Define, Label, and Move
Turn vague success into measurable progress you can pursue today
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 98%
Define, Label, and Move begins by interrogating broad ambitions such as being profitable, successful, meaningful, or helpful. Each term is translated into an observable result until the owner can see which outcomes are financial and which can happen immediately. The owner then distinguishes money required for survival from money desired as evidence of accomplishment. Next, they challenge arbitrary targets and deadlines, select a credible horizon, and recognize intermediate gains as movement rather than failure. Finally, they pursue repeatable daily actions—creating, sharing stories, and serving people—that can produce both present meaning and future profitability. The mechanism reduces pressure without abandoning ambition: the destination remains visible, but success is no longer postponed until one unsupported number is reached.
Origin
Extracted from The Jasmine Star Show during Jasmine Star's coaching conversation with jewelry designer Tammy.
Core principles
- 01Vague aspirations cannot guide daily decisions
- 02Success and profitability are related but not identical
- 03Arbitrary deadlines create avoidable shame
- 04Partial progress is materially better than zero
- 05Purpose can be practiced before a revenue target is reached
How to run it
- 1
Name the desired outcome
State what you want the business to become using your current language, even if it includes broad words such as successful or meaningful.
Pro tip Capture both financial and nonfinancial ambitions.
Watch out Do not assume everyone shares the same definition of success.
- 2
Interrogate each abstraction
Ask what success, accomplishment, satisfaction, and impact mean in observable terms. Continue until each word points to a result or behavior.
Pro tip Repeat the person's own words back to reveal hidden connections.
Watch out Stopping at another abstract synonym leaves the goal unclear.
- 3
Separate need from want
Determine whether the income target is required for survival or desired as a milestone. This distinction determines the urgency and acceptable timeline.
Pro tip Preserve the goal even when it is a want rather than a need.
Watch out Do not minimize genuine living expenses or financial obligations.
- 4
Question the number and deadline
Identify where the target and time frame came from. Replace unsupported deadlines with a horizon that allows experimentation and growth.
Pro tip Compare one, three, four, and five-year paths.
Watch out An arbitrary annual target can turn reasonable progress into perceived failure.
- 5
Define success available today
Choose meaningful outcomes you can produce before reaching the full revenue target, such as creating something, helping someone, or publishing a useful story.
Pro tip Make the daily definition behavioral and within your control.
Watch out Do not use nonfinancial wins as a permanent excuse to avoid selling.
- 6
Move and measure
Create consistently, attach stories to the work, and track progress toward the financial destination. Treat intermediate revenue as evidence of movement.
Pro tip Review both service delivered and income generated.
Watch out Do not dismiss a smaller result merely because it falls short of the final target.
In the wild
Tammy initially links success to earning $50,000 per year. By separating her desire for that income from an immediate survival need, she can retain the target while allowing a longer runway. Creating jewelry, sharing her journey, blessing customers, and earning $5,000 become legitimate stages toward the larger outcome rather than evidence that the business failed.
→ The goal remains ambitious while becoming emotionally sustainable and actionable.
A new course creator replaces “become successful this year” with three measures: help 25 customers complete the program, collect ten outcome-based testimonials, and earn the first $10,000 toward a longer-term $60,000 target. Weekly work is then selected according to those measures.
→ The creator can evaluate progress and choose useful actions without waiting for the final revenue milestone.
Common mistakes
Defining success with synonyms
Calling success “accomplishment” does not clarify anything until accomplishment is tied to an observable result.
Treating a wanted target as an emergency
Artificial urgency can create panic and self-attack when the owner has sufficient resources to pursue a longer path.
Moving the goal but not the work
Extending the timeline must still be paired with consistent creation, storytelling, customer service, and commercial activity.
Is it for you?
Best for
Entrepreneurs who feel unsuccessful because one large revenue goal dominates every other sign of progress.
Not ideal for
Businesses facing insolvency where revenue is an immediate necessity rather than a flexible aspiration.
From the transcript
“So your success is directly linked to your profitability.”
“Maybe next year you don't make 50,000 but you make five and five is much closer to 50 than it is zero.”
“Define it, label it, and then move towards it.”
From the episode
Why You’re Not Making Progress In Your Business