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Graham Stephan - How to Set Goals: My goals for 2018 ($1 Million in income)

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Community upload. AI output has not been independently verified.
Author: Graham Stephan
Categories: Personal Finance Productivity
Tags: finance, productivity
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 02:57 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: set goals that are deliberately higher than what feels realistic, write them down or say them out loud, attach a personal purpose to each one, and track the numbers that drive them. Graham Stephan says he has consistently underestimated his goals for years, so for 2018 he is setting "crazy" targets such as $1 million in gross income and $10,000 per month in passive rental income, and he invites viewers to do the same with a "2018 Graham Stephan Goals Challenge."

Key Points

  • A goal works like a compass: it gives direction and purpose, and making it public creates accountability.
  • Stephan admits that in past years he chose goals he felt sure he could hit, which limited what he achieved.
  • Each goal needs a real reason behind it; a bare number like "20 million" or "a Lamborghini" is weak motivation.
  • Breaking a goal into measurable inputs (commission sales, invested capital, SEO-friendly videos, logged workouts) makes it actionable.
  • He used the goal framework across real estate, passive income, YouTube, and fitness, and reports hitting his goals every year for the past ten years.

Details Worth Noting

Concrete instructions:

  • Set a goal that is higher than what feels comfortable, not one you already know you can hit.

  • Write the goal down and, if possible, make it public so you feel responsible for it.

  • Identify the specific reason you want the outcome and what it will do for you before finalizing the goal.

  • Translate the goal into trackable numbers and actions (for example, how much you must sell or invest, or how many workouts you log).

  • His 2018 targets include $1 million gross income, $10,000 per month passive rental income by December 2018 (about $4,000 per month away at the time), 500,000 YouTube subscribers, 2 million average monthly views, and over $100,000 in YouTube ad revenue.

  • He previously earned $300,000 in commission and $5,000 in passive income in past years, and his 2017 YouTube goal of 1,000 subscribers was underestimated.

Bottom Line

Aim higher than feels safe, but make each goal personal and measurable so the target drives daily actions rather than remaining an arbitrary number.