Daymond John is the CEO and founder of FUBU, a much-celebrated lifestyle brand that’s grossed $6B globally. He’s also a star investor on ABC’s Shark Tank and president of Shark Branding. You might say he’s at the pinnacle of his career. But despite his abundant success, Daymond is still setting big goals.

We recently invited Daymond on the “Organize Chaos” podcast to talk about the goals he’s focused on today, how his goals have changed, and most importantly, how to set new goals successfully.

Sidebar: This episode is also really special because it just happened to be one year since collab-ing with Daymond on our “This Is How You Do It” video. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can read the behind-the-scenes scoop and watch it here. 

“Everything in this world was created by one person with one idea that took one action. Why the hell can't it be you?” – Daymond John, founder and CEO of FUBU, host of ABC’s Shark Tank, and president of Shark Branding

1. Go at your own pace.

Today, Daymond can summarize his goals into one word: health. He’s set on losing weight, improving his daily habits, and getting healthy for his family. But it wasn’t always that way. “For years, I sacrificed my health [to running FUBU],” he explained. “[And once the brand was successful], I started going to restaurants every night.” That is, until he had some health scares. 

In 2016, Daymond was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after undergoing an “executive physical.” AKA, a more in-depth physical than the routine annual visit. He’s since had part of his thyroid removed and remains cancer-free. But it hasn’t stopped him from continuing to take small strides every day. “I do it at my pace, but I'm still going to get there,” he shared.

For example, instead of doing some extreme diet and workout regimen (or hiring a world-class trainer), Daymond focuses on the small choices and habits that add up. These include drinking more water, making better food choices, and incorporating more movement. “I'm down 11 pounds in a healthy manner,” he shared. “And I've been showing [followers] my progress and weaknesses.”

That’s because Daymond wants to show people that you can go at your own pace, and you don’t have to be perfect because you will fall off. “You [can] do two steps forward, and one step back, [but] don't get discouraged by this,” he shared. Because as long as you keep moving in the right direction, it doesn’t matter your pace — you’ll get there eventually.

“Slow progress [is] the way I look at [my health], my relationships, and my business.”

2. Write them down and read them often.

Daymond originally learned his goal-setting technique from the book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. And the framework involves writing down ten goals, including a deadline for each.

“Six [of the goals] expire in six months, and the other four expire in two years, five years, ten years, and 20 years [respectively],” Daymond explained. 

Daymond’s Goal Setting Framework

Six goals that expire in six months 

One goal that expires in two years

One goal that expires in five years

One goal that expires in ten years

One goal that expires in 20 years

The ten goals can be anything you want to accomplish in any part of your life — whether it’s business, personal, or family. And the key is to be as detailed as possible with each goal. 

• What do you want to accomplish and by what date? 
• How will you do it (down to the last detail)? 
• What are the weekly (or monthly or quarterly) results? 
• Describe the end goal. 
• What does the end goal provide you?

For example, one of Daymond’s objectives is to get down to 175 pounds by July 4th of next year. His goals are to drink ten bottles of water per day, substitute one meal with a green drink, hit 10,000 steps daily, avoid fried foods, stop eating after 7 p.m., and log one hour of gym time. 

“I read those goals every night before I go to bed and first thing in the morning when I wake up,” Daymond added. That way, he can get more intentional about the choices he makes every day.

“I know what I need to do, but I need to start doing it more.”

3. Envision your why for best results.

According to Daymond, the most important part of goal setting is visualization. You need to have a vision and a reason for meeting your goals. Otherwise, giving up is much easier when you don’t have proper motivation. “I envision [myself] walking my youngest daughter down the aisle at 80 years old,” Daymond shared. And it’s this visualization that keeps propelling him forward. 

For SMB owners, you might imagine yourself having more free time while your business runs without you, or you may want to build a multi-million dollar company. The point is that you have a clear, distinct vision in mind — and that you work toward it every day with your actions. 

“The easiest things to do are always the things we choose to do.”

Setting and achieving goals is seldom a straightforward path. And for Daymond, the real achievers are those who take small daily steps, write down a clear plan, and remember their vision whenever they fall off track. Because life is unpredictable, but you’re always in control of your actions.