Tackle Any Goal: The Next Five Steps Strategy

You may say I am a dreamer. 

But I'm not the only one (wink, fans of "Imagine"). 

You likely have some big goals and dreams too. That's why we're in this business together. 

The Next Five Steps

A good "big goal" should straddle the line between obtainable and overwhelming. You want to be able to hit it, but it also should require growth and a stretch beyond your current capabilities. "Becoming" what you need to be to get the goal done is what makes goals powerful-not just simply accomplishing them. 

Today, I'm sharing my "Next Five Steps" strategy for goal accomplishment. I use it as a planning tool, both for goals I set for myself, and also for ideas I'm noodling around with. Knowing your next five steps can help you choose projects or get stuff done. 

The Next Five Steps is super simple and helps turn giant endeavors into bite-sized chunks. Let's look at a couple of examples. 

Putting the Next Five Steps to Work

Let's say you wanted to land five new estate planning attorney clients in 2024. 

What are Your Next Five Steps for Landing Attorney Clients? 

It's important to remember that there are no wrong answers here. These are your next five steps. But here's an example of what this could look like:

1. So, maybe the first thing you want to do is some research on how many estate planning attorneys are in your city to start with. 
2. Then, for number two, you want all that attorney data in one place, so you decide you want to create a spreadsheet with your research. 
3. For number three, you panic and wonder what will happen if you reach out to an attorney and they research you just like you researched them. So, you decide number three is to update and optimize your LinkedIn profile. 
4. Fourth, you figure out what you want to say in your outreach, and how you want to deliver it. Maybe you even do a little more research on each attorney on your list so you can personalize your message a little bit. 
5. And finally, the fifth step, is to choose one attorney from your list to contact every single day, Monday-Friday. 

Your work doesn't stop after the fifth step (of course), but this will get you started. Having a clear next step can move you from analysis-paralysis into action. 

The Miracle Morning

I'll give you another example of a Next Five Steps framework that changed my life. When my life was in turmoil, losing my businesses, my relationship, and all my money, I set a goal to start embracing a morning routine. And I was NOT a morning person. 

Hal Elrod's book, The Miracle Morning, changed all that for me. It answered the question on my mind, "So what if I do wake up early! What I am I supposed to do with that time?" His S.A.V.E.R.S. in that book gave me the Next Five Steps:

When you wake up, do these six steps:

1. Meditate (Silence).
2. Review Affirmations.
3. Recite Vision statement.
4. Exercise.
5. Read something inspirational.
6. Journal (Scribe).

With the SAVERS, I knew exactly what to do every morning to start my day. There was no decision to be made again. I just had to follow the steps! Sure, it's six steps. But there's no rules. You're the boss. Do what it takes to get the results you want. 

The Daily Do's and Sign & Thrive

Following the steps of the Miracle Morning ultimately led to the creation of my Daily Do's. These were the habits that created multiple-six-figure income results as a loan signing agent (which, btw, I just re-released with a focus on obtaining estate planning attorney clients. You can download it for free here).

While we're talking about it, another example of the Next Five Steps in action is my Sign & Thrive system from my book and online course. I used the Next Five Steps strategy to outline both!

Want to be a mobile notary and loan signing agent? Here are the Next Five Steps:

1. Become a Notary Public in Your State.
2. Get Certified as an NSA from the National Notary Association.
3. Learn the Documents, Processes, and Etiquette.
4. Get Clients and Make Money.
5. Manage Your Business Operations. 

Zone Action

Thanks to my buddy, Fernando Valencia, co-founder of Unblinded, I just learned my favorite definition of "Zone Action." 

Zone Action should be your #1 thing you can do to move yourself forward on your goal. This should be "Step One" of your Next Five Steps.

What's Zone Action?

Zone action is the MOST optimal, effective, and efficient step you can take TODAY, to move toward your goal. 

Start with Zone Action for step one, and follow it to step two, three, four, and five. 

My Process

There's no need to overcompllicate a simple process like the Next Five Steps (but, trust me, I do it all the time). You can sketch out your next five steps on a bar napkin (my favorite), a notebook, a spreadsheet, or a device of some kind. Remember, you're the boss, so it's whatever you prefer. 

Second only to a bar napkin sketch, I love using giant Post-It notes stuck to my window or wall. I'm tactile, so handwriting it helps me think. Also, there's something about having it up on the wall that stimulates my brain and puts me into "teacher mode." 

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Teacher Mode

This is important. Sometimes the best way to learn something is to teach it. Even if it's to an invisible audience. Determining what you would need to know in order to teach a subject can often clarify your Next Five Steps. 

I'm currently working on the most ambitious goal of my life, and on my calendar for four days has been the Zone Action item, "Figure out the Next Five Steps for..." But it wasn't until I slapped the paper you see in the picture above to my window, and asked myself how I would show YOU how to accomplish this massive goal, that the clarity came. 

Now it's your turn. What is your goal, and what are Your Next Five Steps to make it happen?