Big Goals

Unlock the Secret to Achieving Your Biggest Goals

No matter where you are in your journey—hesitant to begin, frustrated by failure, or striving for even greater success—Big Goals offers a proven roadmap to turn your ambitions into reality. Drawing on 15 years of cutting-edge positive psychology research and Caroline Adams Miller’s extensive coaching expertise, this book equips you with practical tools, unique worksheets, and actionable strategies to take charge of your personal growth and professional success.

If you’ve struggled with setting or reaching your goals, the problem isn’t your ambition—it’s your approach. Big Goals introduces a fresh, science-backed framework to help you overcome obstacles, stay motivated, and achieve results that truly matter.

Through the pages of Big Goals, you’ll discover:

• How to use positive psychology practices to build grit, resilience, and a winning mindset.
• The BRIDGE methodology (Brainstorming, Relationships, Investments, Decisions, Grit, and Excellence) to clarify your goals and maintain momentum.
• How to integrate Goal Setting Theory (GST) for smarter task management, effective feedback, and consistent performance improvements.

Packed with practical advice and real-world insights, Big Goals will inspire you to dream bigger and work smarter—whether you’re aiming for personal transformation, career advancement, or organizational success.

Foreword xi

Introduction xiii

Part I The Pillars of Productivity 1

Chapter 1 The State of Goal Setting Today 5

Chapter 2 The Emergence of a Better Way 17

Chapter 3 The Science-Based “Secret” 33

Chapter 4 The BRIDGE from Theory to Success 53

Part II Crossing the BRIDGE 63

Chapter 5 Brainstorming 65

Chapter 6 Relationships 87

Chapter 7 Investments 101

Chapter 8 Decision-Making 115

Chapter 9 Good Grit 129

Chapter 10 Excellence 145

Part III Supplemental Resources 159

Acknowledgments 209

About the Author 211

Index 213

CAROLINE ADAMS MILLER is best known for her groundbreaking work on goal setting, grit, happiness, and success for over three decades. She wrote the first evidence-based mass market guide to goal setting that combined the science of success with the science of well-being, Creating Your Best Life.

In the transformative landscape of productivity driven by AI and innovative technologies, there’s a visible need for a modern approach to goal setting and achievement. Big Goals: The Science of Setting Them, Achieving Them, and Creating Your Best Life delivers 15 years of new research infused with the exciting findings of positive psychology, delving into effective goal setting practices for both personal growth and corporate excellence, with a step-by-step approach to high achievement.

This book is highly accessible in its comprehensive framework for goal accomplishment, with a nod to Locke and Latham’s Goal Setting Theory (GST) and an updated, expansive perspective on how to apply the newest science on mindset, grit, Artificial Intelligence, resilience, and gender perspectives.

The book also introduces renowned executive coach Caroline Adams Miller’s novel BRIDGE methodology, which addresses the “how” between the assignment of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and the desired results known as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)—metrics used in most, if not all, organizations around the world since the 1970s. Miller breaks down case study examples of high-profile business failures and successes to provide a rounded perspective on what needs to go right in order for goals to be realized.

Readers of this book will gain a nuanced understanding of the science behind goal setting, with practical tools and unique worksheets to use on their goal-achieving journey starting as soon as today.

Big Goals empowers individuals across all ages to pursue their ambitions with a newfound sense of confidence and mastery, whether they are athletes, CEOs, students, or retired men and women looking for “reinvention.”

PRAISE FOR BIG GOALS

“This is the best book on goal setting. Period.”
—BRIAN JOHNSON, Co-Founder and CEO of Heroic and author of Areté

“Big Goals is a practical guide to the modern science of goal setting and comes to you from one of the most respected and admired applied positive psychologists on the planet!”
—ANGELA DUCKWORTH, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Grit, winner of the MacArthur Genius Grant, and co-director of Behavior Change for Good Initiative

“Caroline Adams Miller has done a superb job of translating my theory of goal setting I developed with Edwin Locke, into every day meaningful, memorable language so you can put our findings into practice immediately.”
—GARY LATHAM, Co-Founder of Goal Setting Theory and author of Becoming the Evidence-Based Manager

“Empirically grounded and splendidly accessible, Big Goals is the best and most timely book I’ve read on goal setting, because it links all of the most important science together while making it relevant to a rapidly changing 21st century world.”
—SONJA LYUBOMIRSKY, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and author of The How of Happiness

“This book is the perfect guide to take any reader from theory to action, including dozens of worksheets that will inspire you to do more than you’ve done before!”
—SONYA LOONEY, Mountain Biking World Champion and 4x USA National Champion

“I was blown away by the practical, step-by-step process Caroline Miller lays out in Big Goals. I will undoubtedly be using Caroline’s methodologies with athletes and coaches at all levels to help them unlock their full potential.”
—BRANDON GUYER, 7-year Major League Baseball veteran and Founder of Major League Mindset

“In her best work yet, Caroline Miller applies real science to the art of goal achievement! Her brilliant BRIDGE methodology is a game-changer for achieving all of your business and life goals.”
—KEVIN BROWN, author of The Hero Effect and ranked a top ten motivational speaker by SpeakInc in 2021

"Big Goals is a practical guide to the modern science of goal setting. Chock full of specific suggestions and real-world examples, Big Goals comes to you from one of the most respected and admired applied positive psychologists on the planet!"
—ANGELA DUCKWORTH, New York Times bestselling author of Grit, winner of the McArthur Genius Grant, and co-director of Behavior Change for Good Lab

“This is the best book on goal setting. Period.”
—BRIAN JOHNSON, co-founder & CEO of Heroic and author of Areté

“Caroline Adams Miller has done a superb job of translating my theory of goal setting I developed with Edwin Locke, as well as the empirical research on which it is based, into every day meaningful, memorable language so that all of you can put our findings into practice immediately to bring about changes you desire on and off your jobs.”
—GARY LATHAM, co-founder of Goal Setting Theory and author of Becoming the Evidence-Based Manager

"Caroline Miller's pioneering books connecting the science of goal setting with the science of happiness are must-reads for anyone who wants to live their best life. Empirically grounded and splendidly accessible, this is the best and most timely book I've read on goal setting, because it links all of the most important science together while making it relevant to a rapidly changing 21st century world."
—SONJA LYUBOMIRSKY, Ph.D., distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and author of The How of Happiness

"Entrepreneurs with big dreams and ambitions will always benefit from working with the science of goal-setting. Caroline has the unique ability of interpreting the science of goal-setting in a relatable and actionable way."
—DR. NADINE HACHACH-HARAM, founder and CEO, Proximie

"I was blown away by the practical, step-by-step process Caroline Miller lays out in Big Goals. She masterfully combines practical advice and scientific insights, providing a clear and effective roadmap for setting and achieving goals. I will undoubtedly be using Caroline's methodologies with athletes and coaches at all levels to help them unlock their full potential."
—BRANDON GUYER, 7-year Major Baseball League veteran and founder of Major League Mindset

"In her best work yet, Caroline Miller applies real science to the art of goal achievement! Her brilliant BRIDGE methodology is a game-changer for achieving all of your business and life goals."
—KEVIN BROWN, author of The Hero Effect and ranked a top ten motivational speaker by SpeakInc in 2021