Episode Overview

Podcast: It's a Good Life
Host: Brian Buffini
Episode: Quick Cut: S2E367 How to be a Goal Getter
Date: January 22, 2026

This energetic and actionable episode is a "Quick Cut" of classic wisdom from Brian Buffini on turning goal setting into goal getting. Buffini urges listeners not only to set inspiring goals but to develop the winning habits and mindsets necessary to consistently achieve them. He outlines three central steps: building the top traits of winners, making goals visually compelling, and leveraging the emotional motivation of pleasure and pain. This empowering session is packed with memorable quotes, practical tips, and inspiration for entrepreneurs determined to make their goals reality this year.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Top Traits of Winners

(00:17 - 05:58)

Buffini defines 10 essential qualities that distinguish those who achieve their goals—"goal getters"—from mere goal setters.

• No Excuses:
  • "Winners don't make excuses... What inspires us is when we see a person who does the hard thing when all the odds are against them." (01:15)
• Prioritize Ruthlessly:
  • "If it's a priority, you'll find a way. If it isn't, you'll find an excuse." (01:48, citing Jim Rohn)
  • Focus energy on the highest, best use of your time—personally and for your business.
• Don't Waste Time:
  • "What they don't waste is the pivotal production hours...that first hour of your day from a standpoint of spiritually, physically, emotionally, health wise, food wise." (02:33)
  • Quote: "If you love life, don't waste time. For time is what life is made up of." (02:57, citing Bruce Lee)
• Expect to Win:
  • "They expect to win. When they're losing, they know something's not right here." (03:15)
  • Quote: "You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, expect to win." (03:33, quoting Zig Ziglar)
• Value Feedback:
  • "Bill Gates said, 'We all need people who will give us feedback. That's how we improve.'" (04:02)
  • Emphasizes constructive accountability from coaches.
• Persistence:
  • "Winners don't give up." (04:28)
  • Differentiates between losing momentum and truly giving up—encourages getting back on the horse, even after many setbacks.
• Personal Responsibility:
  • "Take responsibility for your health, take responsibility for your finances, take responsibility for what you can do." (05:18)
  • Quote: "You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." (05:20, quoting Abraham Lincoln)
• Always Learning:
  • Shares a personal favorite: Michelangelo’s "ancora imparo"—"I am still learning." (05:37)
• Give More Than Expected:
  • "If you give more than expected, your business is going to thrive. Go the extra mile—that makes you a goal getter." (05:47)
• Lead, Don’t Follow:
  • "Don't follow the crowd. Let the crowd follow you. That's what a leader does." (06:00, paraphrased from Margaret Thatcher)

Encouragement:
Buffini urges listeners to reflect:

"What one or two or three of those traits can you grow in this year, this month?" (06:12)

2. Make Your Goals Visual

(06:17 - 08:16)

Buffini stresses the power of seeing your goals daily to engage your unconscious and enhance the likelihood of achievement.

• Focus the Flame:
  • "One of the ways to do that is an old-fashioned goal board." (06:28)
  • Teams at Buffini Company habitually visualize their annual goals together.
  • Cites a Forbes study: "82% of small business owners who used a vision board accomplished more than half the goals they included on it by just seeing it every day." (06:55)
• Daily Engagement:
  • "Engage with your visuals daily. You could turn it into the screensaver on your computer." (07:21)
• Track Progress:
  • "Now look, we're a coaching company, so tracking things is a big deal... It's very important because people lose perspective on that, even people who are achieving." (07:37)
  • Recommends simple tools like whiteboards or fitness trackers, but stresses visually connecting with progress.
  • Quote: "When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates." (08:07, Pearson’s Law)

3. Outline the Pleasure and the Pain

(08:19 - 09:50)

Buffini introduces the Lou Tice method—a powerful approach for providing emotional fuel to goals.

• Lou Tice Methodology:
  • "Write as if it's already happened—the positive power, the cost of non-completion, and what's the price of completion?" (08:32)
  • Available: Sample templates on the podcast website.
• Personal Testimony:
  • "I did that 30-some years ago and it changed my life forever because I became that day a goal getter. And by the way, I blew off the ceiling of what I thought I could do and what I was told I could do." (08:50)
• Call to Action:
  • "What if you set your goals and became the embodiment of the top traits of winners? What if you made your goals visual? And then what if you outlined the pleasure and the pain and you went out there and just became a goal getter? Well, let me tell you, by the end of the year, what a story you'll have to tell." (09:14)
  • Reminds listeners that while most fail by the end of January, with this approach, "we want you to win and learn how to be a winner." (09:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On persistence and resilience:

"The person I'm interested in talking to is a good person who set the goals five times to lose the weight and set it again a sixth time. And what can I do different? How can I get back on the wagon? How can I do it right? Winners don't give up." — Brian Buffini (04:40)

On visualizing goals:

"It turns out we were onto something for a long time... 82% of small business owners who used a vision board accomplished more than half the goals they included on it by just seeing it every day." — Brian Buffini (06:55)

On self-measurement:

"When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates." — Brian Buffini (08:07, quoting Pearson’s Law)

On overcoming limits:

"I blew off the ceiling of what I thought I could do and what I was told I could do. And that's what I hope for all of you today." — Brian Buffini (08:55)

Key Takeaways for Listeners

• Develop the 10 traits of winners—no excuses, prioritize, value time, expect to win, seek feedback, persist, take responsibility, keep learning, give more, and lead.
• Make your goals visual and engage with them daily to harness both conscious and unconscious motivation.
• Track your progress to encourage momentum and correct course.
• Use the Lou Tice method to create deep emotional reasons for your goals by outlining both the pleasure of achievement and the pain of non-completion.
• Most people lose momentum in January—implementing these steps can help you become a true "goal getter" for the rest of the year.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:17 – Introduction: Getting from goal setting to goal getting
• 00:25 – The 10 Traits of Winners
• 06:17 – Making Your Goals Visual: Vision boards and engagement
• 08:19 – The Lou Tice method: Outlining pleasure and pain, templates
• 09:14 – Call to Action: Becoming a true goal getter

This episode is an energizing toolkit for ambitious listeners ready to transform the habits around their goals. Buffini’s wisdom, peppered with timeless quotes and hard-earned coaching lessons, offers both clarity and motivation for entrepreneurs and growth-minded individuals at any stage of their journey.