In this solo motivational podcast, creative coach and filmmaker Tony Suriano frames goal‑setting as an honor and a moral imperative, linking it to the miracle of birth. He argues that goals should be both meaningful and challenging, and that the true value lies in the transformation of the goal‑setter into a role model for others. Tony outlines three concrete steps to ensure goals are completed: (1) "Eat the elephant" – break the goal into clear, ordered milestones that are digestible and motivating; (2) schedule the goal in both digital and paper calendars, working backwards from realistic deadlines to create tangible commitments; and (3) "close the door" – protect dedicated, distraction‑free time blocks (1‑3 hours) to work on the goal. Throughout, he weaves a personal anecdote about his sister’s newborn baby to illustrate the wonder of life and the importance of not wasting it. He ends with a challenge for listeners to identify a meaningful, hard goal, block time for it, and share their commitment, followed by calls to rate, review, and share the episode.
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It's not exactly about the goal. It's about what you become when you finish the goal and just the inspiration you are because you're a role model. Other people see you finish the goal and then everyone's doing more of what matters and they're not wasting the miracle of life. My wife says this intro sounds like a conspiracy mystery. So I'll stop that voice and tell you, this show is for you to get you on the track you want for your life. I'm going to share encouraging educational content, hopefully entertaining, that will help you Oh, I'm excited. Goals and babies. Yes, goals and babies. The reason I'm adding babies is because my sister is having a baby today and it's exciting. I am on the other side of the country. I cannot be there in person, but wow, it is a miracle and gift to have a life. So before we even go into goals, I want you to think about the honor it is to even set a goal. And because it's an honor, really, goals should matter. So I have 2 things about goals, and one is they should matter. The other thing is they should be hard. Now, if your goal isn't exactly set up for your passion or your dream, Right now, and maybe you have goals for the current job you have, and it's a job and you need to complete the goal. As long as that goal is supporting your future and you know it could help you get to the next level so you can focus more on the things that matter, then it's okay. If not, you have some decision-making and some thinking to do today. I always forget to introduce myself. My name's Tony Suriano. I'm your creative coach. I'm a filmmaker. I am a lover of growth, and I'm here to encourage, educate you, and get you going this week. Today, we're going to talk about 3 things that can help you complete a goal. And don't forget, you're a miracle. You were a baby. You came out. That means you're a miracle. So do not waste your life. Let's direct your life today with setting goals, but really, most importantly, making them happen. So here we go. First step out of 3. Eat the elephant one piece at a time. I do not want to eat elephants, but you know the metaphor. It's a huge elephant. So if you think about eating it, you're not going to go eat it. It's too big. You have to break it up. So you have to have clear parts for your goal. Set your goal and think, how can I break this down? How can I turn it into milestones? And what is the order of operation? Because you have to see the path or your brain will resist. So if you break it down into digestible chunks and you actually put them in the right order, you'll gain momentum and you'll be pushing and it'll feel good. And you will actually want to go to the next one. If you do it in the wrong order, it might be overwhelming. So think about that. Keep that in mind. And this seems like common sense, right? Hey, you got to clean the whole house. You know what? Just start with the kitchen. Just do that today. Tomorrow, do the bedroom. You know it, but we all know common sense isn't common practice. That's a phrase. That is really true. So we got to get into practice, baby. We need to have this be so common. You think about this automatically. That's number 1, break it down. Okay. Outline it with clear parts. Make it fun. Have index cards, put some colors, feel good about it. Here we go. Number 2. I believe in this Wholeheartedly, you must add it to the calendar on the phone and on paper. Get a paper book calendar. It is going to change your life because it's tangible. You can touch it and you can see it easier than a phone. The phone's great because it can pop up when you're doing something else and catch you when you're getting distracted, all that. So create the deadlines, put it in the calendar, and You can work backwards. Think about it realistically. Do I need 3 months for this goal? And if so, how can you work backwards? Chunk it out, break it apart, put it in the calendar. Okay. You loving this? I love setting meaningful goals and getting through them. It's not exactly about the goal. It's about what you become when you finish the goal and Just the inspiration you are because you're a role model. Other people see you finish the goal, and then everyone's doing more of what matters, and they're not wasting the miracle of life. Number three: close the door. Close the door. Show up in a distraction-free zone. Block it out. And that's what you do when you add it to the calendar. You have to make sure you set blocks, reasonable blocks, which. Literally is 1 to 3 hours. If you can do 1 hour a few times a week towards the things that matter, that's a lot. That's great. 2 to 3 is a perfect amount for me. That's what I usually do. And then once I finish that 3-hour block, I feel good. I showed up and then I plan something else to do after. And if I feel like spending the rest of the day not working on anything productive, I'm okay because I did my 3-hour block. Or my one to two hour block. So this is the truth: goals are not met by accident. Block your calendar today. Do not wait. That's a challenge for you. What is a goal you have that's meaningful, that's hard, that's worthy, that's going to get you in alignment, that's going to get you the momentum you need? And can you block 1 hour, 2 to 3 times this week for that goal? And that means distraction-free. That means broken down. That means not overwhelmed, but excited to take on the goal. What is it for you? I don't know. That's why I'm asking, what is it for you? What's meaningful this week? And If you don't know yet, think about the future. It's good to think about the future. You want to be present now, but it's also good to peek in the future. What excites you? What would it look like in 3 months? How would you feel if you actually did that thing? And then work backwards. What are the goals? What do you have to do to break it apart? And where are you going to put this in the calendar? How many hours are you going to block out? How are you going to let everyone know? Hey, I'm closing the door. Okay, I'm a baby that came out way back, and I'm a miracle. That's you. You're a miracle. Go direct your life. Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, if something sparked, please let me know in the comments. Rate the show. Leave a review. It helps more than you know. I really, really, really appreciate it ahead of time, and. Most importantly, share this with someone that needs a pump in their day, that needs to set goals because maybe they're just not doing anything in this beautiful miracle that we call life. Thank you again, and tune in in the next episode.
