Welcome to 2018! This is the time of year to lift our heads out of survival mode and reset that compass and tweak our life course to match our goals. What is success to you? The definition of success is clearly not the same for everyone, and I can attest, they change over time.

I’d like to share a simple model that I’ve used to achieve business and personal goals in the many challenges I’ve faced throughout the years. My success invariably has been directly proportional to my efforts. Whether it’s starting a new business, learning a new musical instrument, getting stronger or even just getting to a meeting on time, the concept is the same. Here is the pearl of wisdom: Make it probable that your goal will occur.

For example, if your goal is to become an Olympic skier, and other than watching ski documentaries on Netflix, you procrastinate on buying skis, taking lessons and training daily, the odds of you representing USA in any Winter Olympics would be pretty slim. Reaching a goal rarely involves magic, but generally involves a lot of prep work to achieve the final product. Examine your every waking moment critically. Am I making a move now to improve the probability of my goal’s success, or moving away from it? How can I stack the deck to make my goal almost a certainty?