Podcast Summary: The $100 MBA Show – MBA2719 "Why You Haven't Hit Your Goals"
Episode Overview In this practical and candid episode, Omar Zenhom explores the real reasons why people consistently miss their goals, both in business and in life. Drawing from personal experience, he dismisses "just try harder" motivational fluff, instead breaking down the structural, psychological, and practical shifts that can get you from wishful thinking to hitting your objectives. The episode is filled with actionable advice, memorable analogies, and a no-nonsense four-step system anyone can apply.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
1. Wishes vs. Real Goals (02:00–04:30)
- Many people fail not due to lack of motivation, but because they’re setting “wishes” instead of actual, actionable goals.
- Quote: “You are not setting goals, you're setting wishes. Like you have some sort of lamp and a genie is going to pop out and grant you your wishes.” (03:20 – Omar)
- Examples of wishes: “I want to make more money. I want to get in shape. I want to grow my business.”
- True goals are built from measurable, controllable actions. For business: “10 hours a week of deep work, publish one piece of long-form content, one sales action every day, review progress every Sunday night.”
- Key insight: “If you can't measure the actions you take, you can't achieve the outcome. It's that simple.” (04:23 – Omar)
2. The Danger of Overhauling Everything at Once (04:30–06:40)
- Trying to radically change every area of your life simultaneously leads to inevitable failure.
- Quote: “If you try to set goals for your finances, your business, your health, your relationships, your routines, your hobbies, all at the same time, you are asking for failure. No one can do that.” (05:43 – Omar)
- Actionable advice: Focus on just one major goal per quarter. Supporting habits come after. Success builds momentum and you’ll be able to add more later.
- Realistic context: Omar reminds listeners that most people juggle jobs, businesses, and family responsibilities — focus is essential.
3. Lack of Real Systems and Structure (06:40–08:50)
- Success isn’t about discipline or inspiration; it’s about systems that work regardless of your mood or motivation.
- Quote: “The beauty of systems is that they work even when you don't feel like it. Systems don't care if you're tired. Systems don't care about your mood. You don't hit goals by being inspired.” (07:27 – Omar)
- Building structure makes it harder to fail than to succeed. Business success depends on the systems you build.
4. Not Reviewing or Tracking Progress (08:50–10:35)
- Most people lack a “scorecard”; they don’t track or analyze progress, making every week identical — and equally unproductive.
- Quote: “A 15 minute weekly review changes everything for you. ... It's very simple.” (09:20 – Omar)
- Omar’s 4 Weekly Review Questions:
- What did I actually do last week?
- Where did I slip up?
- What needs adjusting in next week's plan?
- What’s next week’s plan?
5. Your Life Isn’t Designed for Your Goals (10:35–12:05)
- Brutal honesty: You’re trying to achieve big things with a life structured for the opposite.
- Quote: “Your lifestyle is producing exactly the results it's designed to produce. So whatever results you're getting right now, it's because of the lifestyle you have.” (11:35 – Omar)
- Without altering your routine, environment, and obligations, your results won’t change.
Omar’s Personal Story: From Frustration to Systems (14:45–17:00)
- Omar shares his own early struggles as a full-time teacher and part-time entrepreneur: working constantly, feeling frustrated at lack of progress.
- Key shift: Building a system — fixed weekly work sessions, minimal distractions, a scorecard.
- Quote: “I was putting time after work and the weekends and even my summer breaks. I was working constantly actually. But my effort had no structure.” (15:37 – Omar)
- Takeaway: “I started to do better not because I suddenly became more disciplined. It's because I finally built a life that supported the person I was trying to become.”
The Structure Solution: Four-Step Goal System (17:05–19:00)
Step 1: Choose One 90-Day Goal
- Pick a single target. Everything else becomes secondary.
Step 2: Pick Three Non-negotiables
- Identify three weekly actionable behaviors aligned with your goal (e.g., “10 hours of deep work, 1 long-form content, and 1 sales action per day”).
- Quote: “Notice I’m giving you actions as examples. Your actions are the goals because they're going to lead you to the outcomes you want…” (18:00 – Omar)
Step 3: Schedule and Protect Your Actions
- Don’t rely on finding time; put actions on your calendar and treat them as sacred.
Step 4: Weekly Review
- Spend 15 minutes each week answering the review questions, course-correcting in real time.
Basketball Analogy (18:40–19:00)
- “Every time I shoot a shot in basketball, what do I think about? … I mentally quickly adjust.” (Omar)
- Continuous adjustment is critical in life and business, just as in sports.
Key Takeaways & Closing Thoughts (19:00–19:25)
- Quote: “You're not behind, you're not broken, and you're not unmotivated. You just haven't built the structure that you need that is required to achieve your goals.” (19:07 – Omar)
- True change is about building the routines and environment for the life and achievements you want.
- “Most people fail because they expect their lives to stay the same while the results magically change. It doesn't work like that.” (16:57 – Omar)
Most Memorable Quotes
- “If you can't measure the actions you take, you can't achieve the outcome. It's that simple.” (04:23 – Omar Zenhom)
- “Momentum comes from focus and consistent focus. Focus comes from doing less, actually.” (05:55 – Omar Zenhom)
- “You hit goals by building a life where it's harder to fail than to succeed.” (07:47 – Omar Zenhom)
- “Your lifestyle is producing exactly the results it's designed to produce.” (11:35 – Omar Zenhom)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Wishes vs. Goals: 03:00–04:30
- Trying to Change Too Much: 04:30–06:40
- Why Structure Wins: 06:40–08:50
- Review & Accountability: 08:50–10:35
- Lifestyle & Environment: 10:35–12:05
- Omar’s Journey: 14:45–17:00
- Four-Step System: 17:05–19:00
- Key Takeaways & Closing: 19:00–19:25
Summary Omar’s straight-talking episode exposes the flawed ways most of us set goals and why success comes not from wishful thinking or raw motivation, but from practical systems, tightly defined actions, and honest structures that support your ambitions. His four-step goal-setting framework offers a repeatable system for making meaningful progress in business and life — and proof that with focus and structure, big change is possible for anyone.
Recommended Action Adopt the four-step system for your next goal, focus on actions you can directly control, and establish a weekly review ritual to course-correct in real time. Remember, the path to achievement is built, not wished into being.