What does that mean?

Think about the end result you want to see when all your work is done. Start with the finished outcome you want.

Setting your goals is identifying the life you want. But the disconnect is determining the steps we must take to accomplish it.

If our goals are vague, too big, or we don’t fully understand what we need to do to attain them, we become frustrated or even give up.

A combination of trial and error and correction, on a daily basis, may keep us moving toward our end goals - but can take a long time to achieve, because of the countless choices we have to make.

I was listening to the Millennial Money podcast, where the presenter spoke of “reverse engineering” as a way to get to his goal or his finish line with less wasted effort.

Just work backward…what a revelation!

He explained that instead of setting a goal and figuring out what next action to take, set a goal and reverse engineer the way to achieve it.

Think of it like trying to solve a puzzle. There is only one solution. And if you start at the beginning, there is no way to know which of the many turns you will need to make to lead you to the end.

But if you start at the end, you can easily find the route that leads you to the beginning!

Here are four takeaways I wrote in my iPhone, as I sat in the airport waiting on a flight to Charlotte, NC:

1. Be Crystal Clear About Your Goals
   If you want to retire by age 50, you need to know exactly how much money you need to save each week, each month and each year to reach your target.

   The more specific you can be about what you want your life to look like, the easier it is to know what steps you need to take to get there.

   A more specific goal is also more motivating because you can more clearly visualize what your future will look like and get excited by what you see. And it makes it easier to strategize.

2. Set Your Deadline

   How far out can you see realistically – one year, five years or even ten.

   Timelines keep you motivated and focused without burning you out.

   Make it long enough to accomplish, but short enough to make predictions using the information you have today.

   Your time horizon will shift depending on your goal and your limits.

   But having a deadline in mind will keep you focused.

3. Know Your Limits
   Reduce your options by knowing what you want and don’t want out of life. This simplifies your decision-making by reducing the number of options available to you.

   When you honor your limits, your goal becomes more sustainable because you build your business or career to support your life, not the other way around.

4. Leap
   Seldom will you have every piece of information you need. But the only way to know what will happen is to make your best decision with the information you have – then leap!

   The more you do this, the easier it becomes. You learn more about what works. You train your intuition to fill in the information gaps you're left with.You begin to see patterns and opportunities that were previously not seen by you.

Setting a goal can be exciting and frightening.

But if you try “reverse engineering,” it may offer the clarity needed to get you to your finish line with your goals accomplished!