The Importance Of A Push Goal

We all set goals with the best of intentions. A new year rolls around, we get excited, and we start writing down a long list of things we want to accomplish. But more often than not, that long list leads to overwhelm and burnout instead of progress.

That’s where the concept of a Push Goal comes in. Chalene Johnson, who coined the term in her book PUSH, defines a Push Goal as the one goal that, when accomplished, makes all your other goals easier or even possible. It’s the domino that knocks down the rest.

Inside The Essential Planner, we uncover your Push Goal by first doing a Life Audit. You rank yourself across 12 different categories of life, from health, career, and finances to relationships, home, and spirituality. Then, instead of chasing the “fun” or “easy” goals, you set goals in the categories that score the lowest.

Why? Because those low-scoring areas are often the ones quietly dragging down everything else. When you focus your energy on improving them, everything else falls into place. For example, if your health and fitness score is low, prioritizing that area may give you the energy, focus, and confidence to show up stronger in your career, relationships, and daily life.

Your Push Goal becomes the foundation that supports all the others. And once you achieve it, you’ll notice the ripple effect in every other area of your life.

Ready to uncover your own Push Goal? Pre-order your copy of the 2026 Essential Planner today and get the tools you need to set goals that truly move the needle in your life.