From Dream to Reality – The “GoalBuddy” Project

We can now welcome congratulations! J This is the 100^th article – a sort of a landmark in our journey.

If a couple of years ago someone had told us that we would have managed to do all that, i.e. a website, a book, a weekly podcast, a workshop, a mobile application, we would have dismissed it as impossible. All of this has been done although we, like anyone else, have day-jobs plus the usual commitments and responsibilities in life. After two years “GoalBuddy” is becoming increasingly popular while getting better and better.

Today we would like to do a quick flashback of how we got here by using the system with its 4 keys to inevitably achieve any objective.

Why we do what we do

The most important reason to invest all this time and resources is that “GoalBuddy” has become a cause that gives us purpose.

The mission is to help anyone learn how to turn their dreams into reality with minimal stress or effort.

We are convinced that one does not need some special advantages or talents to succeed. And we also believe that everyone has dreams which are well worth the effort. We would like very much to be of help and assistance to anyone who takes on the road towards a better and more meaningful life.

How we do it

In the beginning, we did some internet research and found that there was something like more than forty different types of goals. What a mess, right!

All kind of goal-setting theories is out there. Some are better, some not so while others are no more than just theories without any practical application. Some rely heavily on the charisma of a charismatic guru, others are limited to giving relative good solutions to a few issues.

We have created an exceptional system that is simple, effective and unique thanks to its social element – the Buddy.

However, this idea did not fall into our lap.

We too wasted much time and energy…

For many years we went through all the difficulties that are so familiar to all of you. We pursued things that were imposed on us from our social environment or we didn’t know what we truly wanted. We formulated our objectives incorrectly, we delayed acting, we even gave up a couple of times.

We were sure there should have been something better. But no comprehensive approach had what we needed. So, the two of us joined efforts to create one. After trying hard by researching extensively we finally came up with a working model. It didn’t go without some glitches plus the mandatory trial and error guessing either.

One day, everything came into place

At some point, we did stop experimenting since the whole thing “clicked” and started delivering results like a clock-work in a very sustainable way.

The keyword here is “sustainable”. Anyone can get from time to time what they want. But it is much harder to keep succeeding regularly which brings you much more joy and satisfaction in the long run.

In other words, we got it right when it comes to persistence in goals.

It’s a crime to keep this secret to ourselves, right! It has to be shared with the world. And that’s how we began building and improving the “GoalBuddy” system by employing its principles.

The 4 keys to achieving any objective

The core idea is that everyone has to work on the important aspects of their lives, i.e. health, finances, family, career, personal or spiritual development, etc.

1. For each of them, we define our vision – how we see it in something like 20 – 30 years.
2. And to get there we need to act. It’s done through the 90-day goals, which depend entirely on us and contain the commitment as well as the desired outcome.
3. However, if there isn’t any good methodology of how to do it then the drudgery of everyday life can easily take over. So, there come the weekly steps – the small but regular actions. With the accumulation of time, these seemingly minimal steps result in permanent positives.
4. And to keep up this pace without slowing down, we share our progress and challenges with the Goal Buddy. This person plays a crucial role, because of their power to both help you persevere as well as stop you from giving up.

A surprising discovery

Oddly enough, we became aware quite late of this last factor.

As we changed, tested, and refined strategies, we never missed any of our weekly meetings. In the end, it turned out that we had stumbled into the most productive method. So we added to the system the process of sharing with the Buddy. And this made all the difference – both for us and everyone else who started using “GoalBuddy”.

Here’s how things unfolded.

It all started with the vision

In the beginning, we didn’t have much except a piece of paper, a pen, and a dream.

The first task was to outline our vision, a draft one, describing what it was about and why we were getting into a project like that. Then we moved to what we want it to be and what elements it should include. Even at this early point, we were aware of the need to reach as many people as possible which meant a wide variety of information channels:

• A website with more than 200 articles in Bulgarian and English;
• A podcast, over 100 streamed;
• A book which we published at the end of last year;
• A mobile app which is free of charge;
• Workshop events live and online. Pretty soon we are moving to the second level.

None of this was easy or happened overnight.

90-day goals

We set separate 90-day goals for each of the above objectives.

The workshop

We had neither the skills nor the courage to speak in front of a live audience. But we gained the experience as well as the confidence after people responded in an incredible way. We realized how much people appreciated a live interaction like that. It wasn’t about what we had to say but the chance for the participants to dedicate some time to themselves. They would write down their objectives and then focus on breaking down some of their limiting beliefs aiming at taking back control over their lives. The best part was that it was all happening in an atmosphere of great energy which you share with likeminded people.

After a number of workshops, we are ready for the next level. We are going to bring together a group of people who have passed the first level and are now looking to utilize our system as a mechanism for sustainable success over longer periods of time.

The podcast – starting from scratch

The first podcast episode was done … on a cell phone. Yes, we just talked on the phone and recorded it. You can imagine how it sounded. But we had a dream, we had a 90-day goal to kick off the process of creating a podcast, and we just did it.

A few episodes later, we improved sound quality and got better at doing it. We recently released episode 103, which was a live stream on Facebook. So, quarter after quarter, with little improvements we are moving forward.

Articles

In our first 90-day goal for the content of the website, we went through several topics. But then we found a way to structure things so that articles were consistent with the podcast episodes. Little by little, we got the process right. After that, we formed a team and now everything goes smoothly as any routine procedure would.

The mobile app

We launched the free “GoalBuddy” app with the help of several 90-day goals. It is still in beta but there are few more improvements and new features to be introduced soon.

Our biggest challenge

Writing a book was part of our vision from the very beginning. It took a few 90-day goals to get everything organized – from the actual writing all the way to the store shelves.

It wasn’t easy but we knew well how essential the book was for our mission. It’s a summary of the core idea within only 200 pages. For those of you who are avid readers, it will be a great opportunity to study and at the same time to enjoy our goal-setting system. And last but not least:

The book can play the invaluable role of a reference for any two of you who are Goal Buddies. But it is also the tool of choice to use for maintaining good communication.

It is for this reason that we recently launched an offer of “buy one get two” for our book.

Consistency and the small steps

For any objective, including the development of our system we kept making progress every single week. There are cases, of course, when we fail and nothing, not even the tiniest action is taken. But we believe in the power of the cumulative effect of small acts requiring minimal effort.

Everything is connected

Small steps are necessary but they are not sufficient. They need to move us toward something larger, i.e. the 90-day goal which, in turn, must be firmly oriented on our bigger dream, aka the vision. And for all of this to happen in a consistent way we needed the confidence our Buddy is the key factor for.

It sounds so simple, right? And it is. It can work wonders. Every week the two of you meet to discuss what was done and then draw plans for the next one.

One system, one rule

Imagine a soccer game but the two teams are playing by a different set of rules. The one goalkeeper can handle the ball across the pitch while the opponents are free to foul him at any point. It simply won’t be a game anymore.

It’s the same story with “GoalBuddy”. To have effective communication between the two of you a well-defined set of rules is needed. That’s why we set up those in a way that’s easy for anyone to follow them.

We keep soldiering on!

The hundredth article is an exciting accomplishment for us but we are already looking forward to the next one. We know that it is always good to learn how to fulfill our dreams. Today is the time to think about yours and make the first step. With a vision, 90-day goals, weekly steps, and a Buddy at your side you can do even the seemingly impossible.