Setting Big Goals is the First Step to Achieving Success

Those that aspire for success are the ones that achieve it, I’ll give you an example.

For all of you non basketball fans, March is a big month for college hoops.  Weeks, months, and years of anticipation & preparation come to a head for hundreds of players & coaches in the NCAA basketball tournament.

The winner of the tournament is crowned the best team in the country, a legacy the players and coaches will cherish for the rest of their lives.  The important lesson to be learned from this tournament originates long before the tip off of the big game.

Always Have Big Goals
At the beginning of every season, players and coaches set personal and team goals.  What’s impressive to me, and what I think we can all learn from, is the way that the top teams set expectations for their season. If you look at teams like Kansas, Duke, and North Carolina, their goal every year is to win the national championship.  I don’t know if it’s stated in team meetings or talked about between players but the hope & expectation is always there. 

Take Baby Steps
Certainly, teams have to take the season one game at a time, but I’d bet that National title is always somewhere in the back of their mind.  Each game matters, win enough of them and they’ll be conference champs.  Win the conference tournament to get a good seed in the NCAA tournament and then on to the big dance.  Taking it one step at a time but always having that big goal in mind.

Decide to Work Hard
Granted, the teams I’m talking about have a long history of success and have the talent and experience to base their expectations & hopes on.  But just like you and me, they all had to start somewhere.  I’m sure each of those players put in uncountable hours of practice & dedication to put them in a place where they could be on one of those teams and maybe one day play for the championship.

Challenge Yourself
What I get out of this is to set my goals high.  Each day I need to aspire to high levels of success.  Whether it’s personal finance, career development, fitness, or starting my own business I have to expect the best from myself.  Even if my aspirations seem unreachable I need to commit to them.  Then I’ll have to find ways of making those goals a reality.

Ben Edwards, the founder of Money Smart Life, saved up enough to buy a Nintendo back when he was 12 years old. When he used the money to buy shares of Wal-Mart stock instead, he knew he wasn't like the other kids... His addiction to personal finance has paid off for his family and now he's helping you to afford the life that you want. Check him out on the web at Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

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