Today I listened to Matthew McConaughey’s acceptance speech from the 2014 Oscars. He won Best Actor for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. After thanking all the important people in his life, his wife, kids, parents etc., he thanked his hero.
If you didn’t see the Oscars you might wonder “who is this hero”?
McConaughey goes on to tell a story. When he was 15 a respected mentor asked him who he admired, “Who is your hero”? Recognizing this as an important question young McConaughey requests a couple of weeks to think about it. Two weeks later his mentor asks again “who is your hero”? This time he had an answer,
“It’s me in 10 years.”
Ten years later, now age 25, the same mentor approaches him again and asks “So, are you a hero”? McConaughey’s response was perfect, “not even close! No, no no.” She asked “why”? “Because my hero is me at 35… every day, every week, every month and every year of my life, my hero’s always 10 years away. I’m never gonna be my hero. I’m not gonna attain that; I know I’m not. And that’s just fine with me, because that keeps me with somebody to keep on chasin’.”
Who is your hero?
Do you have a vision of your future self that you daily seek to become? Goal setting is an important part to becoming your “hero self”. Goals should be set just a little beyond your reach; far enough that they are challenging to attain but reasonable enough to keep you focused and pursuing completion.
When setting goals I recommend looking into the future 5 years and asking yourself “what needs to happen in the next 5 years for me to become the person I want to become?” Once you have that target in mind, break those long term goals into yearly goals. “What needs to happen in the next year for me to be on track to hit my 5 year objective? Then break them down further into quarterly, monthly and weekly objectives. Finally you get down to the level where you can wake up every morning and motivate yourself to do that 1 thing that will put you on track towards fulfilling your 5 year vision.
When setting goals I recommend following the SMART formula:
S- Specific- Make sure you specify exactly what you are going to achieve. Waking up early might seem like a good goal but “wake up at 5:15am” makes it specific.
M- Measurable- Make sure that each goal you set has a measurable outcome. I think “being happy” is a good life philosophy but to make it measureable try something like “give my spouse 5 (sincere) compliments today”.
A- Achievable- I’d really like to play in the NHL next season but setting that as a goal might not be realistic. A better step is to set incremental achievable outcomes “score 3 goals this season on my recreational hockey team”.
R- Relevant- If your 5 year achievement is to finish writing your first book, setting a goal to run 10 miles a week might not be the most relevant course of action. Registering for a creative writing class at the community college, however, might be.
T- Timely- Set a time frame. You can write great SMAR goals but if you don’t give yourself a deadline to shoot for, procrastination will keep you from finishing.
My hero is me in 5 years. I really look up to that guy. He has it pretty put together. I think I can become that guy if I put my mind to it and work towards my goals. My SMART goals.
Goal #1: Record and publish 17 30-minute podcast episodes for Family Before Fortune by December 31st, 2014
S- 30-minute podcast episodes – Specific check
M- 17 – Measurable check
A- 1 a week starting September 4th – Achievable check
R- In 5 years I want Family Before Fortune to be a well-known brand, podcasting will help – Relevant check
T- by December 31st, 2014 – Timely check
Question: What SMART goal will help you become your hero? Leave your comments below or by clicking here.
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