Journey to Financial Freedom Through Strategic Planning

Unlock the keys to personal and professional growth as we tackle the common roadblocks of goal setting, from procrastination to the fear of failure. Imagine setting off on a chaotic road trip without a destination—that's what life feels like without clear goals. Join me, Fabio from Journey to Success, as I draw from relatable stories and personal anecdotes to underscore the power of structured planning. Learn about the "ticket strategy," a unique approach using time vouchers, that can transform your productivity and keep distractions at bay.

In this episode, I highlight the significance of gradual habit changes and the pivotal role of understanding your "why." Explore how small shifts in daily routines can lead to monumental changes, without overwhelming yourself. By sharing insights from experts like Professor Stephen Krauss and Dr. Gail Matthews, we delve into the efficacy of writing down and sharing goals. I'll also open up about my journey toward financial freedom that started in 2012, proving that clarity, purpose, and commitment are your best allies. Join our supportive community by sharing your stories, and let's enhance our journey to success together.

Chapters

• 0:00 Overcoming Goal Setting Challenges
• 12:43 Navigating Goal Setting Challenges
• 26:17 Financial Freedom and Goal Setting

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Do you believe that setting clear and challenging goals can boost performance by up to 90%? Guys, when you improve your goal setting strategies, you contribute to your personal and professional growth, which is essential for progressing on your journey to success. Hi everyone, my name is Fabio from Journey to Success, and welcome. Today, guys, we're going to explore why goal setting is fundamental to achieving your dreams. We're going also to dive into common obstacles that can get in the way, like procrastination. That can get in the way, like procrastination, fear of failure, the struggle of navigating big challenges, changing habits and even losing sight of your why. Understanding these barriers will help you how to reach your goals. But before we go forward, as always, please subscribe. So I know this is the right direction to lead you, to drive you, to guide you towards your journey to success, and let's get started, as always. So first of all, let's discuss the common difficulties people face when trying to set effective goals. We all have dreams we want to achieve. All right, but it can be challenging to know when to start. When you set a goal, guys, right, it is something in your brain, so it's actually just an abstract thought in your mind. Then, of course, if you put the right effort, the right dedication, it can finally become tangible and achievable. Okay, this transformation is fascinating, in my opinion, since it represents making dreams come true. You know, and for many people, this process can be intimidating, and I understand that. So today I would like to highlight six of the biggest challenges to setting goals and taking daily action, along with tips on how to overcome them as well. Along with tips on how to overcome them as well.

Speaker 1: 2:25

The first challenge is, for sure, the unclear goals. Okay, imagine you are in Europe, enthusiastic to embark on a road trip. You know. You get in the car and decide to visit your favorite vacation spot, let's say Spain. However, during your journey, you realize you would also like to see France, let's say Paris, paris. Then, halfway, you start thinking it would be better to visit Italy, my country, because you love the food All right, italy, my country, because you love the food All right. Eventually, you become stressed and overwhelmed because you know you cannot decide and at the end of the story, you just go back home to your comfort zone.

Speaker 1: 3:18

This example, this scenario, perfectly shows what having unclear goals looks like. It looks a stupid example, right, but this is what happens in our brain. So it can happen when chasing a dream or any type of goal. Another example close to us is if your goal is to grow on social media. I like to pick up every time this kind of example because it's the modern example you know when we talk about social media. So you might initially focus on Instagram, then feel tempted to try TikTok, then YouTube, and, before you know it, you're trying to use all of them, eventually achieving nothing.

Speaker 1: 4:02

So to prevent this, it's crucial to define your goals in a clear way, so break them down into smaller, achievable targets we always talk about it and create a timeline with actionable steps. Adjust them along the way, trying to stay focused and avoid distraction that could slow your progress. The way, trying to stay focused and avoid distractions that could slow your progress. Also, developing and sticking to a daily or also weekly plan with priority tasks is extremely helpful for staying motivated and organized while working toward your goal and later on, you have more time to enjoy your life.

Speaker 1: 4:45

Right, for example, first day of each month, I plan my episodes for the upcoming month, choosing their title and content. This is my personal example, right. So days two, three, four and five, and sometimes six, depending on the month, are dedicated to preparing each episode via writing. A week later, I put my words into action by recording them and preparing an article resumed for my Substack website with AI and you know, in this modern era, we always have to get all the help we need. Guys, and I'm finding AI interesting when I have to make a reassume of my entire script. Ideally, I accomplish everything within 10 days, right, but life is unpredictable. I accept that. So we are all human beings. An expect challenge will always appear, so ideally eastern days, let's say this way, uh, but at least I have a clear roadmap in my, in my brain, so, and I can navigate with it.

Speaker 1: 5:57

This was the first point, and unclear goals the point. The second challenge is the procrastination. Right, all the people talk about procrastination First of all. So let's see if we can add something interesting. Anyway, first of all, you don't need to be 100% ready. This is the first mistake many people make. We plan, discuss, talk, analyze, dream and brainstorm, but over the years, we often find ourselves in jobs we don't enjoy, living lives we never wished for, and feeling unhappy with our situation. What if you could change this today?

Speaker 1: 6:44

Perhaps the best strategy for you is just to take small steps to build momentum. Even small efforts, such as reserving 15 minutes or one hour a day, can make a big difference. You know that. However, we also have to consider that staying consistent can be challenging. No one really talks about it. It's easy to say, you know, one hour a day, 15 minutes a day. The truth is that it can be challenging sometimes. So it's easy to advise others to build momentum and start small, but without the right mindset, it becomes difficult to follow this concept as well. So what I recommend as well is a strategy I call the ticket strategy. So design 10 tickets for yourself using any kind of designing tool like Canva, print them out and treat each ticket as a voucher for three hours or two hours or one hour. You know, of course, what is the best that suits your. You know your dedication time and dedicate anyway this ticket to your work, so to your project.

Speaker 1: 8:12

Number three fear of failure. Where should I start? Fear of failure, first of all. Of all, fear of what? Fear of failing? Really, the worst that can happen is that you get up and start again, again and again, until you achieve whatever you want to accomplish. That's it, anyway. I don't want to be banal on this. Okay, so let's brainstorm a little bit. So let's brainstorm a little bit. No-transcript.

Speaker 1: 9:42

I mean, have you ever heard about successful people who achieved great things without stepping outside their comfort zone? No one. Take Thomas Edison, for example. He failed thousands of times before inventing the light bulb. You know the story, but he saw each failure as a step closer to success. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Then we have Steve Jobs, who was famously fired from Apple. Walt Disney was told he lacked imagination and had no good ideas. Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and often strangled in school, so his early teachers even thought he would never amount to much. Jk Rowling's Harry Potter manuscript was rejected by multiple publishers before it became one of the most successful book series in history. Oprah Winfrey was told she was unfit for television. Bill Gates' first company, trafalgar Data, was a failure something I'm sure you don't even know about, and so on. So many people, so many guys of failure something I'm sure you don't even know about, and so on. So many people, so many guys.

Speaker 1: 11:12

It's not about failing. You truly fail the moment you stop trying. That's the reality. So if you don't stop, you can learn from your mistakes. These intelligent mistakes naturally arise, so take some time for self-reflection and use them as opportunities for growth. So don't let mistakes stop you from, let's say, reaching your goals okay. Instead, use them as a stepping stone towards success. Use them as a stepping stone towards success.

Speaker 1: 11:45

Number four mind the moment, not the mountain. It is important to look at the mountain. All right, we know that your big goal, your vision, so you can motivate yourself to improving what you're doing. Looking at your big goal, of course. However, don't focus too much on that. Start humbly with the skills you have and improve yourself. The good news is that you can expand your abilities moment by moment, so you have the potential to gain infinite skills and knowledge through study, experiences and the mistakes you make along the way. This will help you grow and prepare you for the next version of yourself, guys.

Speaker 1: 12:43

Number five changing habits. Do you know the phrase? Old habits die hard. It may be the true, I mean, why not? But there is a way to change your habits for good. And let's say, you want to wake up early in the morning because you need to work on a project that you cannot do during the day. All right, in this case, I suggest you gradually adjust your original wake-up time. For example, if your alarm is set for 7 o'clock and you need to leave the house by 8 am because you have to go to work, then naturally you don't have so much time, okay. So you can start by waking up at 6.30 the first week, then 6 o'clock the second week, the second week, 5.30 am the third week and finally 5 am in the fourth week. So in this way, you can work on your project in a consistent way for two hours each morning.

Speaker 1: 13:49

Another example is if you want to go on a diet. So instead of making drastic changes to your diet all at once which, let's be honest, is often inefficient, you can take a more gradual approach than inefficient. You can take a more gradual approach. So, for example, if you usually eat 100 grams of pasta, you might reduce it to 90 grams in the first week, 8 grams in the second week and 70 grams in the third week. You know, additionally, if you exercise every day, it feels overwhelming, right? So try starting with three times a week instead. So consistency is key when developing new habits. But to achieve real consistency you need to start slowly, guys. This is something that really no one talks about it. This is something that really no one talks about it.

Speaker 1: 14:46

Lastly, let's talk about the importance of remembering your why. Number six why are you doing that? Why are you doing what you're doing? What is your reason for seeking this path? The moment you gain a clearer understanding of your why, you will better understand your goals. This relates back to the issue of unclear goals we discussed before in challenge one. So, while this concept may seem obvious, it's not even for people who are more experienced than we are, including everyone YouTubers, podcasters, your favorite YouTuber Many of them struggle to comprehend why their engagement is declining or why they are losing followers and community support.

Speaker 1: 15:40

The answer often lies in the fading of their original ideas and goals. You know, as they evolve and change, that's absolutely normal. But what happened? Their audience may no longer align with their new direction. So this same community can perceive their indecision about their goals, often even more than they realize. So this lack of clarity is one reason why we struggle to make progress.

Speaker 1: 16:08

Ok, so think like, let's say again, a car trip. Ok, if you forget your destination, destination, you become stuck on the highway, lost and confused, wondering why you are in the car and where you are going. It's a similar situation where you lose sight of your why. So take a moment to ask yourself what is your why? A study conducted by Professor Stephen Krauss from Howard University and Dr Gail Matthews from Dominican University researched why people often struggle to reach their goals. The study involves 267 people 267 participants aged between 23 and 72 years old, divided into five groups. The results guys highlighted the importance of commitment, responsibility and, of course, writing down goals for success. Writing down goals for success those who wrote their goals were around 42% more likely to achieve them compared to those who didn't. The research also showed that having a partner boosted the chance of success by 78%, while when you tell someone else about your goal and make a promise to them, you are much more likely to achieve it by 95%. This last point can be scary.

Speaker 1: 17:50

I know because I was hesitant to share my aspirations as well with others. I tried to pursue various goals in my life, but I never say it aloud. Why? What is the reason? It's actually fun if I think about it, but the reason is that I clearly wasn't sure about what I want to do in my life. Now I tell people what I want to do? Do I want to become a professional podcaster? That's what I want to do. It's a promise I've made to myself first and to others, so I cannot fail and I will not. Also, things have improved drastically since I made this commitment to myself. But of course, I request courage, and I know in the first person, guys.

Speaker 1: 18:40

You know, my journey towards financial freedom began in my 20s. I can't recall the exact moment I had this thought, but anyway, I know some dates. So my first article on my first WordPress website was published on April 5th 2012. All right, so we're talking about 12 years and 10 months since then. Kind of 13 years, 13 years. I remember that my first article was about how to win at roulette using the black and red doubling method. Never do, guys, yeah, never do. But anyway, that was my first article.

Speaker 1: 19:30

I saw the potential in the internet and at the time I was 22 years old and I was very, very naive. Anyway, before writing the article, I'm sure I had already experimented different methods, including multilevel marketing companies. Then I continued to explore different opportunities as well. Before the article, before the date that I mentioned to you, and before and after, I try to study trading binary option, various trading bots from companies that turn out to be scams. I even attempt to start a web agency and try my luck on Fiverr. I've explored so many roads that I can hardly remember right now. I also launched my podcast three times, but I ended up closing twice because I wasn't confident in my direction.

Speaker 1: 20:30

So what is the point here, in this story, this personal story? Years ago, I often wondered why it was taking so much long to succeed. I understood that success requires time, but it was taking too much time, in my opinion, and I reached a point where I couldn't understand the reason why it was taking so much time. The truth is, if I had read successful books about mindset and personal growth, I would have had a significant advantage and might have already achieved financial freedom by now. But you know what? It's okay like that.

Speaker 1: 21:12

So I often burn myself with each attempt like that. So I often burn myself with each attempt, and the falls were always hard. But yet, as I mentioned, it's part of the process. I accept that. So now I can, uh, uh, teach you if as teaching we're talking about, since I'm still learning, but let's say I, I can teach you what I've learned in a way that you can navigate your path more smoothly and avoid some of the mistakes I made along the way. If, um, with mistakes, we're talking anyway about it. So, anyway, anyway, long story short, there are are many types of let's call no mistakes, let's call missteps, but the one that cost me the most time was having unclear goals. That's it Just. I hadn't an unclear goal in my brain.

Speaker 1: 22:12

When you lack clarity, it can be dangerous to your progress. Trust me on this. Clarify your mind, be like a sniper about what you want to do and then dedicate as much time, energy and resources as possible to achieve the unique goal you have in your mind. To achieve the unique goal you have in your mind. Okay, now let's break this down and summarize the key points we covered today. First, we talked about goal setting and how it's fundamental for achieving your dreams. We explored how improving your goal setting strategies that is fundamental is essential for both personal and professional growth, helping you progress on your journey to success. Then we discuss the common obstacles. So people face different obstacles when they're trying to see, when they try to reach their effective goals. Okay, so these include procrastination, fear of failure, of course, the challenge of navigating big tasks, changing habits and even losing sight of your why. So understanding these barriers is key to achieving your goals, guys.

Speaker 1: 23:38

Next, we focus on the importance of having clear goals. So without clear, well-defined goals, you can feel lost or even overwhelmed. For example, if you don't know exactly where you are going on a trip, you might get distracted and achieve nothing. So we talked about how to break down your big goals into smaller, actionable steps to stay focused and on track. After that, we cover procrastination. We discussed how waiting for the perfect moment can hold you back. It's important to start with small steps to build momentum instead. So I share with you the ticket strategy that is fundamental to allocating time for focused work. You don't need to be 100% ready, just get started right.

Speaker 1: 24:38

Then we moved on the fear of failure. I pointed out that failure is part of the learning process. We looked at examples of successful people like Thomas Edison, michael Jordan, steve Jobs and JK Rowling, who all faced failures but used them as stepping stones to success. I remind you that failure is not the end. It's part of the journey. We also discussed the concept of minding the moment, not the mountain. So it's essential to focus on small daily actions that contribute to your bigger goal rather than getting overwhelmed by the size of the mountain ahead of you. So small improvements, guys, small improvements over time, lead to significant progress Okay.

Speaker 1: 25:31

Next, we address changing habits. I gave examples of how to gradually shift habits, like waking up earlier or changing your diet. So it's about consistency and starting small to make lasting change. And lastly, we explored the importance of remembering your why. Knowing why you are working toward the goal is crucial. So without clarity of purpose, guys, it's easy to get lost or distracted. Remember that. So understanding your why keeps you focused and helps you push through difficult times. Okay, you push through difficult times. Okay.

Speaker 1: 26:17

We also talked about a study by Professor Stephen Krauss from Howard University and Dr Gail Matthews, and I share also my own personal story too, mentioning how I started my journey to financial freedom back in 2012. That's a wrap for today. I just want to make a big re-esm and stay focused, of course, and keep setting clear goals and remember that every step counts on your journey, guys. All right, now I would love to hear from you, as always, what is the biggest challenge you have faced when setting and achieving your goals, whether it's overcoming procrastination, dealing with the fear of failure or staying focused on your. Why drop in the comments or send me a message. Let's share our experiences and learn from each other as we grow together on this journey. Thank you so much for being in here on Journey to Success. Keep setting those clear goals, guys, taking small steps and stay committed and I'll see you in the next episode. Cheers.