Welcome to the fourth edition of The Founder’s Corner! Founder’s Corner #4 How to Separate Your Goals from the Actionable Steps. The Founder’s Corner posts are based on previous segments from our weekly newsletter. So if you want this type of content first, check out the link at the end of this post!
And now, brace yourself for today’s post! Because today, I’m going straight for the punch. Did you know that 90% of podcasters don’t publish more than three episodes? And of those who do make it past the 3-episode mark, most don’t hit success until they are 100+ episodes in. Successful podcasters are over 7 times more likely to have published more than 100 episodes. In fact, in the first year of your podcast, you are basically in the school of podcasting – finding your voice, honing your journalism skills, becoming a better speaker, and finding ways to resonate with your audience.
But listen up.. don’t let that scare you off.
Instead, go into your podcasting journey with a mindset to commit for the long term. Now keep in mind, you have to actually start to get anywhere on the ladder of progress.
Take me for example – I am just in the process of launching a brand new podcast, Business Beyond the Mic, and I am kicking myself for not starting back in 2019 when I first had the idea for it. If I only published one episode a week, I would’ve been long passed the 100-episode mark by now.
Granted, life happened. Both my business and personal life kept me more than busy enough without throwing a new podcast launch into the mix. But imagine if I did! The progress you make from consistency over time is simply priceless.
Okay, now there’s no point in getting lost in the “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve”.
Let’s get back on track…
When you first start out with your podcast, you might not be getting much traction. Not only because you are new, but at the time you might also be on a different journey in the real world, learning new things about yourself and your business. As time goes on, that knowledge you’ve gathered can influence you to pivot or take a new direction, leading to more and more people tuning in.
Now, let’s look at what it takes to reach big goals in the long run.
Did you know that a staggering 92 percent of people who set New Year’s goals never actually achieve them? [Source: Statistic Brain] So if starting a podcast was on your list of resolutions, you were either on the 92% who didn’t launch or 8% who did.
Then what does it take to make your goals a reality? Most successful people who achieve their goals time and again have one thing in common: They focus all of their efforts on the action of getting to the goal instead of the goal itself.
So what does that mean for your podcast?
Well, instead of thinking about “I want 10,000 downloads in the first 90 days”, shift your mindset to focus on actionable steps you are going to take to make that goal a reality! In essence, you need to separate the goal from the work you need to put in in order to GET TO THAT GOAL!
The same thing rings true for your business. It’s great to have goals like “I want 100 more clients by the end of this quarter” or “I want to sell $40,000 in courses this month”. But where is your focus? Your focus should be on the exact steps, the individual milestones, the HARD WORK required to – you guessed it – GET YOU TO THAT GOAL!
Focus on the action, not the goal.
If the action is, “Did I record 3 episodes this week and reach out to 10 new potential guests?” and you check those things off of your to-do list, then bam! You are making the right moves towards your goal!
“The most successful people are very patient and live by the motto ‘one step at a time’.”
The same thing rings true in the opposite direction. If you stop doing the thing that got you to your outcome, then the outcome will no longer be achieved. If you are focusing on the number of downloads your podcast has instead of the activity that you did to get to those numbers (consistently publishing episodes), then you will not succeed in the long run. You will fall into a vicious cycle that is a direct result of your inconsistency.
Now, granted.. consistency does not directly guarantee that an episode will take off, or a video will go viral. But without consistently producing valuable content, that video would not have been there to go viral in the first place!
“Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”
James Clear
Where’s the disconnect?
Most of the time, the reason you aren’t where you want to be is because you aren’t doing the things you need to do, consistently. Now I know that consistency is thrown around time and again, which is making people skeptical that it actually works. But guess what? When you consistently do something you are not only working towards a desired result, but you are also getting better and what you’re doing!
Maybe you’re not a great podcast host at the start or when you launch your show. Now, if you give up and quit your podcast at that point, you’re always going to think of yourself as a mediocre host. However, if you keep going, consistently doing more episodes, you’re eventually going to learn what works and what doesn’t, becoming a better podcast host in the process!
Now ask yourself this:
“Would you rather be that first podcaster who quits, or the second one who actually continued and became great at what they do?” The ball is in your court!
“We are what we repeatedly do.”
Will Durant
Now Let’s Talk Actionable Steps
So, how can you ensure that you’re putting yourself into the group of 8% of people who actually achieve their goals? Let’s look at two key strategies:
1. Plan Long-Term
As I mentioned earlier, the key is committing to your podcast for the long haul. When you plan long-term, it eliminates the thing that makes most podcasters fail – the act of quitting. Once that is off the table you can just keep on consistently putting out new episodes, learning from your journey, and patiently doing the work. The ultimate motivation is knowing that every action you take is an investment in the long-term success of your show. Don’t underestimate the power of what you’re doing today and how it can compound in the future. If you are being consistent, the results will continue to trickle in years down the line.
2. Commit to the Activity
When you commit to the activity instead of the goal at the end, it allows you to put 100% of your effort towards getting it done. You can then separate that long-term goal from the action it takes to get there. The focus should never be on the outcome. The focus should be on doing what it takes, and carrying out the activity that leads to progress. Actively work towards creating incremental steps for yourself, boxes you can check off at the end of each day to get you closer to your end result.
The Takeaway?
Now I’m serving the ball in your court. You’re up! Here are the keys to finding that consistent success. Make the mindset shift, put these strategies into action, and watch them work over the long term.
The Founder’s Corner posts are based on a segment of our weekly newsletter.
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