Win Big This Fall With a Simple Strategy

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Arnold gets it. To win big, you have to have a singular goal.

From his humble beginnings in an Austrian farm town, Arnold Schwarzenegger has so far racked up bodybuilding world titles, leading roles in some of the biggest movies of all time, and eight years in the top political seat of one of the largest and most influential states.

According to his recent three-part Netflix documentary series, here’s what he never tried to be: the jack of all trades.

Here’s what he did try to be: the best at one single thing.

At each phase of his career, Arnold says that he set his sights on one huge, specific goal. He envisioned himself achieving that one goal. He tailored all of his efforts toward that one goal. First it was bodybuilding. Then it was global movie star. Then it was California governor.

Imagine if Arnold tried to be all of those things at once. There is simply no chance he would have achieved the same successes. The magic lies, at least in part, in his single-mindedness.

Tapping into the goal-setting vibes of fall

Today is the first day of school here in Washington DC. As everyone marched along this morning in sparkling new sneakers and crisp new shirts, the air sizzled with possibility – that fall atmosphere that always feels like the right time to set fresh goals. Or if we do it Arnold’s way, just one fresh goal.

Those who study productivity have found plenty of evidence for taking this single-minded approach. In fact, the big thinkers have narrowed this strategy to a few tailored tactics:

Put your goal in writing along with a plan of how and when. A jillion studies have found that making an implementation plan – “I will exercise regularly by playing tennis every Tuesday and Friday at 9:30 am with my neighbor Susie” – is a powerful tool in establishing new habits and reaching goals.

Set just one goal. Implementation plans are shown to be potent, but not if you are pursuing too many goals at once. In fact, I saw this in action many years ago when I enjoyed huge success in my single-minded campaign to get my pickiest eater to become a vegetable lover.

Put everything else in low-maintenance mode. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, suggested in a recent post that we all define our to–don’t list as an important component of our to-do list. What can you neglect today in the interest of pursuing your true goal? (Visit my late summer garden to see what I am actively neglecting so I can write this newsletter instead!)

Finding your one true goal for fall

Need helping identifying your Mr. Universe goal this fall? Reach out to find out how I work with marketing teams on strategy and freelance financial writing.