Ticking life goals
The moment — the goal I ticked
Two years ago, I started my entrepreneurial journey with big life goals, one being: build a family and be in good health.
By “good health,” I simply meant no physical harm and the ability to enjoy life. Nothing fancy or complicated.
Today, I finally ticked that goal.
It all happened one quiet night, just three months after we bought our house and about a month after our baby was born.
I was lying in bed with my wife and our one-month-old, trying to fall asleep.
The faint smell of fresh paint lingered in the air, and the baby’s breathing was slow and steady.
For a brief moment, everything felt quietly complete. I didn’t expect to reach this point so quickly.
Just months before, I was hustling to get my first money online, stressed about rent, and feeling stretched too thin.
But lying there, content and surprised, I realized that all the hard work and discomfort had finally paid off.
That stillness — the calm in that small, domestic scene — was the payoff for two years of focusing hard on one North Star: family and health.
It’s the image I’ll return to every time I set a new North Star.
The journey — from no income to the bed that evening
When I started, I had no income, no house, and was overwhelmed by stress.
I had long-term goals, but no clear map to get there. So I kept it simple: pick one North Star and make every decision point toward it. I stopped making endless to-do lists and instead focused my energy on a few habits I could repeat and a few high-impact moves.
One habit that stuck was running almost every day.
Running became my mental rehearsal space: a time to think through tough conversations, product decisions, and the patience it takes to push through failure. It saved my energy and reminded me what “good health” really meant: being fit enough to enjoy family life, not chasing some impossible ideal.
Work-wise, I went all in.
Long hours, but on the right things: improving product features that brought in revenue, talking to customers to figure out pricing, and reaching out to turn prospects into paying users.
Some concrete milestones helped keep me on track. I hit 1 000 MRR and 700 users — small numbers, but enough to prove the product could sustain us.
I saved every euro I could, building a +€75 000 safety net with my wife, which made talking to banks about a mortgage possible.
I negotiated loans with persistence and preparation, eventually securing a good deal.
And then, three months ago, we bought the house. One month ago, our baby arrived.
Three obstacles and how I tackled them
Obstacle number one: no income and zero runway. The solution? I focused on building the smallest feature I could sell, talked to potential customers until one paid, and poured every penny earned into savings. Slow and steady runway building.
Obstacle two: no house and needing space before the baby arrived. We prioritized housing over short-term comforts, tightened our budget, and prepared a strong loan application showing clear revenue and user numbers. That helped in bank negotiations.
Obstacle three: extreme stress and fear of burnout. I committed to running nearly every day, set strict sleep windows when I could, and leaned on my partner for emotional support and practical planning.
Small wins built up.
The runs kept me steady.
The product traction made banks take us seriously.
The savings lowered risk.
Together, they created the conditions to buy the house before our baby came.
Lessons — a repeatable, monthly “tickable” system
What I learned isn’t about perfect planning.
It’s about lining up small, repeatable actions with one clear North Star.
Here’s what worked:
Keep one North Star. It makes trade-offs easier and cuts down decision fatigue.
Use a physical routine as mental rehearsal: running for me, to keep that North Star alive, especially when things get tough.
Focus on high-leverage work, not busy lists. What moves the needle? What pays the bills?
Temporary trade-offs are okay if they lead to lasting wins: tight budgets now for a home later.
Negotiation and persistence pay off. Shop around, show your numbers, be ready.
Define good health simply: no physical harm and the capacity to enjoy life. Protect that like it’s sacred.
If you want to try this, here’s a simple monthly “tickable goals” template I use:
Objective: one sentence that connects to your North Star
Three key results: measurable outcomes
Weekly plan: three doable tasks to hit those results (is optional. If you know what you have to do, just do it).
End-of-month review: What worked? What didn’t? What’s next?
How to start today
Pick your North Star — family, health, career, whatever matters most.
Choose one monthly objective that supports it.
Define three measurable key results.
Run the month, review it, then set your next objective.
I didn’t tick boxes every week. Instead, I kept my North Star close, pushed through the hard parts, and focused on what really mattered.
Today, one life goal got ticked. The house, the baby, that quiet night in bed: they’re proof.
Tomorrow, I’ll pick my next North Star and build another month of small wins.
If you’re reading this, why not pick one monthly objective right now? I’d love to hear which one you’ll tick.
Truly inspiring Hugo! And I’m not saying this as a friend but as a reader 👌