Why Daymond John Reads His 10 Goals Every Morning and Night

Daymond John – millionaire, founder of FUBU and resident "Shark" on ABC’s Shark Tank – has had a profoundly successful career, building his way up from nothing.

But, if you were to ask him when he was 20 if he’d be willing to go through everything he went through to become what he became, the answer might surprise you.

“If somebody would have told me what I went through in my life to get to this stage, and they would have laid it out, it would be so daunting and so scary, and I'd probably say, ‘I'd just rather be a waiter at Red Lobster where I don't take my work home with me’,” John said in an interview featured on LinkedIn Learning. “I'm blessed, I'm happy I'm at this point, but if I would have had to look at all the ups and downs and the pressure and the loss of family and the loss of friends and the helping of others... Life can be pretty scary if you write those things down.”

So, how did he endure all that he endured to achieve what he has achieved? The answer can be summed up in one word: goals.

How Daymond John Sets Goals: 10 in Total, Both Short-Term and Long-Term, With a Focus on the What, Not the How

The one thing that helped John push through all the tough times is goals. By focusing on where he wanted to be, all the hard work, all the things that didn’t go perfectly were okay, because he knew what it was all for.

Specifically, John said he always has a set of 10 goals. The first seven he needs to accomplish in six months. Then he has a five-year goal, a 10-year goal and a 20-year-old.

“I read my goals every single morning and every single night before I go to sleep, because it's the last thing I want to think about and I want to dream about,” John said.

Also, a key point – John said you don’t need to know how to accomplish each goal. You just need to believe you can do it.

For instance, John set the goal in 1984 to build a career around hip-hop. This was without any ability to sing or rap.

And yet, he created FUBU, a clothing line that became deeply entrenched into the culture of hip-hop. A classic example of setting a goal without a clear path, but still believing he could do it – and it happening.

“You have to be able to visualize yourself (accomplishing your goal),” John said. "Even if you don't know how you are going to get there."

John’s bigger point is that goals act as your compass, and by reciting them every morning and night, you stay focused on that. Conversely, if you don’t set these goals, your life path is likely to be formed by others.

“Unfortunately, if you don't set those goals, you let people set goals for you,” John said. “You let people set those goals that you can't get that education, you can't change the world, you're never going to be anybody, you're going to embarrass yourself, you're going to embarrass us, and they set those goals for you. If you don't set those goals, who's setting the goals for you?”

Are you looking for help setting goals? These LinkedIn Learning courses can help:

• Achieving Your Goals
• Defining and Achieving Your Professional Goals
• Successful Goal Setting
• Setting Your Financial Goals
• Setting Team and Employee Goals