A lot of the articles on goal setting are more or less some variant of the S.M.A.R.T model. They say something along the lines of setting up specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals, or S.M.A.R.T goals. And they give a discussion of how approaching your goals in this manner makes it more likely for you to achieve them.

There is certainly a lot to be learned from this process and you should use it if you haven’t already. However, what I want to discuss in this post is the question of what separates above-average people from average people in the achievement and realization of their goals.

1. Superstars v. Stars

I was part of a competitive Ph.D program for 3 years. And once you get to that level, everyone who is in the program with you already has a long record of achievements behind them. After all, they’ve been accepted in the program because they deserve to be there – they were selected from a large of pool of applications and they’re the best in terms of what they’ve already done and what they’re capable of doing.

Even though all Ph.D students start the race at the same time and even though they’re all capable of doing great things, some Ph.D students are better than others. There are the superstar students and there are the average students.

But what separate these two groups of students? What separates the above-average from the average?

The same goes for world beyond the academy. What separate successful entrepreneurs from average ones? What separates above-average athletes and above-average artists from average ones? What do they do that’s different from the rest? And what can we learn from them?

2. Time

The difference between stars and superstars and between average and above-average people is… time.

What I mean by that is above-average people have the ability to start very, very early on their tasks and assignments despite the presence of ambiguity. Let me explain.

Grad students usually spend quite a bit of time reading for their courses and exams. And they don’t get to thinking about and writing their final research papers until it’s late in the semester.

That’s how I started out.

But I soon discovered that superstar Ph.D students played the game differently. They decided what they wanted to write their research paper on pretty much on the first week of classes. They made this decision despite not having read everything, and despite not being familiar enough with the material. And while some don’t think this is a good overall approach to writing good papers, it nevertheless gave them an advantage. It allowed them to approach the material purposefully and in such a way that they could focus on the readings that helped with their final paper… and that gave them a head start. Not only that, they had more focused knowledge about their topic well before everyone else even started.

On the other hand, average Ph.D students take it easy in the beginning and give themselves time to get “familiar” with things. Again, they don’t bother to start out early. They want to wait until they have some certainty of what it is that they exactly want to write about and only then they would start. That’s not bad, but it’s not what superstars do. The superstars that I’ve seen went at their topic like they were in a 100 meters race. They hit the ground running and pretty much got ahead of the pack as soon as they started.

When the average Ph.D students begin to decide what they’re going to write on half way or three quarters of the way into the semester, the superstar students have already finished their first draft.

And while average entrepreneurs are taking their time with starting, the above average ones are already in full swing. They’ve already finished creating a website and perhaps have posted a few articles. And they’ve probably started testing a demo of their products.

3. When Should You Start?

So you have an idea for a new business…or an idea for a new project that you would like to start… or even a book that you want to write, when should you start? You should stop reading this article here, and start right this second.

In fact, you should start at the very second you believe your idea is in line with your strengths and skills. Stop postponing taking action. If you already have an idea you truly believe in, then stop reading this article and go test it out…right now.

Your idea doesn’t have to be fully formed yet. And you need not know where it will lead you. You have to tolerate this ambiguity and learn to take action despite of it.

Remember, superstars take massive action very, very early on in the process and they use everything they have to give themselves an edge over their competitors.

4. Aim to Fail

People are afraid to start working on their goals because they’re afraid their ideas will not work out. They would rather imagine success than take action. And that’s because success sounds really good in their head and they don’t want to ruin those images.

My advice to you: stop thinking things in your heads and put them to practice. In fact, aim to fail. Aim to work on your goal all the way through, and as fast as you can, and expect to fail. Stop romanticizing the process of success. It will only make you fearful of taking action.

Aim to fail…because when you do so you will be ready and more able to get back on your feet if things don’t work out. But if you keep adding more mental images to the romantic success you’ve constructed in your mind, then you’re going to feel increasing resistance to put your thoughts in practice. They’re too beautiful for you to discover that they might not work out.

Become action oriented and decide to start despite the absence of certainty. We all can become superstars.