Anna David is no stranger to conquering challenges and setting the bar high. With over 20 years of sobriety, eight bestselling books under her belt and a budding career as a filmmaker, she’s a living testament to the power of goal setting. Even more impressively, she recently became a mother at the age of 53.

It’s no wonder that corporations and organizations worldwide invite Anna to share her unique approach to goal setting, known as the EPIC method—an acronym for Extraordinary, Powerful, Impactful, and Courageous.

As a leading speaker on the subject, Anna takes her audience through the EPIC Goal process, ensuring that each participant leaves with their personalized EPIC Goal Workbook, the first step toward realizing their aspirations.

Anna’s method has earned her praise from top entrepreneurs, business leaders, and corporate bookers. Harvard Business School Executive Leadership Coach Matt George attests, “Anna propelled me to think and dream differently. Since working with her, my whole life changed.”

Anna’s captivating speaking engagements have left an indelible mark on organizations like Omni Resorts, NYU, Genius Network and Entrepreneurs Organization, as well as three TEDx events. Genius Network founder Joe Polish sums it up, saying, “Anna David is one of the most entertaining and powerful speakers I’ve ever heard.”

But what sets Anna’s approach apart is her bold departure from the traditional SMART goal framework. She firmly asserts, “EPIC goals are not Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant or Time-sensitive. They are Broad, Never-ending, Unattainable, often Irrelevant, and Enduring.”

“SMART Goals are great if you want to achieve ordinary things,” Anna explains. “But I’m not interested in helping people with ordinary achievements. I’m interested in helping them achieve extraordinary things. EPIC Goals are those things we should not be able to achieve. And yet we do.”

Anna’s methodology starts with envisioning a “wildly unrealistic” goal and describing it in the present tense, as if it’s already a reality. “How does life feel, sound, and smell?” she prompts. “Are you feeling the wind as you sail during your retirement, saltwater hitting your lips? Digging into a sizzling sirloin as you and your boss celebrate the fact that your sales have quadrupled in a year? Whatever it is, describe it so that you truly feel it.”

At corporate events, Anna equips participants with their EPIC Goal Setting Workbook, encouraging them to complete the exercise on the spot. Some even share their goals aloud, fostering a supportive atmosphere. Anna then guides them in documenting the actions they’ll take to achieve these ambitious aspirations.

The next phase involves taking the journals home and collecting images that align with their goals, creating vision boards within the workbooks. “One woman I worked with told me that she tore a seemingly random image out of a magazine to represent the house she wanted to live in because she liked the columns in it,” Anna recalls. “The house was way beyond her dreams at the time; she lived in a tiny apartment. Years later, she looked up and realized she lived in pretty much the house she’d grabbed the photo of.”

Anna acknowledges that the most challenging part of the process is patience. “The universe has a much bigger plan for us than we have for ourselves. So the next part is about allowing the universe to take over. You suit up, show up, and let go of the results.”

She emphasizes that this isn’t an overnight transformation; it can take years. Anna shares her own journey as evidence, with the movie adaptation of her book in development 15 years after its release and her entry into motherhood occurring decades later than most of her friends.

In Anna David’s view, EPIC Goals are worth the wait. They embody the extraordinary, the powerful, the impactful, and the courageous—the very essence of her transformative method.

For those seeking Anna David’s wisdom on EPIC Goals, more information is available on her website.