Quick Cut: S2E361 All it Takes is a Goal with Jon Acuff

Summary

Podcast Summary: “Quick Cut: S2E361 All it Takes is a Goal with Jon Acuff”

Podcast: It’s a Good Life
Host: Brian Buffini
Guest: Jon Acuff, author of All It Takes is a Goal
Date: January 1, 2026

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Overview

In this inspiring episode, Brian Buffini sits down with longtime friend and bestselling author Jon Acuff to discuss the psychology, strategy, and practicalities behind achieving meaningful goals. Drawing from Jon’s new book, All It Takes is a Goal, this conversation dives into why so many of us struggle to fulfill our potential, the role of desire, how to set effective goals, and sustaining motivation through different fuels. Jon offers a fresh, optimistic take on bridging the gap between our realities and our visions.

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Main Discussion Points

1. Defining Potential

[00:16 – 01:19]

• Jon’s definition: Potential is “the gap between your vision and your reality” — the difference between where you are and where you want to be.
• Most people see this gap with shame or discouragement, but Jon reframes it:

  “If the gap is massive, that just means you have massive potential.” — Jon Acuff ([00:46])

• The "good life" is when who you’re meant to be starts matching up with how you’re living day to day.

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2. Barriers to Tapping Potential

[01:19 – 02:57]

• Distraction culture: Modern technology offers endless distraction. “Our distraction technology has scaled faster than our ability to focus.” — Jon Acuff ([01:43])
• There is an entire industry invested in keeping you from your goals (e.g., DoorDash, Netflix).
• Lack of desire: True motivation is rooted in desire, not in willpower or grit.

  “Nobody wakes up one day and goes, I’m going to be disciplined today… What they do is find a sliver of something they want…and they go, I want more of that.” — Jon Acuff ([01:43])

• Jon urges people to find “a desire you love so much it makes Netflix boring.”

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3. Goal-Setting: Looking Backward vs. Forward

[02:57 – 05:09]

• Traditional advice emphasizes future visioning, but Jon suggests goal-setting can successfully start with reflecting on your past.
• People hit a “vision wall” when they feel paralyzed by not knowing their perfect long-term plan.
• Jon shares his personal “aha!”: in an airport, he listed 170 of his best past experiences, which provided self-awareness and naturally sparked ideas for future goals.

  “It taught me gratitude because it reminded me of things I’d forgotten.” — Jon Acuff ([03:45])

• Looking backward can inspire a more practical and emotionally resonant path forward.

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4. The Three Types of Goals: Easy, Middle, Guaranteed

[05:09 – 06:36]

• Acuff’s Goal Ladder: Many people set goals like a ladder with only two rungs — the bottom and the very top (the ultimate goal). With such a big gap, success feels impossible.

  “What if I gave you a ladder with rungs every six inches? Could you climb that? You could.” — Jon Acuff ([05:32])

• Jon’s system focuses on "easy, middle, and guaranteed" goals. Breaking goals down makes progress realistic and sustainable:
  • Easy goals for momentum,
  • Middle goals for challenge,
  • Guaranteed goals for inevitable progress.
• Excellence is boring: Achievements come from consistent small actions, not magic.

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5. Gamifying Goals: Making the Middle Fun

[06:36 – 07:34]

• Brian notes how turning goals into games can keep people motivated, especially in the “middle” of pursuing a goal when excitement wanes.
• Acuff’s advice:

  “You have to bring your own hype. Motivation isn’t a checkbox, it’s a practice.” — Jon Acuff ([07:04])

• Games provide scorekeeping and finish lines, which sustain motivation during inevitable plateaus or boredom.

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6. The Four Fuels for Goals

[07:34 – 08:37]

• Jon identifies four key “fuels” for keeping goals on track:
  1. Impact: Knowing your actions matter.
  2. Craft: Caring deeply about the quality of your work.
  3. Story: A personal narrative that motivates.
  4. Relationships: Support and connection from others.
• Watch your “heart barometer” — recognize what activities fill you up vs. drain you.

  “If you leave Instagram after three hours…do you feel renewed? Nobody says that. So why am I doing it? What do I want to change?” — Jon Acuff ([07:45])

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7. Closing Remarks & Book Recommendation

[08:37 – 09:16]

• Brian praises Jon’s book as one of the best, most invigorating takes on goals he’s ever read.

  “All it Takes is a Goal — and all it takes is you to go order it, read it and put it into practice. I think your life will be better.” — Brian Buffini ([08:37])

• Jon is thanked for sharing such actionable, practical, and fresh insights on goal achievement.

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Notable Quotes

• Jon Acuff:

  • “If the gap is massive, that just means you have massive potential.” ([00:46])
  • “Our distraction technology has scaled faster than our ability to focus.” ([01:43])
  • “Once you have that [desire], you look at your time like logs… you start going, I want more hours.” ([01:43])
  • “What if I gave you a ladder with rungs every six inches? Could you climb that? You could.” ([05:32])
  • “Excellence is boring.” ([05:32])
  • “Motivation isn’t a checkbox, it’s a practice.” ([07:04])
  • “You have a heart barometer — you know when something’s filled you or emptied you.” ([07:45])

• Brian Buffini:

  • “If you have the desire, you’ll find a way. And if you don’t have the desire, you’ll find an excuse.” ([02:57])
  • “Mastery requires peaks and plateaus.” ([06:36])
  • “It’s been a long time since I was reinvigorated and excited about someone’s new take on goals.” ([08:37])

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Segment Timestamps

• 0:16: Introduction to Jon Acuff and his book
• 0:46: Jon defines “potential” and discusses closing the vision-reality gap
• 1:43: Why most people don’t tap into potential; role of distraction and desire
• 2:57: Looking backward to set forward goals; Jon’s airport story
• 5:09: The three types of goals and the goal ladder analogy
• 6:36: Turning goals into games; staying motivated in the “middle”
• 7:34: The four fuels that sustain goals
• 8:37: Closing praise and recommendation for Jon’s book

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Takeaways

• Reframe your potential as an opportunity, not a deficiency.
• Desire is the foundational fuel for all sustained achievement.
• Instead of getting stuck on distant visions, look to your past for inspiring, practical goal ideas.
• Break big ambitions into incremental, achievable steps.
• Make the pursuit fun with games and scorekeeping.
• Tap into multiple “fuels”—impact, craft, story, and relationships—to keep yourself moving toward your goals.
• Jon Acuff’s approach offers accessible, motivating, and actionable steps for anyone seeking to close the gap between where they are and where they can be.

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For more, check out Jon Acuff’s book “All it Takes is a Goal” and explore other episodes of It’s a Good Life for entrepreneurial inspiration and practical wisdom.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to It's a Good Life with Brian Buffini, founder of America's largest business coaching company. Here's a short classic cut from one of our all time favorite episodes.

[B]

Well, the top of the morning to you and welcome to It's a Good Life. Today we have a very special guest for you, a man I've known for about 15 years, Mr. John Acuff. As we've launched this year, we've been talking about goals. John's newest book is called All It Takes is a Goal and it's fantastic. It's a three step plan to ditch regret and tap into your massive potential. John, we're delighted to have you. Your book All It Takes is a Goal centers around the idea of tapping into your potential. Let's start there. You know, for you, how do you define potential? To start with?

[C]

Sure. My definition is it's the gap between your vision and your reality. So the vision of how you thought life would be and the reality of how it is right now. And I love to take a positive spin on that because what often happens is people see this gap and they feel shame, they feel stuck, they don't know what to do. And I say no, if the gap is, is massive, that just means you have massive potential. And there's ways you can work to close that gap, to overlap that. I think life, you say it's a good life. I think it's a good life when the vision of what you know you're capable of, of who you were meant to be, overlaps with how you're spending your Tuesday.

[B]

Well, it's interesting. In 27 years and 2500 seminars, I've asked every audience I've ever presented to, how many of you feel like you have some on top potential. Every single hand goes up and I always say, okay, and what are we waiting on? It's part of it is, it's almost like, well, it's my choice. You've gone a further and done some research on this subject. Why is it that so many people don't tap into their potential? Why do we often look in the wrong place for it in the first place?

[C]

Well, I always tell people the only thing easier in the world than doing a goal is not doing a goal. You know, and goals are hard because Netflix is easy. We haven't really recognized that our distraction technology has scaled faster than our ability to focus. So I always tell people up front, hey, give yourself a little bit of grace. You're not recognizing that there's a whole industry they're invested in you not tapping into your potential doordash, would rather you sit your couch. There's a cultural hypnosis that's happened. And then the other thing is that sometimes people just don't know what they want. Brian, I guarantee you and I feel the same way about desire, that if you have. If you tap into desire, you'll run through a wall. If you don't have the desire, you won't do the smallest task. Nobody wakes up one day and goes, I'm going to be disciplined today. I'm going to have willpower. I'm going to be persistent. I'm going to have grit. Nobody wakes up that way. What they do is they find a sliver of something they want, they experience. They bump into it, often stumble into it, and they go, I want more of that. How do I get more of that? And once you have that, you look at your time like logs, and it's. You can't throw enough of those into the fire. That's going. Like, you start going, I want more hours. I always tell people I want you to have a desire you love so much it makes Netflix boring. And people go, well, that could never happen. Oh, it happens. So I think that's part of it. They don't know what they want, and they don't feel connected to it.

[B]

They miss that fuel and what a miss it is. You know, my mentor, Jim Rohn, used to say, if you have the desire, you'll find a way. And if you don't have the desire, you'll find an excuse. I also find it somewhat intimidating when I come in contact with people because people have become so addicted to the comfort zone. The comfort zone is now. Stay at home, eat at home, Netflix at home, work from home. Distractions are everywhere. And there's a fight. And like you said, there's an actual fight for your attention. There's a fight for your drive, there's a fight for your desire, and there's an enemy against you, reaching your. Your full potential. And it's more so than ever before. In your book, you point out that it's often easier to set meaningful goals by looking at your past than your future. This is how I believe, but I've often thought it was wrong. I've often thought I'm too preoccupied with the past. And when I read your book, I went hallelujah. So tell me, why you that? Because I've had doubts about that for myself.

[C]

Yeah, you have doubts because we're taught the opposite. What we're taught is if you want a big Life. If you want a good life, you have to dream about what the next 20 years look like and you have to vision cast, future cast, whatever. But in my experience, as I taught people about goals, as I, as I spoke at companies about goals, when somebody would try to dream forward, they would hit what I call a vision wall, where they would go, I can't step forward until I know the perfect 10 year plan. And I think personally it's a misinterpretation or a mutation of great books like Stephen Covey, Seven Habits that says begin with the end in mind. What happened is people have interpreted that as, I can't begin until I know the end perfectly. For me, the flip became where I said, okay, I can't dream forward. The question what do I want to do with my life? Paralyzes me. So what if I looked back and just made a list? I started in an airport in Augusta, Georgia and said, best moments that I've experienced. And then I thought, I'll write 10 things, 20 things down. I wrote 170 things down. And it taught me gratitude because it reminded me of things I'd forgotten. Two, it taught me self awareness. If you ask your head and your heart to google things from your past, they start looking in your present too. And then the third thing, everyone I taught this to everyone had this moment where you automatically go, I want more of that. I want like some of it happened accidentally, I want it to intentionally happen. I want more. And it becomes this flip from a review of your past into a plan for your future and it becomes this really helpful life plan. I think we just get a lot of broken advice and we assume we're supposed to dream forward and then we get stuck.

[B]

And so for me, you know, we've put, put more than 3 million people in live seminars through the physical act of goal writing. And we've seen the lights come on, we've coached the people. Then behind us, you've gotten into a very nice rhythm that I see of these three types of goals. And it's very exciting for me because, you know, I pummeled this content and to find something fresh that's actually legit. I'd love you to kind of dig into those three types of goals.

[C]

Here's what happens with a lot of people when it comes to goals. Imagine a ladder. And it's a 12 foot tall ladder and it only had two rungs. That's how people approach goals. They go, I want to start a business that's the tippity top rung. The only other Rung they have is the very, very bottom that says day one you couldn't get to the top. So what I like to do is go, what if I gave you a ladder with rungs every six inches? Could you climb that? You could. And so the goal ladder, as I call it, like you think about, you know, effort and time. As I climb up, I'm giving more effort, more time. But let's start with some easy goals. What are some easy ways to get into that? And then you climb and climb and climb and eventually you get to a spot where it's a guaranteed goal. It's a phrase I love using because people don't think it exists. But Brian, I couldn't have put that in my first book. But I can put that idea in my ninth because I' it when people say, how have you written nine books? Well, it's a, it's a system. It's not magic. Here's the problem. Excellence is boring. And people don't like to hear that. But the reality is it is it's all these little things that's been really fun to help people kind of walk through that process versus thinking. You have to go from nothing to accomplishing everything. But what if you could actually climb the ladder and you even enjoy the ladder while you're doing it?

[B]

Well, we know mastery requires peaks and plateaus. The other dynamic I think that's against that is we are bombarded with people that haven't been there and done that and we no longer have enough skepticism to ask, well, where are you coming from to give me this advice? So we have our three types of goals. Easy middle guaranteed. Who doesn't love that? One of the concepts, I like turning the goals into games. I think when you said, hey, I'm in the middle of the ladder, I'm going to go get there. I think this goals to games can keep people going when they're at the middle, allowed it to go further. Can you talk to that a little bit?

[C]

I just tell people you've got to by, oh, you have to bring your own hype. Motivation isn't a checkbox, it's a practice. And so for me, a game is one of those things that keeps me motivated. And games have consistent things, Brian. Games have scores. I guarantee so many people that you've interacted with, they tell you a goal and you immediately go, well, how are you going to measure that? What are the finish lines? I really think of a game as an extreme form of motivation that'll keep me going when the goal gets boring. When the goal gets hard, every goal is boring in the middle. But I know that's going to happen, so I'm prepared for it.

[B]

You know, you talked about motivation. One of the things in your book, you talked about the four fuels that go run goals run on. Maybe you could talk about the four fuels because we need multiple sources of fuel to get across the finish line.

[C]

So I started to really study what does a sustainable fuel look like. And you start to notice things like impact, that having an impact, you know, sustains people, that the craft that, you know, writing the best book you can possibly do or running the business a certain way. You can see great businesses where you'd go, you can tell they care about the craft of the product they're producing. And then the stories that story can be, can, can be a motivator too. You know, relationships can be a fuel. I just started to try to find what are the fuels I see that people use for long term sustainable success and then where can add more of those. In my life, I always tell people you have a heart barometer. You know when something's filled you or emptied you. So if you leave Instagram after three hours of scrolling, do you feel renewed and refreshed? Nobody says, oh, that was worth it. And so then you have to go, well, then why am I doing it and what could I do instead and what do I want to change? Once you find some of that, you can't help but do it.

[B]

For someone like myself who's 30 years teaching and living with goals, it's been a long time since I was reinvigorated and excited about someone's new take on goals. And I would highly recommend you start your year off with one of the best books, if not the best book I've ever read on goals. All it takes is a goal. And John, you're a masterful writer and you've presented it beautifully. You really do a fabulous job. And so we're very honored to have had you today. The name of the book is all it Takes is a goal and all it takes is you to go order it, read it and then put it into practice. I think your life will be better. So thanks for joining us today, John. It's been beautiful. We'll see you next time.

[A]

Well, we hope you enjoyed this. Quick cut. Head to the show notes to listen to the full episode. If you'd like to elevate your business to achieve your goals, talk to one of our experts on a free business consultation. Visit it'sagoodlife.combc to schedule yours today.