When you go for something that is only slightly more challenging than what you have already accomplished you are operating from what you already know.

When you set a big goal, you have to go into the world of the unknown.

You have to live from the place of your Future Self who has already achieved the Big, Bold Career Dream.

The Power of Big, Bold Career Goals

Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, authors of Built to Last, popularized the idea that big, audacious goals inspire individuals to achieve extraordinary outcomes.

Why? Big goals challenge people to step out of their comfort zones, think bigger, and innovate. They can serve as a powerful vision that inspires long-term commitment.

Your Future Self has already walked this path.

Your Future Self knows what is needed to achieve the Big, Bold Career Dream.

So, let’s go find out what your Future Self has to share.

30 Questions to Ask Your Future Self About How You Achieved Your Big, Bold Career Goal

1. Why did achieving this goal matter so much to me?
2. What impact has reaching this goal had on my life, career, and/or community?
3. What motivated me to keep going when things got tough?
4. What unexpected opportunities or rewards came from pursuing this goal?
5. What was the first step I took that got the ball rolling?
6. What smaller milestones did I hit along the way to stay on track?
7. How did I prioritize what was most important to focus on?
8. What systems or habits did I put in place to stay consistent?
9. What resources (time, skills, relationships) did I leverage to get here?
10. What were the biggest challenges I faced while working toward this goal and what strategies did I use to overcome them?
11. What failure or setback actually turned out to be a key turning point?
12. What did I stop doing because it wasn’t serving my goal?
13. How did I keep going when progress felt slow or discouraging?
14. What 3 thoughts did I use to keep myself motivated when I felt stalled?
15. What new skills or knowledge did I need to acquire to achieve this?
16. Who did I become in the process of pursuing and reaching this goal?
17. What risks did I take that paid off in unexpected ways?
18. How did I handle criticism, failure, or doubt from others (or myself)?
19. Who were the key people who supported, mentored, or inspired me
20. How did I ask for help or build a team to help me succeed?
21. What relationships did I need to strengthen, and which ones did I need to let go of?
22. How did I use networking to achieve my goal?
23. How am I using my success to help or inspire others?
24. What advice would I give to someone starting out on a similar journey?
25. If I could go back to where I started, what would I tell myself to focus on sooner?
26. What’s the one decision I made that had the biggest positive impact?
27. What would I do differently if I had to pursue this goal again?
28. What simple step can my present self-take today to align with this future?
29. How am I different now because I went after this Big, Bold Career Goal?
30. What am I working toward now that I’ve achieved this goal?

Spend time with these questions.

Imagine yourself in the future sitting down and writing out the answers to these questions.

Asking your future self reflective and imaginative questions helps reverse-engineer the steps needed for your present self to achieve your Big, Bold Career Goal.