Setting 2017 Goals — Envision The Outcome [LNIM115]

It is Thanksgiving Day and time to start planning for the year ahead. But before you write a single goal, Mark wants you to do something different: stop and envision the outcome. In this episode, he draws from Michael Hyatt's Best Year Ever framework and interviews with high achievers like Tony Robbins and Dave Ramsey to share eight strategies for making next year your most productive year yet.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why envisioning the outcome is the essential first step in goal setting
• How gratitude for past accomplishments creates momentum for future goals
• The eight strategies super-successful people use to accomplish more
• Why limiting beliefs are the biggest obstacle between you and your goals
• A practical homework assignment for starting your year-end planning today

Episode Summary

Mark reminds listeners that there are still weeks left in the current year — while competitors coast through the holidays, there is still time to accomplish meaningful work. But it is equally important to begin planning for next year with intentionality rather than waiting for January first to start thinking about goals.

Drawing from Michael Hyatt's Best Year Ever framework and an accompanying ebook featuring strategies from high achievers, Mark highlights two concepts that he finds particularly powerful.

The first is gratitude. Before setting new goals, take time to recognize and celebrate what you accomplished this year. Entrepreneurs tend to focus exclusively on what is incomplete, which creates a mindset of scarcity and failure. Pausing to genuinely appreciate your progress — even if it fell short of your original vision — creates positive momentum for the planning ahead.

The second concept comes from Ray Edwards: imagine what you want to be thankful for next year. Instead of writing goals as tasks, envision yourself one year from now celebrating a specific accomplishment. What would you be grateful for? This visualization exercise programs your subconscious mind to find paths toward that outcome. Mark explains that this is why good ideas come to you in the shower or while doing mundane tasks — your brain works on problems in the background, but only if you give it a clear picture of what you want.

The episode closes with a fortune cookie: “The limit to your abilities is where you place it.” Mark connects this to limiting beliefs that prevent entrepreneurs from dreaming big enough. During the visioning exercise, he challenges listeners to set aside thoughts like “that's not possible” or “I'm not good enough” and dream without constraints.

Key Takeaways

• Do not wait until January to start planning — use the holiday season for reflection and visioning
• Celebrate your accomplishments before setting new goals — gratitude creates momentum
• Envision the specific outcome you want to be celebrating one year from now
• Vivid visualization directs your subconscious mind to find solutions and opportunities
• Limiting beliefs are the primary barrier to ambitious goals — set them aside during planning
• Write your vision down and keep it where you will see it throughout the year

What's Changed Since This Episode

Mark recorded this episode on Thanksgiving Day 2016. The goal-setting principles he shares are genuinely timeless.

Michael Hyatt's Best Year Ever has continued as an annual program and evolved into a comprehensive goal-achievement system called Full Focus, which includes the Full Focus Planner and Full Focus System. The core principles Mark discusses — envisioning outcomes, understanding your why, and setting goals across all life domains — remain central to the methodology.

Quarterly goal-setting has gained popularity over annual planning. Frameworks like the 12 Week Year and Hyatt's own quarterly goal cycles encourage setting goals in shorter time horizons, creating more frequent accountability checkpoints and reducing the overwhelming feeling of planning an entire year at once.

Digital tools for vision tracking have replaced the notebook and Evernote approach Mark describes. Notion dashboards, digital vision boards, and goal-tracking apps make it easier to keep your vision front of mind daily rather than writing it down once and forgetting about it.

Resources Mentioned

• Pecan Lodge — barbecue restaurant in Dallas, TX
• WebAIM Alternative Text Guide
• W3C Accessibility Standards

Related Episodes

If you found this episode helpful, you might also enjoy:

• LNIM115 Transcript — Full Goal Setting Discussion
• LNIM122 — Ray Edwards on Goal Achievement and Transformation
• LNIM117 — How To Overcome Procrastination

Listen and Subscribe

Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or drop a comment below.