to you. By taking “nature’s pace” I believe this is a better book.

If you’re feeling a bit relieved by removing dates from goals, you’re in good company. For the most part, many people I’ve put this idea to are also feeling very relieved they don’t have to play the silly dated goal game. So, in a sense, we get to “eat our cake and have it too” by keeping the original exciting goals and removing the restraints (our fake dates) that were holding us back. They held us back because when we didn’t meet the goals on the date we wanted, we felt dejected, like a failure – even if we made adjustments and moved the goal posts we experienced “goal stress”. This was counter-productive, made us feel like failures and eroded our self-confidence.

In reality, nothing could have been further from the truth. Just by even setting a goal (even if it had a date), you had decided to make your life – and therefore the world – a better place, and that makes you a winner. You drank excitement and satisfaction, and even if you didn’t know how filling they could both be, you felt good just by creating the belief.

Release the power of your fantasy goals by unchaining them from their fake dates, let nature take over, give her a full head of steam, and hang on for a wild ride. You’re about to become even more awesome than you could ever have imagined.

Try it – it works and it’s fun and if it doesn’t work then maybe you didn’t really want to achieve that specific goal? Set another one and this time make sure you really want it and you want it as soon as possible! You’ll be surprised how fast you achieve your goals when you really want them.

________________________________​

I hope this helps you because it sure as hell helped me and many others. I'm not sure if others before me have written about this technique but I've never seen it written anywhere quite like this. I only really discovered it when I started seeing results greater than I ever wished for so I just made a list, kept it at the forefront of my mind (using post it and white board notes...etc) but as soon as I got rid of the power sucking dates I really started to fly.

Try it and you should feel a sense of power come over you immediately but don't forget to act. This ain't no "think it and it'll appear" faux magic mumbo jumbo bullshit. This is a real step you can take right now that will have a real and often immediate effect. For example (as I did) if you think you have a book in you just start writing without measure when you feel like it. You'll be surprised to discover how much you can do when you're in the zone. I wrote 10,000 words one day and I didn't stop until after dawn. It screwed me for the next day but I achieved more in that one day than I'd hoped to achieve in a few months and this is how you move mountains.

Let nature and action take over and you'll discover how amazing and exceptional you really are.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
Last edited:

tpjay

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
157%
Aug 19, 2016
46
72
30
Connecticut
It’s a very simple thing, and yet the power is surprising and unimaginable. Get a marker or a pen and physically scribble and cross out any dates you set for your goals and replace them with A.S.A.P!

Wow. This is sneakily powerful. I used to find executing a brick wall to get over but this relates to the "winging it" factor MJ details in his book Unscripted for execution. Notable thread. This is great for smaller goals like making a phone call or sending an email.
 

ALC

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
99%
Jul 19, 2017
506
502
27
France
I made $10,000 one morning before my coffee got cold (trading options on the stock market).

Did you know a thing about trading or just pure luck ?
I have to say, trading get me very interested these day but i see so many gurus out there, and i don't trust books on the market, i don't know where to learn (i only tested Trading212 demo account).

+ , Very good point on ASAP, if you want something, you want it as soon as possible only if your really hungry..
 

All_In52

Today
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
157%
Nov 9, 2016
65
102
Great post V8Bill, this thread should definitely be more popular. I just came across your book and am excited ;) to begin reading it.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

V8Bill

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
334%
Feb 9, 2012
642
2,144
Australia
Wow. This is sneakily powerful. I used to find executing a brick wall to get over but this relates to the "winging it" factor MJ details in his book Unscripted for execution. Notable thread. This is great for smaller goals like making a phone call or sending an email.
You're right, it works for small goals too. It it's real power is seen on the massive gigantic goals which come much faster and I usually achieve much more than I ever imagined letting go of fake timelines and expectations. It really is amazing what we can all do if we let nature take its course and be driven by genuine enthusiasm. Thanks for the feedback. Come back and report your results if it works for you in real life.

Did you know a thing about trading or just pure luck ?
I have to say, trading get me very interested these day but i see so many gurus out there, and i don't trust books on the market, i don't know where to learn (i only tested Trading212 demo account).

+ , Very good point on ASAP, if you want something, you want it as soon as possible only if your really hungry..

Trading success is slippery little eel sometimes. There's definitely some level of luck and chance because you just never really know what's going to happen because there are just too many factors at play with sticks, options or currency. But you can certainly play a part by finding a good teacher or accepting the cost of teaching yourself. If you have an interest in the stock or currency markets and can handle the risk then ASAP goals can definitely help.

You don't have to "trust" books or coaches on the market but you should definitely read them, listen to them and then proceed with caution to test them. Applied knowledge is the key to success with trading but you need to get the knowledge from somewhere.

Great post V8Bill, this thread should definitely be more popular. I just came across your book and am excited ;) to begin reading it.

Lol, yeah I started this thread some time ago after I saw how helpful my signature thread became. I love the study of mindset after realising it's probably the most misunderstood and powerful aspect of success so I like and have taken a deep interest in playing with and testing the power of my brain.

Glad you found it and it's proven useful to you. It'd be cool to read how ASAP goal setting has worked for you if you choose to apply it. It really is astonishingly powerful technique and so simple yet liberating.

Thanks for your feedback too. It put a smile on my face.
 

ALC

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
99%
Jul 19, 2017
506
502
27
France
but you need to get the knowledge from somewhere.
You're right, but so many books and e-books, i don't know where to go.
It's not a kind of ASAP goals since i'm building my own business so i need my money to be saved for this short time.
But i will try to get the best books i can find, and then i'll see.
 

V8Bill

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
334%
Feb 9, 2012
642
2,144
Australia
You're right, but so many books and e-books, i don't know where to go.
It's not a kind of ASAP goals since i'm building my own business so i need my money to be saved for this short time.
But i will try to get the best books i can find, and then i'll see.
I don't want to divert this into a trading thread but my advice is to get as much free information into you as soon as possible and soon you'll be able to line up and compare information. When you start to see and hear the same advice and information over and over again you can start consider it as information of some value.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

ALC

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
99%
Jul 19, 2017
506
502
27
France
I don't want to divert this into a trading thread but my advice is to get as much free information into you as soon as possible and soon you'll be able to line up and compare information. When you start to see and hear the same advice and information over and over again you can start consider it as information of some value.
Thanks for the advice ! And great to have some car enthusiast with us on this forum, as i'm one too !
 

V8Bill

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
334%
Feb 9, 2012
642
2,144
Australia
And great to have some car enthusiast with us on this forum, as i'm one too !

Sometimes I think I should have been born with 4 wheels instead of limbs. There's just something about driving high powered cars that drives me. When I'm not driving one, the drive to be behind the wheel ASAP is sometimes so overwhelming that I just have to get in a drive anywhere just to get my fix.
 

ALC

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
99%
Jul 19, 2017
506
502
27
France
Sometimes I think I should have been born with 4 wheels instead of limbs. There's just something about driving high powered cars that drives me. When I'm not driving one, the drive to be behind the wheel ASAP is sometimes so overwhelming that I just have to get in a drive anywhere just to get my fix.
I feel exactly the same! I'm not yet at this stage, where i can go out without worrying about my business but this is one of my goals.
I got a 2011 Abarth 500 for myself, which is something very fun to drive and i'm very interested about this brand, in love with it and what you can feel behind the wheel and it's very powerful ! I can stand behind some Porsches, and my dad got himself 2 months ago a 2008 Maserati Quattroporte GTS, the pure sound of the V8 Ferrari give me chills everytime, i wish i could win the lottery and stay on the road all day long!

That's how i fix my 'bad mood', i go drive in the sunset and start to focus on positivity..
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Christopher777

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
190%
Jun 13, 2017
139
264
Manila, Philippines
You'll be surprised to discover how much you can do when you're in the zone. I wrote 10,000 words one day and I didn't stop until after dawn. It screwed me for the next day but I achieved more in that one day than I'd hoped to achieve in a few months and this is how you move mountains.

Let nature and action take over and you'll discover how amazing and exceptional you really are.

You are so on point man. I understand what you're talking about because in a span of ten months, I myself wrote 300k+ words. I also read books while not at it. I was excited, tired, fired up, unstoppable as well as procrastinating at times. I just kept on hammering. It feels weird when you actually finish it.

It was torturous. Maddening. And exhilirating at the same time.

I remember thinking "i'll look back at this day when it is finished." while suffering.

Now I can't remember that day lol. But I still remember how I suffered.

It was like a dream. I thought I was going crazy. I just couldn't stop because of the momentum. It took enormous discipline and fighting my way through "resistance" as Steven Pressfield called it.

Now I'm editing, revising and I remember that kind of suffering.

The cool thing is, because of that previous experience, this is now a walk in the park although still hard.

It will all be over soon, and I am riding the momentum again.

That process, that of reading, writing, being isolated, bored out of my wits and alternately getting that elated feeling, that "buzz" after seeing that time passed you by while being so engrossed at what you're doing, it's like being bipolar man. Sometimes you'll think if you've lost it. Haha my family thought I lost it. I've never done it before. I simply understood The Compound Effect. It was the spark. The book that helped me do it.

Now, I'm back with a vengeance.

After finishing, of course I took a well-deserved break and roamed around. Took a breather, (had fun, roamed around) before initiating the edit.

That process changed me. In so many ways.

That feeling of focus and overcoming resistance. it's not leaving me anymore. It has become familiar. I was tracking my daily behaviors. I had a checklist from monday thru saturday. Did it. Check. Skipped it. X'd it.

It always feels the same. You don't do it, you're coasting. You keep doing it and you gain momentum.

I'm still doing it now. Tracking the behaviors related to my goals. Looking back it was quite surreal that I did that for more than a year. Reading, writing, tracking, working out, ignoring distractions. Surreal man. Like a blur. Like it happened so FAST. But while you were IN THERE you feel so friggin' SLOW.

Now I realize how fast I was moving.

I'm sure you can relate.

Thanks for the ASAP thing. I completely agree. Dates don't work for me. I missed my self-imposed deadline.

But there's one thing I know for sure : I can do a lot more in day more than ever.

The level of discipline I achieved alone because of that year long process was WORTH IT!

Never underestimate the power of a true to heart decision and commitment.

Cheers!
 
Last edited:

V8Bill

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
334%
Feb 9, 2012
642
2,144
Australia
Thanks for the ASAP thing. I completely agree. Dates don't work for me. I missed my self-imposed deadline.

Bang on. Those self imposed deadlines can be a double edged sword; while feeling good at the start they can too often become a drag and a source of needless anguish. Unless there are real consequences for missing those deadlines they're often more dangerous to a goal than helpful.

We have enough things and people out there trying to make us feel bad, we don't need to impose more on ourselves. That's why these days I have major aims Instead of goals and almost no personal KPIs.

Good work on the book! Three hundred thousand words is impressive! Mine is a pamphlet compared to that.
 

Christopher777

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
190%
Jun 13, 2017
139
264
Manila, Philippines
We have enough things and people out there trying to make us feel bad, we don't need to impose more on ourselves. That's why these days I have major aims Instead of goals and almost no personal KPIs.

Exactly. We must only focus on the essentials.

Good work on the book! Three hundred thousand words is impressive! Mine is a pamphlet compared to that.

Haha I thought suffering was over until editing. I asked James Altucher via twitter for tips and he said to make it a series. However, I designed the book that way to deliver what I ultimately intended.

The key takeaway I got from it : you can do anything with enough discipline and a clarified WHY.

We're all on a mission on here and believe or not, I feel like this is the first time in my life where I'm truly "around" MANY of my kind of people!
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
Last edited:

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

Latest Posts

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top