Setting goals is the foundation to success. The high achievers always have goals. However the process of goal setting is sometimes confusing. Here are 5 steps to successfully setting your goals.

Step one- Write your aspiration down on paper. Get clear on what you want and why you want it. Brainstorm all of the reasons behind the dream that you desire. Then write out a clear statement of what you want. Next, write down what you intend to do to in order to have what you want.

Step two- Put the statement on a card. If you do not have a 3 by 5 index card then use the back of a business card. State your goal and the anticipated date of it’s accomplishment. You will need to carry this card around with you every where that you go. Take it out and look at it through out the day.

Step three- Get an accountability partner. Get the help of someone whom you trust. If they have supported you in the past then they are a good person to be accountable to. Tell them what you are going to do. Tell them what your goal is and ask them to help to hold your feet to the fire. We often work harder to keep our word to people that we respect than we do to ourselves.

Step four- Break you goal down into manageable parts. Divide your major objective into modules. This reduces anxiety and helps you build your confidence. It is easy to become overwhelmed by a big goal. But when it is broken down into smaller portions it becomes more believable.

Step five- Make a plan. It helps when you plan out your steps. This reduces the temptation to procrastinate at times when there is confusion over what should be done next.

You want to have a track to run on. You need to have a predetermined route that you are going to take. Determine what that route will be in advance. But, do not stew over your plan in an attempt to make it perfect. Just start with what you believe will work and then get started. You can adjust your plan along the way if you need to.

When going after your goal set realistic expectations. This will protect you from unnecessary disappointments. So often we unintentionally sabotage ourselves because we set the bar so high. A goal should be believable and measurable.

Break it Down

As you map out your plan you should be able to break it down into baby steps or bite sized-parts. Once you have it broken down then you set out working from peak to peak at a quick pace. Speed matters but consistency is more important than speed.

You should take a methodical approach to hitting your daily, weekly and monthly goals. If you have a goal for losing 15 pounds in 3 months then your sub goal of losing 5 pounds a month should be the one that you aim for first. Once you have mastered the activities for losing 5 pounds a month then you a certain to lose the 15 in 3 months by repeating what you did the previous month for the next two months.

Use Work Goals

Your activity goals are the key. You must remain steady with them even before you actually see the results.

Over time you will become exited about the incremental improvements that you are experiencing. But this takes time and patience. It’s like planting seeds in a garden. You can’t pull them up before they start to bear fruit. Give your efforts time to yield positive results.

Persistence is Vital

If you continue to work until you get to this stage then you will gain extra motivation to get to the next stage. Goal achievement requires faith, hard work, good planning and persistence. These are all important but, persistence is the main ingredient that will cause you to eventually experience success.

To maintain persistence keep the proper prospective. Your daily work habits yield results which cause you to hit your short term goals. Hitting your short term goals leads to you hitting your long term goals. Everything hinges on you faithfully applying consistent work habits on a daily basis. Just know that if you do the necessary work

consistently over time you will get the results that you want and eventually hit your goals. Just patiently give your efforts time bring to your dreams to fruition.

Goals are powerful tools that you can use in order to realize your dreams. The act of setting goals is good but you can increase the effectiveness by writing your goals down. Here are reasons why it is important to write your goals down.

1-Eliminate Distractions. Written goals help you to stay focused on what you are trying to accomplish. You will succeed to the degree that you can stay on track towards achieving your goals. A written goal is like a road sign which guides you and keeps you on track. When you look at your written goal you can quickly assess your progress. You can determine if you are moving in the right direction or if you need to readjust.

Looking at your goals on a regular basis helps you to separate the important tasks from the unimportant ones. You become keenly interested in information and options which will help you to achieve your goal. You become uninterested in performing activities which do not lead you towards accomplishing your goals.

2-Crystallize your Objectives. You have clear targets when you have a set of written goals. The act of writing them down forces you to define what it is that you are attempting to do. As you hash it out you will be able to determine if the goal is a realistic one. You will be able to decide if it is something that you really want to achieve. As you write you will begin to feel a strong desire for it. Or if you do not feel a strong desire for it you can change that goal before you attempt to hit it.

Sometimes we strive to hit goals that are wrong for us. If you write your goals down before you attempt to achieve them then you save yourself the frustration associated with striving to hit a goal that is neither appropriate or meaningful.

3-Makes Them Tangible. Your goals become real when you write them down. As you write them out you begin to see, feel, smell and or taste them. There is something magical that happens when you put pen to paper and record your goals.

Before you actually record them they are just in your head. They are thoughts which may or may not come to fruition. They are merely wishes. Things that you would like to have or do. But the minute you write them down they become tangible objectives that you can imagine yourself possessing. The more you write the more realistic your goals become.

And to learn the secrets to hitting your goals get a copy of my goal achievement system. It’s called Goal Achievement Keys and you can find out more about it here: http://www.goalachievementkeys.com/

In order to succeed with goal setting it is vital that you know what you want. Once you know what you really want then you are in a great position for hitting the goals that you set for yourself.

Have you ever been in a restaurant and overheard a person at a table unable to place an order because they don’t know what they want? Maybe you have done this yourself. You may ask the waitress for suggestions and she ends up helping you to pick an item that will satisfy you.

Some people approach their goals the same way. They ask their friends and family for their opinions. And based upon that advice they begin to set out in that direction. Goal setting does not work that way. Your goal cannot be the goal of someone else. It has to be yours.

In order to excel at hitting your goals you need to start at square one and that is be very clear on what it is that you want. You have got Other wise you are going to be frustrated and unproductive. Here are three reasons for determining what you really want before you even start.

Confidence – You will gain confidence in your ability to hit your goals when you are clear on what you want. Getting a clear picture of what you want gives you a clearly defined target. Once you know what you want then you can plan with more assurance of hitting your goal. You don’t have to stop halfway towards your goal to reexamine your motives. When you know what you want you can move forward confidently.

Less Work – Your work load is lessened when you know what you want. You are more efficient. You will recognize opportunities as they come along. You will be able to seize those opportunities and move forward faster. Knowing exactly what you want gives you the power to make quick decisions.

Clarity- With clarity comes power. When you are clear on your desires then you have the power to eliminate distractions. You will find that setbacks affect you less when you know what you really want. You can adjust your approach if need be. You can seek additional help. Or you can start anew.

You will become very flexible in how you accomplish your goal if you are clear on what you really want. You will see so many more options when you have clarity of purpose.

And to learn how to achieve your goals with less frustration and failure get a copy of Goal Achievement Keys here: http://www.goalachievementkeys.com/

Without goals you are essentially dead in the water. You need to have goals in order to obtain your dreams in life. Here are four reasons why you need to have goals.

Direction

“A man without a goal is like a ship without a rudder.” ~ Thomas Carlyle

If you do not have goals then you have little control over where you eventually end up. It could mean that you end up stuck in a unhealthy relationship or a dead end job. Most people end up stuck in a rut because they have not taken the time to set concrete goals for themselves. And by goals I do not mean dreams. You can have dreams but you need to set goals in order to make those dreams come true.

When you identify what you want and you set goals you give yourself a sense of purpose. You have a specific reason for getting out of bed in the morning. A goal points you in the direction that you need to proceed in every day. Without a goal you will wonder through life without passion or focus.

Fulfillment

A goal gives your life meaning. You fill like life is worthwhile if you are striving to do, be or have more. We are goal striving beings by nature. When we are complacent or indifferent to improvement then we tend to become numb towards life. We are not satisfied with status quo. We like to grow and improve. We like to have more. That is just the way we are made. We thrive on experiencing accomplishments.

Wealth

In order to take care of your basic needs you must have money. But after those needs are met we look to having financial security. Then it the extras in life that become a priority for us. The big mansion, the luxury car and the opulent lifestyle are all possible when you become an avid goal achiever. Accumulation of wealth is a good reason for having goals.

Health

Taking good care of our health is vital. Without good health the other things that you achieve in life will not mean as much to you because you will not be able to enjoy them. You want to be need personal goal setting so that you can create a healthy lifestyle.

Abiding by a goal to stay in shape by exercising for 30 minutes a day will help you feel better. A routine of eating fresh fruits and vegetables instead of high fat, high sugar diet will do wonders for you as well.

After setting your goals the challenge has just began. You are susceptible certain pitfalls that can cause you to miss your goal entirely. Here are 3 common mistakes that you need to avoid:

Not Writing Them Down. Not writing your goals down leads to you getting off track. So often we don’t really fail to hit our goal we simply forget what the goal is and then we move on to something else.

Solution: Write your goal on cards and place them in places where you will see them regularly during your day. This helps to keep them on your mind. Goal cards keep you focused on what you are trying to achieve.

Looking at Failure as Permanent. Failure is devastating. After you miss hitting your goals you are disappointed. This feeling can lead to discouragement. You begin to associate goal setting with failure and you feel like it is no use trying because you have failed so many times before.

Solution: Do not look at failure as final. You have another chance to get it right. As long as you keep trying you have chance to eventually succeed. Each time you fail learn something from the failure and use that valuable experience in your next attempt at setting and hitting goals.

Telling the Wrong People. When you tell negative people what you are planning to do you invite criticism and teasing. They spew their negativity on you to the point where you don’t feel inspired anymore. You become frustrated and defeated because of their constant badgering of you.

Solution: Don’t tell anyone about your goals unless you feel certain that they will encourage and help you. Keep your goals to yourself. Protect yourself by telling no one.

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