What Was I Thinking? Why Smart People Say Yes to the Wrong Goals

Daily Boost Podcast

What Was I Thinking? Why Smart People Say Yes to the Wrong Goals

October 16, 2026 | Episode 5565

Go beyond the boost! Join my Skool group at https://faceyourpassion.com

Episode Description

You're six months into something. It's 2 a.m. You're staring at the ceiling thinking, what was I thinking?

Nobody forced you. You said yes. Sometimes you even saw it coming and did it anyway.

Today we're digging into what I call the what-was-I-thinking goal. Why smart people say yes to the wrong things, why we stay too long once we start, and the simple checks you can run before your next yes. Feel the middle, not the finish. Set your exit point before you begin. Your future self will thank you.

Featured Story

For years, people have asked me what kind of clients I work with. I tell them, let's talk about the ones who need help staying married.

They look at me funny. Wait, I thought you did business coaching.

I do. But so many of the business owners I work with are trading their relationship for all the hours they put in at work. They never named the trade. They just kept saying yes.

And some of them end up divorced.

So I get right in the middle of it. Let's work on the business, but let's make sure your wife still likes you. And as a bonus, because I'm Scott, your kids will like you too.

Important Points

* We overestimate how good the win will feel and forget the grind. Picture the middle of the goal, not the finish.

* Pretend it starts next month. If you'd say no then, your yes depends on free time you don't really have right now.

* Set an exit point before you start. If X hasn't happened by Y, you stop or change course, and that isn't quitting.

Memorable Quotes

* Be the best quitter you can be, as long as you've done your research and know what you're doing. Sometimes you should quit.

* Every yes is a no to something else. Time with your family, your health, your work. Name what you're trading for it.

* When you call me to sell me something, the price doesn't matter to me. It's the time. That's it. Time matters.

Scott's Three-Step Approach

* Before saying yes, picture the middle of the goal and ask if you'd still sign up if it started 30 days from now.

* Run a pre-mortem by imagining it failed a year from now, then write down why and name what this yes will cost you.

* Set a clear exit point before you start, then stop or change course the moment that line arrives without results.

Chapters

0:16 - Friday DMs and that 3 a.m. what-was-I-thinking feeling

3:28 - Two ways you end up somewhere you didn't plan

4:28 - Why we're terrible at predicting how we'll feel

5:25 - The sunk cost trap and being a good quitter

6:21 - Feel the middle of the goal, not the finish

7:12 - Pretend it's next month and run a pre-mortem

8:44 - Every yes is a no, and setting your exit point

Connect With Me

Search for the Daily Boost on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify

Join my Face Your Passion Skool group: https://faceyourpassion.com

* Email: support@motivationtomove.com

* Main Website: https://motivationtomove.com

* YouTube: https://youtube.com/dailyboostpodcast

* Instagram: https://instagram.com/heyscottsmith

* Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/motivationtomove

* Facebook Group: https://dailyboostpodcast.com/facebook

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices