Stop Setting Goals Like a Rookie: Why Your Strategy is Broken
By Derek — Money isn't complicated. People just make it complicated. ·
It’s August 2026. If you’re anything like the founders and high-earners I talk to, you’re currently staring at a spreadsheet you opened in January, feeling a mix of frustration and ‘where did the time go?’
I see it all the time. People treat goal setting like a New Year’s resolution—something you scribble on a napkin after a glass of champagne, bury in a Notion folder, and hope manifests itself through sheer willpower.
Spoiler alert: Willpower is a depreciating asset. Strategy is the only thing that compounds.
Money isn’t complicated. People just make it complicated by setting goals that are functionally useless. If your goals don't dictate your daily behavior, you aren't setting goals; you're writing a wish list. Let’s fix that.
The 'SMART' Goal Trap
We’ve all heard it: “Make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.”
It’s good advice for a middle manager trying to hit a quarterly target. It’s terrible advice for someone trying to build real wealth or scale a business. Why? Because the ‘Achievable’ part keeps you playing small. If you set a goal that is 100% achievable, you aren’t pushing your boundaries. You’re just setting a task list.
I don’t care about ‘achievable.’ I care about ‘inevitable.’ When I was at Goldman, the biggest deals weren’t made because someone set a ‘SMART’ goal to increase volume by 5%. They were made because someone identified a structural shift in the market and positioned themselves to capture the upside.
Stop setting goals based on what you think you can do. Start setting goals based on where you need to be in five years, then work backward until the first step is so small you’d feel stupid not doing it today.
The F1 Lesson: It’s About the Delta
I’ve been watching the F1 season intently this year, and there’s a lesson in there that most entrepreneurs miss. It’s not about who has the fastest car on a single lap; it’s about the delta—the consistency of your lap times under pressure.
Most people set a massive financial goal—'I want to hit $10M in revenue' or 'I want a $5M net worth'—and then they drive like they’re in qualifying mode every single day. They burn out by March, crash by June, and spend the rest of the year blaming the market.
Financial success isn’t a sprint. It’s a series of consistent, high-leverage decisions. You don’t need to hit the wall at 200mph. You need to hit your apexes, manage your tire wear (your energy), and understand when to pit for a strategy pivot. If your goal-setting process doesn't account for your 'tire wear,' you're going to spin out.
The 90-Day Sprint Strategy
I tell my clients to stop obsessing over annual goals. An annual goal is too long to maintain focus and too short to see massive transformation.
Instead, I run on 90-day sprints. Here’s the framework:
1. The North Star: Where do you want to be in 3 years? If you don’t have an answer, stop everything and figure that out first. 2. The 90-Day Lever: What is the one thing you can achieve in the next three months that makes the 3-year vision significantly more likely? 3. The Weekly Audit: On Sunday nights, look at your calendar. If your time isn’t spent on the 90-day lever, you’re wasting your most valuable currency.
If you want to be worth $5M in three years, your 90-day goal shouldn't be 'get rich.' It should be 'optimize my tax structure' or 'acquire this specific lead-gen channel.' Be granular. If you can’t measure the progress on a Friday afternoon, the goal is too vague.
Stop Managing, Start Architecting
You aren't the manager of your life; you're the architect. If you’re feeling stuck, it’s usually because you’re trying to manage the symptoms of a bad strategy. You’re working harder, cutting subscriptions, and trying to ‘budget’ your way to wealth.
That’s busy work. That’s not strategy.
Real wealth creation comes from increasing your output per hour or your ROI per dollar. When you set a goal, ask yourself: 'Does this move the needle on my net worth, or does it just make me feel like I’m working?'
If you’re just staying busy, you’re losing money. Every hour spent on a task that doesn't align with your North Star is an hour of compound interest you're leaving on the table.
Let’s Keep It Real
Listen, I know this sounds blunt. But I’m tired of seeing smart people stay in the same place year after year because they’re afraid to set aggressive, non-linear goals.
Money isn’t complicated. You just have to stop treating your life like a to-do list and start treating it like a portfolio. You’re the asset. Manage yourself accordingly.
Are you hitting your targets this year, or are you just busy? I’m curious to hear where you’re stuck. Hit reply and let’s talk through your 90-day pivot. I’m usually around, and I’m always down to cut through the noise.
Catch you later,
Derek