44. When Goals Feel Chaotic
Are your goals inspiring you—or overwhelming you? Ever feel like your relationship with goals is more “complicated” than “motivating”? You’re not alone. Today, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about making progress when big ambitions feel heavy, and how the power of “quarter turns”—small, consistent tweaks—can transform your results in work, health, and life. If you’re ready to end the year strong without burning out, let’s talk about how to make your goals work for you, one simple step at a time.
Highlights
- Reflections from the Global Leadership Summit and insights from John Acuff’s “All It Takes is a Goal”
- Real talk: how people describe their relationship with goals (spoiler: it’s not always positive)
- The concept of “quarter turns” and why small changes matter more than big overhauls
- Personal stories about family routines, health, and building better habits
- The difference between goals and results—and why focusing on effort is the real game-changer
- Practical tweaks for making progress, even when life feels chaotic
- Encouragement for anyone feeling overwhelmed as the year wraps up
Chapters
00:00 – Welcome & gratitude
00:23 – Why talk about goals? Global Leadership Summit recap
01:15 – Partnering with the Global Leadership Summit & John Acuff’s influence
01:51 – Community impact and the GLS Next Leader program
02:42 – Group discussion: “Describe your relationship with goals in one word”
03:12 – Why goals feel heavy (and why that’s normal)
03:57 – The real challenge: systems behind the goals
04:22 – Dreaming vs. executing on goals
04:54 – What I’m learning: the power of “quarter turns”
05:20 – The “quarter turn” metaphor from cycling and life
06:12 – How small steps add up (and why I used to resist them)
06:43 – Learning from my team: consistency over perfection
07:10 – Family routines: the “nightly three” for smoother evenings
08:00 – Health changes: using a blood test to make better choices
09:00 – The surprising impact of one small dietary tweak
10:00 – Focusing on effort, not just results
11:00 – Separating goals from results: a writing example
12:00 – Why your goals should be in your control
13:00 – Final encouragement: finish the year with small, meaningful steps
14:00 – Wrap up & see you next week
Resources
- Global Leadership Summit
- John Acuff, All It Takes is a Goal
- Substack (for building a writing habit)
Want to learn more?
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