400. Get Back on Track with John Schumacher

CHRIS DIXON:

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

CHRIS DIXON:

Thanks, John. Well, we're really lucky to have you as a part of The ONE Thing Team, and working with us as a coach and a trainer yourself. But, also, you share much of your wisdom and experience with us, and actually do some training for us internally, which has been very impactful. So, lucky to have you. And you're wise beyond your years.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

I recognize that I'm old and it's a labor of love.

CHRIS DIXON:

Oh. No, it's just perception. But thanks again for being on today. And we've got a really fun conversation, I think. And it's an appropriate time of year to have this conversation because we find ourselves here in May and we're approaching the middle of the year. And I think so many people can relate to feeling like, "Okay. I'm picking my head up and I'm looking at where I'm at with relation to the goals that perhaps I set at the beginning of the year and I'm off track."

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

This is when we see the cracks appearing.

CHRIS DIXON:

Yes. And I think it's relatable and it's common. You go long periods of time without checking in on your goals, or even if you do, and you find yourself at this point now and you're in a one of many different places. But it's either you're, "Okay. I'm slightly off track or I might be significantly off track for a goal that I've set," and we thought it'd be great to just go through and start. What are some reasons why we end up off track in the first place?

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

First of all, I don't know anybody that's ever set any goals that didn't mean them or didn't intend to fulfill them and didn't have some emotion. And sometimes that's the issue, the way that the goals themselves are set. I often see - I call it - an emotional seizure. Someone's like, "I am sick of being fat and I'm going to run a Ironman Triathlon this year. This time I'm going to do something about it," or "I'm tired of this debt or these bill collectors," or "I want to get on stage," or whatever it is. And at the beginning of the year, people think the highest and best of themselves, are in that positive groove. It's a new year, a new me. This time I'm going to do it.

CHRIS DIXON:

That's such a great point. You see this, like we talk about at the new year, when there's so much focus around setting goals, everybody's orienting themselves on what they want to accomplish in the new year. You called it the emotional seizure, but you're leveraging this momentum that's there, that's present in society and for you at that time of the year, and maybe pick something that you've wanted to focus on. But you're missing so much of that foundational accountability, and process, and tools, and systems, and things that will help you stay in a relationship with your goals over time. So, you're limited from the start and almost like a failure to launch with your goals specifically. And it seems to me, oftentimes, it comes from just a lack of clarity in the beginning on what you want and what you need.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Most people that I've experienced end up setting their goals based upon maybe a brief reflection back at the most recent time period. This is how many houses I sold last year, or this is how much money I made last year, or this was my physical status last year. I'm going to just add a little bit to it and call that my goal for next year. And there's really not much thought beyond that.

CHRIS DIXON:

Yeah. So, there's perhaps a lack of specificity on what you want to accomplish or, like what you're saying, is maybe some of the work wasn't done, that foundational work to think deeply enough about what you want and why you want that.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Well, frankly, I didn't have a great process for setting goals. I'm a lifelong goal setter, not necessarily a lifelong goal achiever. Until Carol and I were exposed to the Couples Goal Setting Retreat that we happened to go to five, or six, or seven, or whenever that started, that's the first time that we've really had such an amazing structure, a process for going about this. And I think a lot of people need some kind of structure, usually different from what they've had in the past. Otherwise, they're just likely to repeat the exact same process and the exact same outcomes that they had before.

CHRIS DIXON:

Yeah. I know one thing that I see a lot of, and this comes up on the personal goals more than - we call it - the professional. Because in business, oftentimes, there's a force function that you need your goals to be a little bit more well-defined, and they're deliberated amongst the team, and debated, and there's some structure there to ensure that they're more smart or specific. But on the personal side, without all of that kind of forced structure in place from kind of a group accountability that exists inside of a business or an existing team, on the personal side, goals can tend to be a little bit less specific, not very well-defined, and they're very vague or high level, or there's just not enough work put into saying specifically, "Here's where I want to end up by the end of the year." And so, when you think about why you might be off track, it's like perhaps you should invest enough time in getting clear on what is it exactly that you're looking to accomplish.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Two thoughts come to mind about that. Number one is, sometimes there's not a lot of thought put into the why. Why is this goal important to me and what will it really do for me? And so, if people want to use their emotions, one of the ways that they can use it most powerfully is to create as clear and vivid a vision about what this goal is and what it represents. It's never about the numbers themselves. It's what lies on the other side of that. And the other thing is specificity. When someone says, "I want to be healthy," because there's not a specific destination there, it's kind of general. It's really difficult to tell how you've made progress to a non-specific goal and without some evidence that you're making progress and that your plans are viable. Most people will give up if they feel like the plan that they have will take them where they want to go and they're clear on that, a big part of the battle is already won.

CHRIS DIXON:

What are some things that you do or that you've taken your coaching students through over the years to help them get that clarity or to help them just think a little bit more deeply about the why. Like, why set a goal in this area?

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

The process that was taught to me by Jay Papasan is exactly the process that I use with my coaching clients. It's the process that Carol and I use together. We call it Goal Setting To The Now, and it's the exact reverse of how most people set their goals. As I said, most people look backwards and say, "That's what I did, so here's what I want to do going forward." Goal Setting To The Now simply sets it into components. We call them seven circles, seven different components of life. It could be five. It could be ten. The point here is to think specifically about the roles that you play in your life and ask yourself the question, If time and money weren't an object, what would perfect be? What would a perfect physical life for you, Chris Dixon, someday?

CHRIS DIXON:

You got to have a system to stay in communication with your goal and make adjustments on a regular basis. You know, something that's always resonated with me and I try to paint this picture, and I think it clicks more often than not, but it takes some time perhaps to really grasp what it means, but there's this transition from what you want to achieve to who you want to become. And I think there's something powerful in there when you're thinking about like, "Hey, why am I off track with a goal that I've set?" Like, "Why am I in this place?" Because to be able to solve for it, we need to recognize first why we might be there. And perhaps you're not thinking about, like, the kind of person that you're wanting to become, or the kind of person you actually need to become, or the people you need to surround yourself by to even be in a place to earn the right to achieve the goals that you've set.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

You hit that one on the head. Many of the clients that I work with initially set for themselves - I would call them - event goals, "I want to complete an Ironman. I want to lower my golf handicap. I want to become a millionaire." And when the goal is achieved, the habits that underlie it, the strategies, the activities are, for the most part, they're usually abandoned because I've done it. And yet when we think about our own evolution, the things that matter most to us which are often on the personal side, there is no real summit. And those people that say that, you know, it's the journey, not the destination, I think with respect to goal setting are 100 percent on.

CHRIS DIXON:

Yeah. There's something about it that feels more like the onus is put back on you. Like, there's a mirror that you're looking in, that the reflection in that mirror has to be the kind of person with these certain type of behaviors that could earn the right to achieve these different things. And without it sounding too catchy, it's just like, imagine what are the characteristics of someone that would achieve this kind of goal coming from that place, because then you create those behaviors. You surround yourself by the right type of people. You're just shifting the lens to what do I need to become versus what is this place that I want to get to, because you're not going to get there without starting with yourself first.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

No. And if you're trying to accomplish a goal that's actually not yours, that's not authentic, that's someone else's, or you don't understand or haven't made a connection with why it's important to you, uniquely you, you're not going to achieve it. You're going to feign commitment to it. And the minute a gap develops, you're going to abandon it. So, if someone's setting a sales goal because they want to please a superior or perhaps a relationship goal because they want to keep their relationship together, that's a difficult chore.

CHRIS DIXON:

You know, without the depth of thought and commitment on this level we're discussing, without that depth, whenever things get really difficult is when it's going to break. Like, if you're challenged and you're having to say no to things that you typically would have said yes to and have said yes to for a long time that are in conflict with your goal, if you don't have that depth, you're going to fail in those moments. And when you get pressure tested, if you don't have that depth, you're going to find that you're not successful. And that's where, over time, we tend to see ourselves get off track. We've said no to things that we need to say yes to that are in alignment with our goals. Some of these things, it's like, "You know, maybe not this week or not that." You just haven't rooted that commitment deep enough so that you can pass the test when things are difficult.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Well, very few goals are going to be met without obstacles. And it's hard to get through obstacles without something pulling you forward. Not pushing you forward, but pulling you forward. And I think that vividly held vision of who you can become is the most powerful magnet that I've seen in terms of goal motivation.

CHRIS DIXON:

Here at The ONE Thing, we talk a lot about focusing on the 20 percent. That is, the 20 percent of your activities that will deliver 80 percent of the results towards your goals. For us, this is the root of productivity. But what about everything else? What about the 80 percent, the busy work? I suggest you check out this wonderful book releasing this May written by Aytekin Tank called Automate Your Busy Work: Do Less, Achieve More, and Save Your Brain For The Big Stuff. Imagine what's possible if you're able to offload your repetitive tasks. Aytekin Tank believes the future of business is no code and how you can use an automation first mindset to unlock your productivity potential. With his guide, he believes you can say goodbye to manual work and save your brain for the big stuff.

CHRIS DIXON:

I think it's okay to recognize that you're off track and it's okay to be off track. I'd say it's more common that you end up off track with a goal than you just always are on track and you're untested and you're coasting ahead of the curve all the time. That's very uncommon. It's more common that you're going to be off track. And the difference is, do you have the tools to recognize why and make the change?

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Yeah. I think the first step is, in fact, recognizing that there is a gap and exactly what it is. I often see people when they're setting goals, again, they're back to the highest and best thoughts about themselves. And there's a great tendency to take on too much or to apply too high of a priority to multiple goals. So, one of the first things that we look at when there's a gap developing between a goal and where we're at, wondering what priority this goal actually is taking compared to the others. Are we taking on too many things? We believe - and you know this - that success is sequential. It's not simultaneous. And the same person that says "I want to run a marathon this year," they're also saying "I'm going to homeschool my kids. I'm going to go get my MBA. And I am going to find a cure for cancer all this year." They're also setting themselves up on the frontend for failure.

CHRIS DIXON:

Yeah. You said something in there, I think it's a really common root cause for why you end up off track. From my experience, it's maybe becoming overwhelmed by everything, or saying yes to too much, or just getting distracted by everything else that life brings. And not keeping your focus on the goal that you set enough, that, by the time you recognize you're off track, you feel so far off that you just give up on it or you say maybe next year. But there's something in there that I think you're speaking to when it comes to distractions, saying yes to too much, and then overestimating what you can accomplish inside of a year.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

And let's face it, life will insert itself. I remember three years ago bringing together 32 real estate office owners, telling them, "Hey, if this disease from China comes over here, you might want to start thinking about some strategies for how you might work remotely." And two weeks later, all those offices were closed down and everyone was at home. You know, that was a major example. But life happens all the time and we have to be able to make the distinction between distractions and actual factors that we need to pay attention to. You're right, most people, they want it all fast.

CHRIS DIXON:

Yeah. But the reality is that --

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

We'll have a tendency to --

CHRIS DIXON:

Yeah. The reality is that it's task over time. One thing at a time over time.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

And that's why we often see these great big short term goals. And if they don't have viable plans underpinning them, people are going to bail out quicker and quicker. And yet, kind of where I'm at on goal achievement, the role that momentum plays in goal achievement, I am now a complete believer in thinking big and acting small. When, more typically, what we see is thinking big and acting big. You know, I haven't been off the couch and I'm 200 pounds overweight and I'm going to start running a-half-an-hour every day. It's not going to happen. And so, I find, as people, the more they're willing to break down their activities to the smallest possible segments and simply keep going, so that when they stop and look at small progress, they feel good about themselves. People who feel good about themselves achieve superior results. A self-fulfilling golden upward spiral.

CHRIS DIXON:

You said momentum, I think there's something so important to recognize, especially if you're venturing into a new space. If you're trying to set a goal in an area of your life where maybe you don't have as much experience or the distance that you're trying to cover is great, that it's going to take some time before you're going to see the results of that effort. And it probably feels sometimes like you're failing, but it's just taking time to get the momentum, to have the progress, to see the fruits of your focus and your effort. And you have to get past that curve. You have to get through the really slow build of the momentum when it starts rolling downhill. I think it's important to recognize that. Especially when you see things like health goals - I mean, this is true in everything - I feel like when it comes to that particular area, physical or mental, just overall health, it's so easy to give up because you don't see the results for a long period of time and the effort feels like it's not rewarded.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Yeah. And progress is almost never linear, right? You're not going to take your goal and divide it by 12 and have 1/12 of it accomplished. Usually, it's more difficult in the beginning. Most of the success that we see in goal achievement looks more like a hockey stick. You know, flat, flat, and then we'll gain a critical momentum and it'll look like a vertical line. And, wow, how many people drop out right before we start the upward trend because they're not seeing a lot of positive momentum? That's one of the things that, you know, injecting some other or others into the equation can do. We is so much more powerful than I.

CHRIS DIXON:

Yeah. Yeah. No doubt.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Especially as you're overcoming challenges.

CHRIS DIXON:

Yeah. You're mentioning something, I think, that's probably at the root of the distinction between those that we see find success with their goals and those that don't. And it's accountability and it's creating different forms of accountability. And what does that look like for you and your experience, John? Like, when you think about creating accountability, what are some different levels that you can leverage to support you on your path towards achieving your goals?

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Well, there's a few things that people can do. First of all, they can stop and consider the term accountability itself and their relationship to it. Because a lot of people view accountability regardless of how positively they might speak about it. Their real view is that it's a heavy handed boss, like Zeus looking over them, waiting for them, to catch them to make a mistake so that thunderbolts can be hurled. And that admitting, you know, that you need accountability or that there's a gap is going to lead to punishment, shame, condemnation. We've got to make these environments (A) a safe space. And so, one of the ways that we do that is that we view accountability as a positive thing, as a relationship that we invite someone else into. It's me saying this is something that's really important to me and I need your help and I'll do the same for you. Whether it's a personal partnership, an organization, once we get people into a spirit that this is a relationship, that asking for help is actually strength, then we can move forward.

CHRIS DIXON:

So true. And something else, none of this works, accountability, these tools, the process, if you don't believe that what you're trying to achieve is possible. And actually commit from the inside to say like, "Hey, I truly believe that this goal I've set for myself is achievable and I'm willing to make the commitment to get there." And what we find so often - and we're all guilty of it - is we have some limiting beliefs in place that are keeping us from recognizing what's there. I mean, there's this story that you're looping and you're just not aware of it. You just don't know you have that story. And sometimes an accountability partner can really help surface that for you, which is something that adds more value to why that's important.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

We all have limiting beliefs. It's not even a question of might or might not. We all have the stories that we tell ourselves about ourselves and about the world. We all see what we believe rather than the other way around. And these stories, these beliefs are very ingrained in all of us. They're powerful. They've been installed at a time where we were very impressionable, many of us, in our youth. And they've been ingrained and supported during the majority of our lifestyle. So, it's very difficult to take different behavior or to even adopt different thinking than we have in the past without some help. That's one of the things, whether it's a coach or someone outside can say, "Hey, I'm looking at this same thing as you are and here's what I'm seeing. Have you thought about this?"

CHRIS DIXON:

Absolutely. I mean, there's this statistic that I love to share, and it's from the National Institute of Science, and they say, on average, we generate about 50,000 thoughts per day. And of those 50,000, 40,000 of them repeat daily. So, that's 4/5 of the thinking that you do is something that you repeat on a daily basis, which, for me, that signals how much of a story you just tend to repetitively tell. You know, 4/5 of your brain's energy is repeating something daily which there's benefit to. But the trade off of that is there's going to be something looping in there that you're not aware of. And I'll say from my own experience as a coach and a trainer, it comes up in almost every conversation that I have with someone when they're challenged about the goals that they set. There is something there that is a story that they're telling for whatever reason and whatever experience, that if you unpack is just limiting and it's something that's self-created or environmental or whatever it is. And it's just so important to bring awareness to it.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

One of the most common stories that I see is the belief that something is possible for someone else, just not me. They're special, I'm not. There are special circumstances they have that I don't have. And you can see reason after reason after reason after rationale why it's not possible for me. So, if I commit to a goal that I don't believe I'm worthy or capable of, I will sabotage myself to stay in my comfort level.

CHRIS DIXON:

So, we recognize, as we're saying, that the first step in this is maybe you're a little bit off track, maybe you're significantly off track for some goals that you set, you're kind of hanging on the edge of motivation, and it's not too late. You can get back on track. You can make progress. We're just saying, first, let's recognize some reasons why you might have gotten off track in the first place. And just to summarize, one, maybe you had a lack of clarity when you were setting goals in the first place. Maybe you weren't defined well enough. Perhaps as Schus recommended, you could do some additional work to dig deeper on why you're setting a goal, what does that really mean to you.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Popped in my head an additional tool. In fact, this is the most powerful tool that I have as a coach to offer for the people that I work with in terms of thinking back how we got off track, why we got off track, what's important. And that's journaling, for people to write about how they feel about their goals and where they're at, whether they're ahead, on track, behind. Simply putting a pencil to paper saying how am I feeling about this today, and being open to seeing what's coming out as you go can really help break through some of our limited beliefs, because those patterns will begin emerging as you get in touch with what's inside here. No extra charge.

CHRIS DIXON:

Yeah, right. For, me personally, the reflection has been something that I've become more and more fond of and do more and more frequently over time. And it shifts at times depending on how much complexity or how much change is going on in my personal life or how frequently I'll do it, if it's a daily thing or weekly. But I never go more than a week without taking the time to hit pause and just getting some clarity in doing it in different forms and fashions to keep it fresh.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

I think introspection is a productive activity for most people and we need to create space for it.

CHRIS DIXON:

Well said. So, if we recognize that we're off track and we can acknowledge here's some different reasons why it's okay either way, but we want to get reinvigorated, what would you recommend for some things to think about or ways to get back on track?

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Well, the first thing I'd say is go ahead and figure out exactly what is going on. Meaning, what is the gap between where you need to be and where you're at and with as little emotion as possible. Just the facts, man. Some people are overwhelmed or embarrassed or too frustrated to actually figure out what is the gap. This is May. We got two thirds of the year remaining. There's almost always a way to break that gold down into smaller bite sized pieces and hunt it down by year end. If we look at, "Oh, my goodness. It's 144 houses and I've sold 12," we're looking at a gap of 132. But if we're talking about 12 a month and now maybe I need to do 13 or 14 to catch up. And that's true with finances or whatever. That could be true about weight.

CHRIS DIXON:

So, recognize the gap and give yourself permission to just be where you are and keep making progress. And I think that's something that I know I have a tendency to do, and I see it in many others, is to try to go for perfection instead of just making progress and having this standard. One of my core values is excellence. And I have a tendency to sometimes recognize if it's not the best that it can be, it can be off putting for me. And you just need to recognize sometimes it's better to make progress. Just be better. It doesn't have to be perfect.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

If, in fact, the standard is perfection, then you're setting yourself up for failure. If the standard is better than yesterday or constant improvement, that's a standard most of us can hit. So, figure out what it is. You may want to get back in touch with why it was important. Maybe this is the time that you need to get outside your normal work environment and re-envision what accomplishing that goal could do to reinvigorate some of that emotion. This might be an excellent time if you created the structure or your plan for goal achievement. This might be a great time to look around and see what existing models might be out there. People that have done what you intend to do, maybe you don't have to be so creative or original. So, you may want to try it your way yet again. And when it yields you the same results again, maybe there's a model that you can look to.

CHRIS DIXON:

Well said. You know that's something that we believe in. We call it moving from entrepreneurial to purposeful or E to P. And part of that is saying what are some models that I can put in place to break through this kind of ceiling of achievement that I've had because I'm trying to repeat the same process. So, leverage the strength, the knowledge of others and what models exist out there. And I think it's a great time to mention something that we're doing. So, if you like the tools and the concepts behind The ONE Thing, we're running a monthly workshop we call The ONE Thing Foundations, where we focus on three big categories which are purpose, priority, and productivity.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

You bet. Most people don't need more information, or new information, or a new tool, or a gizmo, or a program, or an app. Most people need better execution. And the one thing, for me - I've tried many different systems - this is the best way for me to organize my work, my life, myself and to remain in what we call in relationship with us. So, in a four-hour period, the reason I love the Foundation's workshop is we'll go back and re-cement some underlying philosophies that most people hold about time management that likely get into your way and will require some resistance to overcome. And then, we talk about a structure for (A) setting your goals, but (B) revisiting them on a regular basis and a format for doing so, so that a rhythm of accountability for the first time maybe ever begins to emerge. And it's that rhythm that will carry us to our goals rather than any superhuman effort that needs to take place. So, I love that.

CHRIS DIXON:

And it's simple and it needs to be. I mean, life is already complex enough. There's so many competing priorities and distractions and tools and all these things. It's impossible to track it all. The last thing you need is a highly complicated process or system. It's meant to be simple. It's just a set of, like, awareness first, getting clear what really matters to you and what do you want to accomplish, like stress testing the goal that you set. And just using some simple processes and tools that are incredibly powerful to help you stay on task, like create this relationship with your goals. It's having a period of reflection weekly and a place to capture this so you can stay accountable to yourself first, but leverage others to help be accountability partners for you would be the next tier. And, ultimately, having a coach would be the highest form of accountability if you're looking for that kind of focus and support. But it's simple tools and processes over time that can just keep you on task. And like we said, sometimes it's just better than the day before, right?

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Better than the day before. And there's going to be those times where you feel like you failed, you lost the day, you didn't win the day. And if you can get up the next day and get back after it and get back on track, that may be even better than if you'd nailed it the previous day. Because you learn that failure isn't a negative. That it's evidence gathering, and motivation, and a stepping stone for getting yourself dusted off and moving forward again. And sometimes it's just a little easier to do that with someone else.

CHRIS DIXON:

Absolutely. So, if you're listening and you're interested in getting this higher level of support and you want to check out The ONE Thing Foundations workshop that we're running monthly, go to the1thing.com and check it out. If you enter promo code PODCAST, you'll get $100 off of that workshop. And we hope to see you there. But, Schus, I'm going to come back to you and if you could have the listeners take away just ONE Thing from the podcast today, what would you have them take away?

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

(A) Create your goals intentionally and regard them as sacred. Second, put a plan together that relies on the domino effect. The smallest bite sized pieces as possible and keep going. And finally, learn to embrace accountability as necessary and positive and the most powerful thing that you can ask for as you go forward. And once you become the kind of person that fulfills promises, the promises that you make to yourself, the world will completely open up. And that won't happen easily. It is in fact simple, not easy. But if you'll keep going, you'll break through. I've seen it happen so many times, and that includes achieving this year's goals, even if you've fallen behind.

CHRIS DIXON:

John, thanks so much for jumping on the podcast today. It was great talking to you. Thanks for sharing all your wisdom and appreciate you being here.

JOHN SCHUMACHER:

Thanks much. It's been a ball.

SARAH HENDRICKS:

Thanks for listening to The ONE Thing Podcast. If you're a bold risk taker who wants to dream big and achieve a higher level of success in your life or business, visit the1thing.com. There, you'll find information on one-on-one coaching, our exclusive community membership program, and customized workshops that will help you get your team or organization aligned and rowing in the same direction. That's T-H-E-the number 1.com to start living the life you've always dreamed of today. Be sure to follow the show to stay up to date on weekly episodes, guest interviews, and more. Plus, we would love to hear from you. Send us a voice note by going to speakpipe.com/the1thing or email us at podcast@the1thing.com. We'll see you next week.