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In our latest chat on the Inner Edison Podcast, we spoke with Dr. Jeff Spencer. During our discussion, we talked about his realization of wanting to become an Olympic athlete at the age of seven and how he realized that goal with the help of his mentors and coaches.

By the age of 21, he participated in the Olympics as a world-class cyclist. Throughout his training, his mentors and coaches showed him the roadmap to winning. Since then, he has used this roadmap to help top athletes win 40+ gold medals and introduced Fortune 500 businesses to the roadmap of goal achievement.

Are You Prepared?

The first step towards goal achievement is to ask if you are prepared to achieve it. Dr. Spencer states that many people know how to set goals but don’t understand goal achievement. Goal achievement starts with the understanding that you are prepared to dedicate the time required to achieving it.

Once you have established that you are prepared, it’s time to execute or pursue the goal. Dr. Spencer uses a list of five steps that help people move from the first step to the winner’s circle. When he works with his clients, he has a stringent process that he uses to see if the goal is the right goal at the time.

Once they have established the goal is right, they start on the next phase, creating a roadmap.

What You Need to Create a Roadmap

Dr. Spencer is a firm believer that goals need a defined starting point and ending point. Therefore, the first step after having the right goal is to decide the beginning and end—the starting point and the destination act as a GPS towards goal achievement.

Once you have your well-defined starting and endpoint, your goal, you then have the road ahead. All highly aspirational goals, you’ll eventually come to the point that Dr. Spencer calls “the daily grind”.

The Daily Grind

The daily grind is when you reach a roadblock on the path towards your goal. It is an essential step in goal achievement because it’s when you realize skills you need to master to move towards your goal.

The daily grind is your teacher. The challenges and skills you learn during this time set you apart from quitting, just shy of your goal and a real achievement. Many people will look for shortcuts at this time to progress towards their goals faster. There are no shortcuts.

The daily grind is all about learning and trusting in your abilities. It’s the place where you build the competence to achieve your goals.

Dr. Spencer’s Crowning Achievement

When asked about his crowning achievement, Dr. Spencer said that it was when he adopted his daughter. She was ten years old at the time. She was from Columbia, and she didn’t speak any English. Dr. Spencer and his wife didn’t speak Spanish. So right from the start, the language barrier was a rift between them.

Dr. Spencer cut down on 90% of his coaching to raise his daughter. In his own words, “I didn’t want to be a bronze medal parent”. Over the years, he and his wife broke down barriers in the relationship with their daughter, who had experienced a lot of trauma in her first ten years.

He stated this time was a true growing experience for him and made him a better coach for his services. He said it showed him the value of showing up, being there, and being present in the day-to-day struggles his daughter was having. He supported her through it and helped her find her path.

Every day before school, he gave her the same message, “Don’t be average.” At the time, she didn’t even know what it meant, but he felt it necessary to impress upon her this one message. Today, she is four months shy of graduating from college.

Before You Win

Dr. Spencer is committed to helping others achieve their potential and experience greatness. If you would like to learn more, please follow him on social media and check out his site BEFORE YOU WIN.

For more great interviews to help you level up your game, please check out the Inner Edison Podcast.