You’ve put it off long enough! It’s time to get serious and create goals to help you pass the California Supplemental Exam. Yes, You!

Podcast Episode 070.

In this episode, I discuss how you can set concrete goals to pass the CSE. It’s time you get motivated and take the Exam!

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Show Notes

Distinguishing Between Goals and Practices/Habits

• Goals are milestones that you choose to achieve a desired result.


• Practices and habits are the tools you develop to achieve those goals


• A goal would be passing the CSE. A habit would be the study plan you create to help you pass CSE.

Don’t get overwhelmed by too many goals

• Select 5-10 Goals at the beginning of the year.


• Becoming a Licensed Architect can be the Primary Goal


• Passing CSE can be the Secondary Goal that when achieved  you achieve the Primary Goal of becoming a Licensed Architect

Prioritizing Goals

• Once you have your list of goals, be sure to put them in order of importance as not all goals will be weighted equally or applicable in the very short term

High Achievers

• Often don’t reach all their goals in any give year


• If I set 10 goals and only achieve 5 by the year’s end, that is still 5 goals achieved. If I didn’t set the goals, I may not have achieved any of them

Reviewing and Adjusting Goals

• Goals are a living document and should be reviewed periodically.


• Some goals may no longer apply to your situation

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

• Set goals that push you outside of your comfort zone, i.e. scheduling yourself to take the CSE exam in 2-3 months even though you haven’t started studying.

Establishing Momentum

• Creating the Goal is easy


• Set easy habits and practices at the beginning of the study process to build momentum such as starting to listen to the audio companion, passive interaction

Setting a Deadline

• Begin with the end in mind – selecting the exam date before you start studying


• Deadlines motivate


• Deadline should be specific, i.e May 28 is more specific than last week in May.

Should Goals Be Public or Private

• No need to tell everyone


• Tell people close to you, who will be supportive of you


• No reason to share with people who won’t be supportive

Maintaining Focus

• Chinese Proverb – “A man who chases two rabbits, catches none”


• Keep your eye on the Goal, the final outcome


• Ask yourself “why is this goal important?”


• Ask yourself “what is at stake?”

Dealing With Fear

• What if I don’t reach my goal?


• We think we are the only ones struggling


• Fear is just an emotion


• Courage is moving forward in spite of fear


• Remy’s snowboarding story about overcoming fear

Reviewing and Assessing Your Goals

• Set aside time each month to review and assess your progress on your goals. High achievers often don’t like to do this

Celebrate Achieving Your Goals

• Acknowledge achieving your goal by going to a nice dinner, day at the spa or some other special way to celebrate