Goal Setting: Why 10X is Easier Than 2X

If you're in goal-setting mode as we close out the year, there's one book I highly recommend reading—or re-reading: Dr. Benjamin Hardy's “10X is Easier Than 2X.” It's packed with insights that can completely reshape how you approach your goals. Let me break down two powerful concepts from the book that could be game-changers for you.

1. How the 80/20 Rule Changes Everything

The 80/20 rule isn’t new, but Ben applies it in a way that makes you rethink your goals.

• If your goal is to 2X your life next year, you can probably change just 20% of what you’re doing and keep 80% the same. That’s safe, familiar, and predictable.

• But if you want to 10X your results, you can’t settle for incremental change. You’ve got to identify the 20% that matters most—the activities, skills, or relationships that truly drive impact—and focus 80% of your time and energy there.

Think about the areas of your life that matter most: business, health, relationships, personal growth. What’s the 20% that could make all the difference for you? That’s where 10X lives.

2. The Four-Step Process to Confidence

Here’s a sequence from the book that hit me like a lightning bolt: Commitment → Courage → Capability → Confidence.

• It all starts with commitment. You don’t wait for confidence to make a move—you commit first. That commitment demands courage, and courage is what stretches you to grow.

• As you apply courage, you develop capabilities, new skills and strengths you didn’t have before. And finally, those capabilities create real, unshakable confidence.

Looking back, I’ve had years where I stalled out, waiting for confidence before I set big goals. That’s backwards. Confidence isn’t what starts the process—it’s what ends it. If you want to 10X your business, your life, or your relationships, you’ve got to start with commitment and courage.

So, what would it look like for you to set a 10X goal? Don’t just aim for incremental growth. Push yourself. Identify the 20% that matters and commit to it fully. The path might be bold, even uncomfortable—but that’s where the magic happens.