What Happens When You Apply Business-Level Vision to Your Personal Life
“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” — Daniel Burnham
If you’ve ever worked in business or strategy, chances are you’ve come across the term BHAG—Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in Built to Last, a BHAG is a long-range, high-stakes goal meant to stretch your thinking and galvanize action. It’s the kind of goal that gets you out of bed in the morning—something bold, long-term, and worthy of your energy and ambition.
At Placers, ours is clear: become Delaware’s largest employer by 2030. It’s ambitious. It’s measurable. And it gives our team something massive to rally around every single day.
But recently, I found myself wondering: why are we so comfortable setting huge, decade-spanning goals for our companies—but not for ourselves?
What would it look like to set a personal BHAG?
The 10-Year Stretch
This isn’t just a bucket list item or a New Year’s resolution. A personal BHAG is something deeper—an audacious goal that sits 8–10 years in the future. It’s far enough away to allow for transformation, but close enough to start working on today.
It’s the kind of dream that makes your stomach flutter. It’s exciting. It’s intimidating. Maybe even a little absurd. But when you say it out loud, something in you lights up.
Consider these:
- Writing that novel that’s been living in your head for years
- Launching a nonprofit around a cause you can’t ignore
- Becoming fluent in a new language, even if you’ve never taken a class
- Running a marathon at 60, despite never lacing up for a 5K
- Building something that outlasts you—a business, a scholarship, a philosophy, a family legacy
Why It Matters
In our Life Plan Review sessions, we spend a lot of time on goal setting. But often, those goals are short-term or incremental—designed to improve daily life and habits. If you want to work on you, check out the program here for more information.
A personal BHAG is different. It’s not about optimization. It’s about reinvention.
It forces you to lift your gaze beyond the day-to-day and ask:
What kind of person do I need to become to make this happen?
That’s where the real growth lives.
How to Find Yours
Take 30 minutes this week—just you, a journal, and a blank page. Let yourself dream without judgment.
Write this question at the top:
“What’s my personal BHAG?”
What do you want for yourself 10 to 15 years from now?
Start listing your ideas. Let them pour out—big, scary, maybe even seemingly impossible ones. That’s good. That’s the point.
Once you’ve got a few that feel aligned, sit with them. Circle the one that excites you and unnerves you a little.
That’s the one worth chasing.
One Last Thought
If your personal BHAG doesn’t feel slightly ridiculous or intimidating—at least at first—you might be aiming too low.
The point isn’t to pick something easy. The point is to imagine something transformational.
Your Turn:
What’s the one thing you’d love to do, be, or create by 2035?
What version of you will emerge if you start today?
Dream big. Say it out loud. Then reverse-engineer the path to get there.
Until next time, friends,
Chris
At Outside Insights, we believe BHAGs aren’t just for business—they’re for becoming.
Pass this on to someone bold enough to begin.
If you enjoyed this article, I recommend reading these past Outside Insights posts:
The Most Underrated Way To Change Your Life
Lessons from the Starting Line of My Career
No Strings Attached: The Culture Advantage That Still Sets Us Apart
This Outside Insights blog is brought to you by my Life Plan Review. If you’re looking for the life you want, have a goal or two to achieve, and are looking for accountability in a community click here for more information.
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