Take the story of a woman who attended my two-day Journey-to-the-Extraordinary experience … the next one being October 7-8. As a young girl, she was born with a congenital condition that made running difficult. But she told herself, at a young age, with the fiercest determination, “One day, I’ll be on my high school soccer team.” And she made it. Not as a benchwarmer, either—she trained differently, adapted her style, and became a starting midfielder. Why? Because her goal was clear and positive: “I will play.”

 Magic Wand #2: Set specific goals.

Vague goals get vague results. Saying, “I want a better job someday,” is like saying, “I want to go somewhere nice.” You might get lucky, but probably not.

Instead, write down your goal like this: “I want a job where I use my strengths in project planning and communication, that pays $80,000 or more, with flexible hours, and room to grow.”

When your brain sees specific details, it starts working on your behalf. You notice job postings you’d normally scroll past. You strike up conversations with the right people. You get focused—and focused people get results.

 Magic Wand #3: Set “in-spite-of” goals.

Success is not a matter of knowing the right people … or getting the right breaks … or having everything going for you.  The Olympics are filled with countless stories of victory because some of the athletes set goals to achieve their gold medals in spite of their physical limitations.

Yes, your background, your education, your race, religion, gender and a hundred other factors may make success a bit more challenging for you than for some other people.  But for every example of a person who blames their lack of success on one of those factors, you can easily find several other people with the same factor in their lives who achieved great success … because they set a goal to achieve in spite of those factors.

Here’s a hard truth: life doesn’t always hand you a fair deal. But success stories aren’t born from perfect conditions—they’re born from grit.

The late Stephen Hawking, diagnosed with ALS in his 20s, went on to become one of the greatest physicists of our time. Andrea Bocelli lost his sight at 12, yet his voice inspires millions. And then there’s Nick Vujicic, born without arms or legs, who now travels the world as a motivational speaker, author, and father.

What do they all have in common? They set goals in spite of their circumstances.

Whatever obstacles you’re facing, know this: someone out there has faced something similar—and still made it. So can you.

 Magic Wand #4: Make your goals exciting.

Not every goal will spark joy—but your big ones should light a fire in you. They should get you out of bed early or keep you up (in a good way) thinking late at night.

Jim Collins and Jerry Porras called them “BHAGs” (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) in Built to Last. These are the goals that scare you a little and excite you a lot. Want to run a marathon even though you’ve never run a mile? Want to start your own business, write a book, travel the world, buy a cabin in the woods? Want to be financially independent by age 30, 40, or 50? Those are “BHAGs!”

Go ahead. Dream big. Set at least one goal that gets your heart racing and your juices flowing. Without that, you’re existing, but you’re not really living.

 Magic Wand #5: Back up your goals with attitude.

Goals are the map, but your attitude is the fuel. A goal without a positive mindset is like a car with no gas—it’s not going far.

Dr. Martin Seligman, a pioneer in positive psychology, discovered something surprising: people with optimistic attitudes are not only more successful—they’re healthier, have better relationships, and yes, they even earn more money on average.

Why? Because positivity breeds persistence. And persistence opens doors.

A few years ago, another woman at my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program shared this story. Her car broke down just days before a major job interview. Instead of canceling, she took a bus, walked 20 minutes in the rain, and arrived soaked—but smiling. She got the job. The interviewer told her later, “We figured anyone that determined was someone we wanted on the team.”

That’s the power of attitude. It doesn’t make life perfect—but it does make success possible.

You don’t need a genie. You don’t need perfect luck or perfect timing.

All you need are the five magic wands we just discussed.

Ready to take your next big step?

If you’re serious about applying these “magic wands” to your own life, then you’ll love my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary experience … offered only once a year … the next one being October 7-8, 2025.

This transformational two-day program dives deep into the strategies that drive personal and professional success—goal-setting, attitude shifts, communication, leadership, and more. It’s not just about learning; it’s about real-world breakthroughs.

Listen to Patrick Skowron who attended my last Journey-to-the-Extraordinary experience:

“Over the years of I’ve read many self-improvement books and attended many motivational seminars by some well-known speakers.  But your Journey pulled it all together and took me to a much higher level.  This has enabled me to really go after my goals … in a successful, well-planned way … using a methodology I never knew existed.”

If you want to achieve more, lead better, and feel genuinely energized in your life and work, the Journey is where it all begins.

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