Five Steps to Creating a "Goal" Medal Life

by: Ed Sykes

The 2004 Olympics just ended in August. As always, it was an exciting event with its dramatic twists and turns, exhilarations, surprises, and disappointments as these great athletes performed at their peak in front of millions, if not billions, of fans for the glory of representing their country and possibly receiving a gold medal.

You, too, can experience the same excitement in your life. What are you doing now to achieve your “goal” medal? What are you doing to realize your goals in life?

You don’t need to be a world class athlete to achieve success in life. However, you can use many of the same techniques that these athletes use to accomplish their goals.

The following are five tips that will help you stand on the winner’s platform in life:

1. Create Passion with Goal Setting

Take time to write down the goals that excite you. Ask yourself the following questions:

• How will I feel when I achieve these goals?
• What is keeping me from achieving these goals today?
• What are the times and dates I want to achieve these goals?
• What resources do I need to accomplish these goals?
• What is my plan B, or secondary route, to achieving these goals?

2. Believe in Greatness

Once you have created your goals, take time to visualize your achievements. World class athletes visualize the victory before it happens. Take 15-30 minutes just before you go to bed or wake up in the morning and do the following:

• Find a quiet place.
• Quiet your mind, slowing down your breathing.
• Visualize that you are already achieving whatever goal you want to accomplish. What does it look like? How does it feel?

World class athletes prepare themselves yesterday, today, and tomorrow for success through intense training and sacrifice. What are you doing to prepare yourself for your success? Do a self-analysis to find out how prepared you are today in relationship to your goals and what resources and skills you need to acquire to achieve your goals. What sacrifices are you willing to make so that you can achieve your goals? If it is a promotion, find out what skills, education, and resources are required to obtain that position. If it is a six-figure income, what sacrifices are you willing to make to realize it? Less television, more education?

I always say, “If you want something bad enough, act like you already have it.” That’s what champions do. They already believe that they will win a championship, a title, a gold medal. They have a positive, self-expecting attitude and set the bar for others to try to aspire.

I love tennis. One of my favorite tennis players is Roger Federer, the #1 ranked player in the world. When watching him play, I can see he owns the court. In his quiet, yet confident manner, he says to his opponent, “I am #1, I am the best!” Then he goes out and wins. With his positive attitude, he expects to win every time.

How can you apply this principle? Well, one example is if you are a manager and want to be promoted to vice president, act like a vice president today. That means dressing like a vice president, making decisions like a vice president, leading people like a vice president, etc. Also what it means is delegating certain tasks so that you can learn the required skills of a vice president (Read Delegate to Accelerate Success). Do you expect to succeed at any project with which you are involved?

3. Create a Mastermind Group

There is a saying, “A wise person learns from his own mistakes, a wiser person learns from other people’s mistakes.” That is what a mastermind group will do for you. Winning athletes have a mastermind group so that they will make fewer mistakes and take less time achieving their goals. A mastermind group is an assortment of people dedicated to give you the best advice, feedback, training, etc., so that you can achieve your goals faster. The mastermind group also gives you encouragement when needed. In sports, this might be a coach, a trainer, a physical trainer, manager, and agent. In your situation at work, it might be the following:

• A mentor that has intensive corporate knowledge and can maneuver you around “corporate landmines”
• A human resources specialist with thorough knowledge of skills needed for a promotion
• A manager that wants to showcase your skills to impress their manager

If you are thinking about or have already started a business, it might be the following:

• Lawyer(s)
• Accountant
• Tax expert
• Business associate in non competing field
• Retired executive
• Association leaders
• Customers

Note: Be very careful about whom you allow in your mastermind group. Ask yourself, “Who can help me achieve my goals through skills, knowledge, and honest feedback?” Honest feedback is the key. You don’t want “yes” people around you; you want people that will give you positive feedback that will set you back on course for success.

4. Embrace Challenges

World class athletes embrace all challenges as a way for them to move to the next level. They have a “bring it on” attitude and you can see it in their eyes. They realize that the spotlight is on them and they relish it. They are bold in their actions and are not afraid of making mistakes. If they make a mistake or have a defeat, they “own” them. What I mean by “owning their mistakes” is that they say, “I made the mistakes today,” or “I didn’t play to my full potential today.” By taking ownership of their mistakes they take ownership for their actions. By taking ownership of their actions, they take ownership for improving their performance. They take time to learn from any setback.

What challenges are waiting for you at work? How can you improve your community by taking a leadership role? What challenges await you at home? Face them, embrace them, learn from them, and grow with them.

5. Don’t Ever Give Up!

H. Ross Perot, the billionaire businessperson and pass presidential candidate said the following:

“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success, they give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown.”

How many times have we seen people overcome insurmountable odds to succeed? In sports, the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons won the NBA championship against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers. The underdog Villanova University basketball team won the NCAA College Basketball championship against powerful Georgetown University.

There’s the story of Gaston Gaudio. Many of you may be asking, “Who is Gaston Gaudio?” Well, he is a 25-year-old tennis player from Argentina who turned pro in 1996. During that time he had, at best, what would be called mediocre results. Going into February of this year, he had a losing record on the tour. Because he wasn’t winning, he barely earned enough money to get to the next tournament. He asked friends in towns in which he was playing if he could sleep on their floors.

He had thoughts of giving up and going back to Argentina but he fought these off and wouldn’t give up. He believed that better things would happen. He earned a wildcard to play in one of the four biggest tennis tournaments in the world, the French Open.

Then a funny thing happened. He started to win against the best players in the world. He won his way into the championship match. He was to face one of the hottest tennis players and fellow Argentinean in Guillermo Coria, the #3 ranked player in the world. Let’s say Gaston was not expected to win, much less be competitive.

The match started as expected with Gaston on the losing end, 0-6 and 3-6. Even the television commentators suggested that Gaston quit playing, stop embarrassing himself against Guillermo, and call it quits. But Gaston wouldn’t give up. Guess what? Gaston started winning games against Guillermo. He wouldn’t give up. He believed he could win more games…and he did. Then the incredible happened…he won the French Open.

Gaston, just a month earlier didn’t have enough money to stay in hotels, took home a $1 million paycheck and the tennis world took notice. He won because he believed, persevered, and wouldn’t give up.

Do you believe in yourself, your goals, enough to defeat any obstacle that may get in the way of your success? Take a hard look at your goals and say, as Gaston did, “I believe in myself and my goals. They are worthy of my efforts. No matter what the naysayers say, no matter what obstacles get in the way, I will not give up!”

Start today. Apply these tips and you too can have a “goal” medal life!

By Ed Sykes © 2005 all Rights Reserved

About The Author

Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and leading expert in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com/, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, "Empowerment and Stress Secrets for the Busy Professional."

Print and Internet publication rights are granted, free of charge, for this article, provided the credit paragraph and copyright remain intact.

Blueprint To Achieve Goals Faster

by: Dr. Vladimir Gouliaev

It is important to set goals in life. To accomplish those goals, you need a healthy supply of energy. Even the best car cannot run without fuel, so how can your body work without energy? The more energy you have, the further you can “ride” in this life. Unfortunately, the body's energy cannot be obtained through an electric outlet or at a gas pump. Instead, it can be obtained from many different sources.

Energy can be found anywhere. For example you get more energized when inspiration strikes you, or when you resolve a problem causing you stress, or when your body spends less energy than it usually does to digest the food you consume.

Energy and its storage and usage are is like money kept in the same bank account. No matter where you obtain additional funds – paycheck, dividends on investment, or a lottery win – all of it accumulates in one place. Similarly, regardless of how you spent that money – make a purchase, donate to charity, or lose at the horse races – the funds still come out of the same place.

Similarly, when you produce energy, it is stored in one energy ‘depot’ in the body. Once you begin spending the accumulated energy, it does not matter what is the nature of this loss; stress, troubles with your partner, junk food, a workout, or anything else requiring the expenditure of energy draws it from the same source. What we do not realize is once the energy is spent negatively, on an activity you do not like, less of it is available for positive activities, like improving your business, working out, painting your house, or the like.

What is the problem? The problem is we unconsciously desire to lose energy because many of the ‘negative processes’ are associated with a feeling of pleasure, contentment, or other enjoyment, however brief. For example, we can stuff ourselves with chocolate simply because it tastes good, and we might enjoy the sugar kick. But what is the price of such indulgence?

>From your school days you probably remember that every action requires energy. Digestion is no exception. Chocolate is a kind of substance that requires a lot of energy to process it correctly – in other words, before our body is able to extract some ‘fuel’ from it. This is why, once the sugar rush is gone, you often want to take a nap after eating chocolate; your body expands too much energy on digestion and is now lacking it to maintain the state of wakefulness.

The result - your energy ‘account is being robbed’ while you are experiencing the pleasure. Why? Because this process of negative expansion of energy – often called “going down” or falling – really does create a certain anesthetic reaction that in turn produces a false feeling of "wellness"; after all, if we do not realize how bad we are doing, we often think that we are fine. The rude awakening in this case comes when our desire for ‘going down’ is fulfilled, and we suddenly find ourselves faced with all sorts of problems stemming from the overall lack of energy. Both your personal life and business affairs may suffer, even if you are the most amiable person when it comes to relationships and the most talented and skilled when it comes to business.

We simply do not understand that junk food, stress, and other ‘downers’ deplete our energy ‘depot’ and thus rob us of the ability to perform other necessary activities. We simply don't see the connection even though it is the most basic scientific truth. How can bad eating habits influence your ability to perform at work? We simply do not see the connection.

Conclusion. To live a better life, you must first take care of your energy level. You will always feel truly good and be able to do many more things that are important to you in life once you gain extra energy. Remember, it does not matter where you get energy; better eating, stress relief, better relationships, the list goes on – all of it goes directly in your body's energy ‘depot’ where it is redirected to aid in the accomplishment of your main goals or performance of ordinary tasks.

Thus, if you need to realize yourself better because you desire to live better, pay attention to the foods you consume and the way you consume them. If you save energy each time you have a meal, you will soon accumulate enough to see significant improvements in all areas of you life that are important to you.

This is exactly what The Shock Diet™ does. If you have a goal and are ready to pursue it, it is very easy to switch to The Shock Diet™. No willpower needed! No hunger pangs and accompanying crankiness! Very soon after you begin The Shock Diet™, your body will automatically start to compare its condition before and after the diet. When the body feels that The Shock Diet™ brings more energy than it had before, it will automatically change your taste preferences for food. Don’t believe me? Then answer why women crave foods rich in calcium more than they crave their favorite dishes (assuming their favorite dishes DO NOT contain large amounts of calcium) during pregnancy. Simple: the body needs calcium more than, for example, red meat, so it adjusts individual taste preferences. Under The Shock Diet™ system, the same occurs. Your body likes any food or meal that brings extra energy. For instance, if you liked junk food (losing energy) and started The Shock Diet™ (gaining of energy), in about one week your body will surely understand that the addition of energy is really helpful to accomplish your goal and will start to immediately rebuild your taste; now you will like foods that bring energy and dislike energy-draining foods that you enjoyed before. It works if you eat to live but not if you live to eat.

If the purpose of your life is not to just consume junk food. In this case, The Shock Diet™ is for you. It is your easy-to-use 100% guaranteed energy saver. The best way to convince you of this, however, is not to bombard you with scientific facts, but to let your own body do the talking. So check The Shock Diet™ for yourself and listen to your body.

http://www.gnicommerce.com/

About The Author

Dr. Vladimir Gouliaev M.D., president of GNI Commerce, Inc, was born in Krasnadar, Russia. He graduated Kubansky Medical Institute in 1980 in Russia as a Medical Doctor. He is also certified and skilled as a General Surgeon, Dentist and Dental Surgeon, Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, Reflexotherapist, and Functional Diagnostic and discover of PHS Structure proprietary biotechnology. His previous work experience was as a research scientist at the Institute of the Brain, in Moscow. He was also chief of the largest treatment-recreation center of railroad of the USSR, and director of Economcenter, in Lvov, Ukraine. Currently he is the president of GNI Commerce, Inc., and author of the Shock Diet e-Book. Dr. Vladimir Gouliaev discovered and developed a health breakthrough philosophy for mental and physical health, personal success, and anti-aging using food, natural supplements, and mind development techniques and principles as a tool.

nye@yourhealth911.com

Be Selfish With Your Goals

by: Jeffrey Rolo

All too often good-intentioned people set forth goals designed to satiate others rather than themselves. While the intent is honorable, the results will likely lead to failure. Why? As the somewhat provocative title of this article indicates, you need to be selfish with your goals and select ones that mean something to you.

Through segments on the evening news, magazines, talk shows, radio programming and even the advice of family and friends, we are consistently subjected to a whole litany of goals that anyone with half a brain should strive for. If we were to listen to all the experts, we would all need to be perfectly fit and rich individuals with at least two college majors under our belt.

Baloney.

Now I won't deny that there are tremendous benefits to being physically fit, financially well off or highly educated, but let's be honest here – one doesn't require all of the above to live a successful and happy life. There are many somewhat overweight individuals that are quite happy to escape the annoyances of careful food selection and exercise and instead focus on earning money or spending time with family. By the same token, there are many physically fit individuals that see no need to bring in extraordinary levels of income to be happy; they would just as well get by with what they need to live.

I firmly believe all of us should constantly strive to improve ourselves, but there is no single blueprint that we should all follow. What might be important to me (business and management) might not be important to you, and vice versa. For this reason, when you are determining which goals you would like to pursue you should always block out the wishes of others and select goals that are dear to your heart.

This sounds incredibly selfish, but obviously I'm not advocating adopting a goal that would hurt others, and ideally in a committed relationship you and your significant other would share common goals. But when push comes to shove, if you choose a goal for someone else rather than yourself you will do yourself a huge disservice.

Take, for example, weight loss. Many overweight people lead happy and successful lives despite their weight; you don't have to be as fit as a fiddle to be happy. Let's say one of these somewhat overweight individuals decided one day to finally buckle under the constant societal harping about the benefits of weight loss and begin a diet program. What would happen?

Chances are very high the individual would adjust his diet and get off to a good start. Almost all of us are capable of losing a few pounds during the first couple weeks, particularly since much of the initial weight loss is water. But during this time chances are good the dieter will be fairly unhappy, and this unhappiness will fester over time. Eventually when the body stops losing water weight and shifts into fat loss, the weight loss will slow down to about a pound or two a week.

Throughout the diet the dieter's morale and optimistic outlook on life will suffer, and this might even affect other areas he was already successful with, such as his relationship with his family or his business. Eventually he will quit his diet in disgust, and immediately upon reverting to his old eating habits he will not only gain what he lost he'll also gain even more! Diets play havoc with the body's metabolism, so more often than not a person that quits a diet will end up weighing far more than had they never dieted to begin with.

Clearly weight loss is a fantastic goal that can provide a lifetime of benefits, but it isn't for everyone! If you are not passionate about such a goal, you could actually harm other areas of your life when stress is added and morale and motivation drops due to your lifestyle change, and then to add insult to injury you just might end up being heavier than you were had you not even tried to adopt to society's standards.

The above example holds true for every single goal under the sun. Many people love the business world and all its risks and challenges, but others would rather avoid the stressful situations and problems that all businessmen face. Perhaps they would rather live a middle-class lifestyle, stay physically fit and enjoy hiking or camping trips with a partner over the weekends during the time the business-oriented are probably working overtime.

Choose only the goals that are compatible with your desires and needs, because selecting an incompatible goal that society or family advocates is a virtually guaranteed formula for failure, and can very easily do more harm than good.

Copyright 2005 Goals-and-Motivation.com

About The Author

Jeffrey Rolo is an experienced human resources manager, business owner and also the owner of Goals-and-Motivation.com, a website offering a free 20+ page guide on goal setting. Visit http://www.goals-and-motivation.com/ to view the guide as well as other articles about goals and management.

Comparing Corporate and Personal Goal Attainment Programs That Have Developed Over Thousands Of Years

by: Dr. Jason Armstrong

In the 1990s Stephen Covey’s name became famous through the publication of the “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. As many know the “7 habits” are not a group of new concepts but age-old approaches to success represented in a way that can be clearly applied to modern day personal and corporate development. These precepts are taught in a number of ancient development, and achievement arts which have been practiced for thousands of years. Although many of these concepts have been lost and misinterpreted, they exist and can be translated in non-extreme forms, from such arts as: Zen (which is not a religion, but a path for self discovery and growth), the “Art of War” by Sun Tzu (the classic text on strategy which is often regarded as the most definitive text on the topic), and the Tao de Ching (the “book of change”).

Profound lessons for leadership, change, victory and non-conflict have arisen from bodies of work such as the “Art of War”, because the learnings came from life and death scenarios. Obviously today’s corporate world does not induce a mechanism for change, and success, anywhere near as strong as these ancient arts as the consequence of failure is far less. This is why groups such as the Samurai, and post-war Corporate Japan, adopted highly refined lessons from Chinese Zen and the “Art of War”. However, modern Asia is very different from its past. Today such cultures as Japan often see an environment which is one of the most materialistic and rapid success oriented cultures around, quite a contrast to its approaches of the past. Today many Western corporate cultures are now embracing past strategies to avoid conflict and gain success.

The strategy text “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu, is often incorrectly viewed as an aggressive approach to victory. However, it is essentially a master text on “Conflict Management” and “Win-Win” scenarios (“Win-Win”, habit 4 of Stephen Covey). It also discusses partnering in detail (“Synergize”, habit 6 of Stephen Covey), project planning (“begin with the end in mind”, habit 2 of Stephen Covey) and has many direct relationships to goal attainment in corporate and personal development contexts.

Partners, Competition and Internal Efficiency: Managing conflict in a modern organization has an amazing number of ties to the central themes of Zen, the “Art of War” and the book of change (Tao de Ching).They are all about understanding yourself, your organization, your strengths, weaknesses and synergizing with others to achieve positive outcomes. Collectively these things have a direct correlation to an annual company S.W.O.T review (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). Furthermore, these attributes and approaches mimic an employee’s annual performance review. In Applied Zen workshops we go through approaches to company S.W.O.T. which include: company self analysis, analyzing the competition, and partnering for best case strategic outcomes.

All the above methods (old and new) are about changing base behavior, beliefs and approaches. These are core values, and are far more important than putting band-aids on problems, or approaching things with simply a behavior change. In regard to the ancient philosophies, they of course must be interpreted, and applied, using case studies in a context that matches the modern corporate world – but the lessons are most definitely there!

Continuing to train ones skills and undergo development both in-house and outside your company is essential.

As the ancient samurai saying says: “Continually sharpen the sword or it will go blunt!”

By Jason Armstrong, Ph.D. Copyright 2005.

About The Author

Jason Armstrong, Ph.D., has worked at CEO levels in Japan, the USA, & Australia. He has also consulted for large multi-national companies. He has specialized in the "Art of War" strategies for more than 20 years. In the last 6 years he has consulted with Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi Pharmaceutical and been General Manager of a US company in Tokyo. Today he runs http://www.appliedzen.com/, which conducts workshops in the USA Australia and Japan.

http://www.appliedzen.com/

Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.

Closing the Gap On Your Career Goals

by: Shannon Bradford

If you still picture a steady progression up the ladder when you think of your career goals, it is time to shift your thinking. For most people, climbing the career ladder is no longer an option. The working world has changed so dramatically that linear career paths rarely exist, except as historical symbols.

But, without those trusty rungs to show the way, how do you figure out the next step in your career? How do you determine if you need to go to business school or graduate school? How do you identify your next job?

You could employ the dartboard method, or a Magic 8 Ball. Or, instead of struggling to find the next rung on that mythical ladder, you could identify your long-term career goals, and then focus on closing the gap between today and your future goals. By focusing on the long-term, and the skills and experiences you need to gain, you will increase your options and give yourself flexibility to operate in today's chaotic working world.

To determine your career plan, first write down your long-term goal. Then, do a Career Gap Analysis, by following these four steps:

Step One

Divide a blank sheet of paper into three columns. At the top of the left column, write: "Current Skills and Experiences." At the top of the middle column, write: "The Gap." Finally, at the top of the column on the right, write "Future Needs."

Step Two

In the right column, Future Needs, list the skills, education, abilities, and experiences you will need to be successful in the future you envisioned when determining your long-term goals. For example, if your future goal is to start your own business, you will need the following: knowledge of how to write a business plan, basic accounting or financial analysis skills, the ability to manage a group of people, experience in writing new business proposals, and marketing skills.

Step Three

In the first column, Current Skills and Experiences,list all of the skills, education, abilities, and experiences you currently have to offer. When making your list, be comprehensive. Include what you have learned through volunteer experiences, hobbies,and seminars.

Step Four

In the middle column, The Gap, list the education, skills, or experiences you need to close the gap between where you are now and where you plan to be in the future.

Now that you have identified your long-term goals and the elements in the gap, instead of focusing on the title or hierarchy of your next job, focus on the skills and experiences you will gain to close the gap. For example, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you may look for a job that will strengthen your planning skills. You may consider an opportunity to work more closely with the marketing or sales department. Or, you may look for a specific type of leadership experience in your next job.

Don't overlook opportunities within your current organization. If your goal is to strengthen your skills -- instead of to climb that mythical ladder -- you may find a lot more options internally than in an outside organization. As a known quantity, your current organization is more likely to risk letting you experiment with a new field of expertise. So, a lateral move within your organization could give you the opportunity to gain new skills and experiences.

To close the gap, you can also look for experiences outside of your job. Build your entrepreneurial skills by take a workshop on business plans at your local Small Business Development Center. Volunteer to manage the financials for a small non-profit organization. Or, take some business classes at your local college or university.

By using a Career Gap Analysis, you can create your own unique, flexible career plan and banish the career ladder to the pages of history, where it belongs.

About The Author

Shannon Bradford is a writer and coach, teaching people how to master their brains to succeed in their careers and businesses. She is the author of Brain Power (John Wiley & Sons, 2002). Learn more about how to master your brain for career success at http://www.mindcapital.com/ or e-mail Shannon at shannon@mindcapital.com

© 2005 Shannon Bradford

Competition, Jealousy And Goals

by: Jeffrey Rolo

Naturally some of us are more competitive than others, but the vast majority of us have a good degree of competition hardwired into us. If you think you are not competitive in the least, ask yourself: have you ever felt a twinge of desire, jealousy or envy when looking at another person's accomplishments or lifestyle? If you said yes, you are competitive – otherwise you wouldn't care what others have.

Now before I offend anyone let me make it clear that I am not equating healthy desire or competition with vulgar jealousy. There's a fine line between unhealthy jealousy and a competitive spirit that pushes you towards obtaining the same as another individual has. Let's break this down into a specific example:

First we have Joe, an average guy that struggles to pay the bills each month. One evening while watching television he catches The Apprentice, sees Donald Trump and starts thinking to himself: "I wish I had what he had. It's not fair that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth while I sit here at risk of losing my home."

Across the town we have Mary, another individual that is barely able to keep up with the bills each month. She is also tuning in to the abovementioned television show, and she's thinking similar thoughts, though they have a distinct difference: "I wish I had what he had. In fact, I'm going to sign up for a real estate course and learn the business such that years down the road I can match his success."

In the above examples, both would like to obtain Trump's status and fortunes, but only one has a realistic shot at actually improving his/her lifestyle. Joe is practicing sheer, unadulterated jealousy, which is an ugly and self-destructive attitude that leads him to rationalizing that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In his eyes, life just isn't fair, and there's nothing he can do about it.

On the flip side, Mary recognizes that Trump is a savvy businessman that has made his fortunes via real estate. Sure, he might have had a head start with the properties inherited by his father, but anyone with enough determination and vision could potentially learn the real estate market and take their own slice of the pie. She is embracing her competitive spirit – she wants what Trump has and she's going to do her best to stake her own claim.

The above examples are highly exaggerated and quite frankly unrealistic for most of us – as much as we'd like to become a billionaire, it's just not going to be in the cards. But that isn't to say we cannot become very wealthy and even hit millionaire status if that is our goal – all it takes is a lot of hard work, determination and a healthy sense of competition.

Most of us would like something that another person has, and while religions and society have trained us to reject such feelings, they aren't inherently bad. If you allow your desires to turn into jealousy and envy then yes, you are walking down a bitter and self-destructive path, but if you instead convert your desires into an honest plan to match their achievements then you're embracing your competitive spirit.

So reach for your desires. Embrace and nurture your inner competitive spirit such that it bubbles up and guides your actions each and every day. Competition is a wonderful motivator, and few of the world's "elite" businessmen and individuals would have accomplished their goals and achievements without a strong competitive spirit.

About The Author

Jeffrey Rolo is an experienced human resources manager, business owner and also the owner of Goals-and-Motivation.com, a website offering a free 20+ page guide on goal setting. Visit http://www.goals-and-motivation.com/ to view this guide as well as other articles about goals and management.

Driving To Your Goals

by: Lyman Dale Reed, Jr.

Every time you get in your car to go anywhere, you are working on achieving a goal. There is somewhere you want to be, so you take action to get there. The three major things that get you where you want to go when driving are a specific destination, directions for getting there, and a way to track your progress. You must also have these three things to achieve any goal.

Specific Destination

Before even getting into your car, you must know where you are going. Unless you have a specific destination, you're just moving the car and wasting gas. There isn't anything particularly wrong with this; some people enjoy just driving around and looking at the scenery. But if you want to get somewhere, you must know where you are going.

When setting your goals, you must know exactly what it is that you want. Get a clear picture of it in your mind. If it's a new job, picture yourself in that job. If it's more money, visualize that monthly bank statement. Imagine what you will feel like when you reach whatever it is you are striving for. Write it down, like you would write down the address of a house you are visiting for the first time.

Directions

If this is a destination you've been to before, you don't need directions. It's automatic, like tying your shoes or chewing your food. But what if it's somewhere you've never been before? How do you get there?

You ask. You ask someone who's been there before. You pull out a map. You check the Internet. The directions may not be perfect, and often they aren't. "It's either the second or third light, I can't remember which," is something often heard when getting driving directions. But you get the best directions you can.

Goal setting is the same. You get in touch with others who already have what you want. You read books, you listen to tapes, you attend seminars. You get as much information as possible that will assist you in reaching your goal.

Tracking Your Progress

You know where you are going and you've got your directions, so now it's time to take some action! You hop in the car and you're off!

But wait! It wasn't the second or third light, it was the fourth! So what do you do when you realize you are off course? You check your map, you pull into the nearest gas station, or you make a phone call. You try to get back on track. But you don't give up! You don't turn around at the first closed road and go back home, saying "I didn't really want to get there anyway." If this were to happen, you'd never get anywhere you hadn't been before, and your life would be pretty limited. Even if you have to head all the way back home, you start again. Eventually, you get to that destination, and isn't it even more exciting when you get there after a difficult journey!

You may get sidetracked on your journey. If you get hungry, you stop for a bite. If you need to use the restroom, you stop to take care of that. But do you stay stopped? Do you sit in the restroom all day, wondering why you aren't where you want to be? No, you do what you need to do and continue on.

Don't quit on your goals, either. There may be setbacks, dead ends, even car accidents. But don't forget that you'll never get there if you don't keep taking action and moving towards your destination. When that prospect says no, it's not a failure; it's another mile under your belt. When nothing seems to happen for a long period of time, you're just getting closer to that next landmark. If you're not sure what to do next, don't be too embarrassed to stop and ask for those directions!

About The Author

Lyman Reed is the webmaster of Inspiration, Motivation, and Wisdom for Living - http://www.motiration.com/ a website dedicated to providing informational tools which help individuals improve their lives. He can be contacted via email at lyman@motiration.com. This article may be freely used in any publication, providing it is not changed in any way and this "About the author" text is included.
lyman@motiration.com

A Goal for This Century

by: Debbie O'Meara

For the last few months I’ve been training to ride what we call a “century ride” – one hundred miles (yes, in one day!) Rather than riding my usual 30 or 35 miles each Saturday, I upped it to 60 or 65. I paid attention to my weekly mileage totals. When ride day came, I expected that I’d finish … slow and staggering, but finish.

Ride day came, and I finished. At (for me) a fast average speed, and while my legs were tired, I was fully functional. All in all, it wasn’t nearly as hard as I expected it to be.

As I rode, I noticed something I hadn’t anticipated. Generally, when I plan to ride 35 miles, I start feeling ready to stop at 32 or 33. When I know I’ll be going 65, I look forward to finishing at 60. But when I knew I’d be riding 100, 30 was just getting warmed up. I didn’t even notice 60.

Even as I saw my odometer reach 75, and 80, and 90 miles, I was fine. I was focused on that goal of 100. And the closer I got, the more I knew that I could do it, and do it well. It was almost easy.

I’ve been thinking about that mental state ever since. When I focused on a small goal, the small goal took all my effort. When I focused on a big goal, the small one was almost effortless, and the big one came true.

I’ve never had such a clear example of the value of setting goals, ambitious goals, before.

What did it take to manifest this particular success? To meet this goal?

The first step, certainly, was to set it in the first place. Isn’t that what abundance and prosperity authors are constantly reminding us? To get the Universe to conspire on our behalf, we have to be clear on what we want.

You may have heard of a goal-setting technique called SMART – we need to set SMART goals. My successful experience fits that mold. Doesn’t it make sense that other goals we’d like to demonstrate will fit it also?

SMART goals are:

--Specific. My goal wasn’t to “ride farther” – it was to complete a defined distance. When my defined distance was 65 miles, that felt like all I had. When it was longer, I did more.

--Measurable. This is easy when you’re talking about distance!

--Attractive. This goal meant something to me. Several years ago I trained for a marathon. I trained up to 18 miles and pulled a hip abductor. No marathons for me. As I got toward the end of my century ride, I thought about how I was making up for that marathon I didn’t get to run and the disappointment I’d always felt about it.

--Realistic. I could have looked at a much longer ride, or a much harder one. I chose one that was a stretch, but not completely out of my reach. I didn’t expect it to be easy, but I expected to accomplish it.

--Time-framed. That fit this example easily, since the ride was on a specific date. I couldn’t let my training slip because I had a deadline to meet. (This one can be tricky; sometimes things happen in the Universe’s time, not ours, because in reality we’re just not ready.)

I didn’t know I was using this technique, but sure enough, there was my success. The intermediate steps weren’t always fun, but the result was almost magical.

About The Author

Debbie O'Meara is the owner of Lightrae Publishing, your source for abundance and prosperity resources around the Web. Visit http://www.lightrae.com/ for Charles Fillmore's book Prosperity, as well as Lightrae's free newsletter and free ebook.

Please use and distribute this article in its entirety, including the byline and link to Lightrae Publishing.

Breaking Goals Down To The Basics

by: Jeffrey Rolo

One of the primary reasons why people fail to execute their goals is they set forth unrealistic or overly complex goals. Most of us have the tendency to look at the finish line without paying much consideration to the distance between the end point and us. Here are a couple examples to illustrate this point:

• My goal is to lose 80 pounds by next year.

• My goal is to lose 8 pounds a month each month until I reach the grand goal of 80 pounds.

Or how about this one?

• My goal is to save up enough money to take a cross-country vacation next summer.

• My goal is to save $30.00 each week so that 50 weeks from now I will have accumulated $1,500.00 for the vacation expenses. I will do this by using grocery coupons, downgrading my cable plan and dining out one time less per week.

The majority of us lay out our goals in the general manner exhibited by the first statement in each of the two examples above, but unfortunately they are so aimless and expansive that unless you are particularly motivated and disciplined chances are good you will give up long before you reach the goal.

On the other hand, if you break down your expansive goals into an assortment of smaller goals that are easily achieved, you will find yourself far more focused and motivated. Each time you reach a milestone (the conclusion of a smaller goal), you will experience the jubilation of success and be one step closer to your end goal.

Breaking large goals up into manageable pieces also plays a bit of a trick on the mind. What would be your natural answer to the following question?

• Is it easier to lose 80 pounds in 10 months, or 2 pounds each week?

The thought of losing 80 pounds is horrifying… that's a lot of weight. Two pounds is much more manageable. Right? But if you break the numbers down, you'll find that two pounds a week for 10 months will result in the loss of 80 pounds, which is exactly the same as your expansive end goal.

By breaking up your large goals, you allow your mind to focus on the easily achievable midpoints such as two pounds a week. At the end of each week if you see that you didn't reach your goal of two pounds, you'll know something needs to be tweaked if you are to succeed with your end goal. On the other hand no matter how frustrated you become with your diet, if you see that you are losing just two pounds every week you'll know that you are well on your way and as such you will remain far more motivated throughout the process.

No realistic goal is too great as long as you break it down to easily achievable and detailed interim goals.

Copyright 2005 Goals-and-Motivation.com

About The Author

Jeffrey Rolo is an experienced human resources manager, business owner and also the owner of Goals-and-Motivation.com, a website offering a free 20+ page guide on goal setting. Visit http://www.goals-and-motivation.com/ to view the guide as well as other articles about goals and management.

Do Your Goals Match Your Passions?

by: Josh Hinds

Making sure our goals are properly aligned with our passions only makes sense. If you have the wish to move up the corporate ladder, start your own business, or just about any other worthwhile endeavor you're going to make things a lot easier on yourself if you're working on things that get you personally excited and make you feel alive when you're working on them (i.e. following your passions).

We hear this a lot I know... But have you ever stopped to ask yourself why this is?

Hopefully this will help...

A simple rule of thumb is to do the things that you'd do even if you weren't getting paid to do them. Napoleon Hill, author of Think And Grow Rich often referred to this as doing more then you get paid for. In fact, he regarded this as a key to success. If the idea was good enough for Mr. Hill, I can assure you, it's good enough for me :-)

The simple reality is that most any level of lasting achievement takes effort (even the over-night successes we sometimes hear about rarely happen exactly over night). Often it means going above and beyond the call of duty. Going and doing just a bit more then may be expected of you in your job description.

Foregoing something in return for the results you're sure you'll reap later on. Even if others might not see you as exerting quite as much effort as they are (I get this all the time since I "just sit at a computer all day and work from home"... ha ha). Even so, you're putting forth effort.

I can tell you I can't imagine how much I'd dread getting up each and everyday if what I was doing wasn't aligned with something I also have a strong passion for. Believe me, it's a feeling worth implementing into your own life.

In summary, I believe that following our inner passion allows us to sit in a more natural path with regards to achieving our personal dreams and desires. Why is that? I believe it is because instead of counting the hours till we get off and can work on other projects, we'll be more excited about the task at hand.

Which I believe in turn is a lot more likely to equate to more productive results. Wouldn't you agree? Not to mention, we're destined to have a whole lot more fun day to day (and I believe derive more lasting meaning in our lives)... To your success, Josh Hinds

(c) All rights reserved

About The Author

Written by Josh Hinds of http://www.getmotivation.com/
Sign up for my ezine at http://www.GetMotivation.com/ezines.html
Josh is also the co-founder of http://www.audiomotivation.com/ - which includes an abundance of self-improvement resources as well as exclusive audio interviews with leading experts in the areas of motivation and personal development.

Everyone Needs a BAG (Big Audacious Goal)

by: Rachelle Disbennett-Lee

A Big Audacious Goal (BAG) is a clear and compelling catalyst that serves as a focal point for effort. Unlike smaller goals, the BAG is something that is huge. It is challenging and in some ways seems impossible - but a BAG is also inspiring, compelling, and motivating.

Everyone needs a BAG. BAGs challenge us to be more than we are right now, and to tap into all of our resources. BAGs bring out the best in you by bringing all your talents to the forefront. Goals are wonderful to have, but having that one Big Audacious Goal will make the biggest difference in helping you become who you were meant to be.

Throughout life we will have different BAGs. I have had several BAGs in my life; my most recent one was to complete my doctorate degree. It took me seven years, but the goal of achieving it was so compelling that I couldn't give up. According to Robert G. Allen a BAG, "Scares you, because you know you can't do it by yourself. It forces you to push the envelope of your own beliefs and get massively creative."

If you are going to have goals, why not have at least one Big Audacious Goal. You should have at least one goal that pushes you beyond your self-imposed limits. One goal that is so big that it scares and excites you at the same time. Having a BAG will motivate you to go further than you ever thought you could and do more than you ever thought possible. If you are going to dream, why not dream big and create a BAG that will test all that you are and give you back more than you can imagine.

About The Author

Coach Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD, is a Certified Master Coach specializing in working with business owners and professionals in being more profitable and productive while staying sane and balanced. Coach Lee is the publisher of the award winning e-zine, 365 Days of Coaching. Her first book, 365 Days of Coaching – Because Life Happens Every Day (Universal Publisher, 2004) was named a finalist for Best Book 2004 by Publish.com and has a five star rating on Amazon.com. Visit Coach Lee at her websites http://www.coachlee.com/ and http://www.365daysofcoaching.com/.

True Direction, Inc. Copyright > > > This article along with byline attached may be freely republished < < <

rachelle@coachlee.com

Goal Setting - Get Exactly What You Want!

by: Josh Brown

I am writing you from the quaint sea town of New Bern, NC where my wife and I are catching some much needed R&R.

Lately many of our students have been telling us that their biggest goal is to leave their current 9 to 5 J-O-B and start investing in real estate full time. They no longer want to be tied down by corporate rules and structure.

While I was on this trip I realized that if my wife had not left her job last week, we could not be here right now. She simply would not have been able to take time off. So, how was she able to retire at 24? The answer is quite simple…

She took a few of the success principles Lou and I preach to our students daily and took action on them!

My wife was able to leave her job because she took decisive action!

When she realized she wanted to leave her current job, she sat down and analyzed the situation; made realistic goals for herself; and started taking action on those goals!

In other words, she developed a smart plan for success then took action each day to ensure success.

You must constantly move yourself forward even if it is only a small step each day!

Tiger Woods does it!

Donald Trump does it!

Developing a plan so you can clearly see your objectives and taking action daily towards those objectives is the key to any successful endeavor.

Very few people are successful by accident.

1. You must have a strategy for success!

2. You absolutely MUST take decisive action on a daily basis!

3. You must surround yourself by people who will support you

and/or help you on your road to success!

Using these 3 simple steps you can create huge progress toward your business and life goals!

My wife was able to retire from her job at 24 by applying these 3 simple yet powerful steps to her life!

Give them a try you won’t believe the results!

I hope this quick note will inspire you to make the necessary changes to create huge results!

Have a great weekend!

Josh Brown
President, Investor Wealth Academy, Inc.

About The Author

Josh Brown

FREE! Real Estate Investing Secrets To Earning $100,000 Your 1st Year! -- 11 Overlooked Real Estate Statregies That Will Turn Your Investing Business upside Down And On The Fast Track TO Success...Guranteed! Plus A Bonus Track With A Secret So Successful It Can Double Your Investing Income Overnight!

http://www.investorsuccesstactics.com/

Josh@InvestorWEalthAcademy.com

Got Goals? Did You Reach Them?

by: Lynne Dean

Most of us have goals.

Big ones, small ones. But not always do we follow through with them and that...hum…could be dangerous.

You see, within a lifetime our goals may change a little or dramatically, which is fine. The problem is when you have definite goals but can't follow through with them. It's crushing. It makes you feel miserable. As if you can't accomplish anything properly. You start something but it stays unfinished. That’s the deception we want to stay away from. It is a bad bad habit!

Here are a few tips to start fresh!

Write your goal down. I know it's simple but it works! On a calendar, on a notebook, perhaps put a reminder in your computer to pop up everyday. Write it anywhere where you will be able to see it and where it will make an impact to encourage action. Action is the step that will ultimately finish your goal. Tip one: write it down

Break it down. Smaller steps are easier and more achievable. It makes you feel better because you actually did part of your goal. Give yourself a pat on the shoulder! Tip two: smaller goals = achievable.

Just do it. The action that will make your story a happy story. Not being fastidious here, just realistic. That’s where most of us fail (gym membership that you never use, correspondent course that ended without you, boxes that are still unpack after 2 years of moving in ect.). This is where the bad old habit disappears; it’s when the action replaces the inertia. Tip three: Just do it.

“Nature gave man two ends –one to sit on and one to think with. Ever since, man’s success has been dependent on the one he uses most.” –George R. Fitzpatrick

If you think you really need more help you can try joining a program via the internet that will follow and support you through your journey. I have located great links for you that you can view at our web site.

About The Author

Lynne Dean
http://www.motivationalcentral.com/goal-settings.html

Do you need a little motivation? Inspiration? A motivational quote will not only boost your energy but can also help you stay focus on your goals. Motivational quotes also have the power to rewrite negative thoughts. Motivational quote, tips, articles, recommendations and more!

How To Choose The Right Goals To Focus On

by: Christos Varsamis

Sometimes setting goals alone is not the only problem that you must face. Sometimes, choosing the right goals to begin with is harder.

Basically, you can choose to work any goal that you feel is necessary for your health, stability and happiness.

Goal setting is nothing more than a formal process for personal planning. By setting goals on a routine basis you decide what you want to achieve, and then move in a step-by-step manner towards the achievement of these goals.

The process of setting goals and targets allows you to choose where you want to go in life. By knowing exactly what you want to achieve, you know what you have to concentrate on to do it. You also know what nothing more than a distraction is.

Goal setting is a standard technique used by professional athletes, successful business people and high achievers in all fields. It gives you long term vision and provides you with short term motivation.

It helps to focus your attention and knowledge which helps you to organize your resources. By setting sharp and clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. You can see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless effort.

By setting goals, you will also raise your self confidence, as you recognize your and ability to meet the goals that you have set. The process of achieving goals and seeing this achievement gives you confidence that you will be able to achieve higher and more difficult goals later on.

Goals are set on a number of different levels. In the first place, you decide what you want to do with your life and what large scale goals you want to achieve.

Second, you break these down into the smaller aims that you must hit so that you reach your overall lifetime goals.

Finally, once you have your plan, you start working towards achieving it.

About The Author

Christos Varsamis is the creator and publisher of the http://www.settinglifegoals.com/.

Achieve Your Desires By Scoring Goals

by: Tony Williams

Do you have a desire? Silly question I know because everybody has desires, just not the same ones. Of course there are many that most of us share like those old clichés of health, wealth, and happiness. But there are some that are exclusive to a certain group of people. For example; a musician may desire to play at the Albert Hall but have no interest in constructing his own website. But enough rambling, it’s time I got to the point.

Ask any successful person how they achieved their success and the answer will invariably be along the lines of first identifying the desire, and then achieving that desire by breaking it down into a sequence of smaller steps to be accomplished along the way. Only when these smaller steps have been identified and mapped out can the journey of achievement truly begin.

Sometimes the desire can seem monumental, perhaps even appearing unattainable. But just as conquering the highest peaks, or running a marathon begins with the first step and is followed by the second step, so too does the achievement of desire. If you can visualize the outcome, you can plan a strategy to achieve it. The strategy may have to be adapted along the way, but without it you achieve little.

The secret of achieving your desires then is to identify the steps you need to take - these are your goals and you should write them down. Sort them into long term goals and short term goals, like tasks you can achieve today, within the next week, this month, this year, and so on. Then work on what you can do now to accomplish one of these goals. When it is done you can tick it off the list and move on. Take time to congratulate yourself too because you just scored a goal!

About The Author

Tony Williams is a musician, writer, and self-confessed eBay fanatic. Follow his quest for ways of making and saving money online at http://myrichpickings.blogspot.com/.

Achieve Your Desires By Scoring Goals

by: Tony Williams

Do you have a desire? Silly question I know because everybody has desires, just not the same ones. Of course there are many that most of us share like those old clichés of health, wealth, and happiness. But there are some that are exclusive to a certain group of people. For example; a musician may desire to play at the Albert Hall but have no interest in constructing his own website. But enough rambling, it’s time I got to the point.

Ask any successful person how they achieved their success and the answer will invariably be along the lines of first identifying the desire, and then achieving that desire by breaking it down into a sequence of smaller steps to be accomplished along the way. Only when these smaller steps have been identified and mapped out can the journey of achievement truly begin.

Sometimes the desire can seem monumental, perhaps even appearing unattainable. But just as conquering the highest peaks, or running a marathon begins with the first step and is followed by the second step, so too does the achievement of desire. If you can visualize the outcome, you can plan a strategy to achieve it. The strategy may have to be adapted along the way, but without it you achieve little.

The secret of achieving your desires then is to identify the steps you need to take - these are your goals and you should write them down. Sort them into long term goals and short term goals, like tasks you can achieve today, within the next week, this month, this year, and so on. Then work on what you can do now to accomplish one of these goals. When it is done you can tick it off the list and move on. Take time to congratulate yourself too because you just scored a goal!

About The Author

Tony Williams is a musician, writer, and self-confessed eBay fanatic. Follow his quest for ways of making and saving money online at http://myrichpickings.blogspot.com/.

6 Simple Steps to Goal Setting

by: CreateMyself.com

Whether you are trying to revamp your life or complete a simple term paper, goal setting is a critical element in helping you succeed at whatever task you decide to accomplish!

How To Set Goals - 6 Simple Steps

1. Decide What You Want - This is the easy part !

2. Define What You Want - Go into detail, be clear and specific.

3. Write It Down - This is one of the most important steps to reaching your goal. The sheer fact that your goal is written down, puts you in the top 5% that succeed. Think of it this way " How can you hit a target you can't see ?"

4. Put A Date On It - Determine when you want the goal to be completed.

5. Set A Plan of Action - Review your goal, list what needs to be done to complete the task, and set a realistic plan for it's achievement. Break each action down into step-by-step, doable increments.

6. TAKE ACTION - Taking action now will be the determining factor for the outcome of your goal. Applaud yourself for every effort made towards it completion and decide you will succeed.

By making the simple decision to set a goal and following these steps, you can experience a renewed quality of life....today!

About The Author

Createmyself.com is a free personal development resource for self help makeovers of physical, spiritual and financial development for the everyday person. Visit http://www.createmyself.com/ to learn more.

What Is The Right Action That Leads To Your Ultimate Goals?

by: Chengxiang Song

What is the right thing I need to do to bring forth my desires?

What actions do I need to take Now?

Am I doing the right thing or the wrong thing?

These are the questions that most of us constantly ask ourselves in the mind. Most of the time, we are asking unconsciously.

We are constantly judging what we are doing, because we are afraid of making mistakes. Let me now show you how to choose the right action that will lead you to your ultimate goals.

First of all, let's discuss ...

**The root of all procrastination**

Very often, people tell me "I have studied all the theories of success and read all the self improvement books, but I still don't know what to do."

Then they end up doing nothing, and getting no results.

No matter how many books you read, how many tapes you listened to, and how many seminars you attend, if you don't take any action, you won't have any result. Action creates result. You can't change this fact.

Inaction leads to endless procrastination, and ultimately, leads to failure.

You must understand that no matter how bad the situation is, you can always take some action to improve it right now, even just a little improvement. If you can not imagine how to make 1 million dollars, just make a commitment to make 100 dollars first. You might have heard of this phrase "CANI", It represents constant-and-never-ending-improvement. Success is a journey, not a destination. This journey is about improvement. As long as you are making some kind of improvement, you are leading to success.

Now you know you need to take some kind of actions,

then...

**What is the right action?**

The answer is to ask your intuition. Your intuition will never fool you because it is the message from the higher intelligence. Your intuition always knows what is right and what is wrong.

Do you remember when I said that feelings and emotions are the language of the universe? They are also the messages from the higher intelligence of the universe. When you feel a positive emotion, the universe is telling you that you are doing well, keep on doing; When you are receiving a negative emotion, the universe is warning you that you are not aligned with your ultimate purpose, or life mission. You need to correct your action. This is the way the universe communicates with you.

Before taking any action, ask yourself " How will this make me feel once I have accomplished this action?"

Most of the time, your intuiting will give you immediate feedback, you either receive a positive or negative emotion.

Listen to your intuition, and do what makes you feel good, don't worry about making mistakes, because...

**Everything is in its divine order**

One of the most stubborn road block to success is fear of failure, or fear of making mistakes.

To completely remove this road block, you must accept a belief that everything is in divine order.

Look back at your life of the past 10 years. Did you make any mistakes? Sure you did, but without that mistake, would you have the life you are living now? If you can look deeply, you will find that mistake had inevitably created some coincidence that leads to your present life. There is always a connection between everything happening in your life. That mistake is part of your life journey that should not be missed, then why did you worry at that time?

After my university entrance examination, I did not get a chance to join an old brand university that I loved very much. Most people that know me felt pity for me, but I did not care, I joined a university of my second choice. Just one month after joining that university, I was offered a scholarship to study abroad in a much better university than my first choice university. Best of all, I did not spend a single dime on my tertiary education, even my everyday spending was covered by that scholarship. I would never have had this chance if I had joined my first choice university. Is this only a coincidence? I don't believe that, I believe every thing is in its divine order, in my life, nothing ever goes wrong.

If you want more of this kind of coincidence happen in your life, repeat this everyday when you feel doubt.

"Everything is in its divine order; in my life, nothing ever goes wrong"

To sum up, you need to make a small improvement everyday. Before taking any action, think of the feelings it will bring to you, and make the right choice based on your feelings. Then just do it, and believe you are doing the right thing because everything is in divine order.

To your success.

Copyright 2005 Song Chengxiang

About The Author

Copyright by Song Chengxiang. You can publish this article for free, provided you should include the resource box. Learn more super effective personal development and self help techniques, subscribe to song chengxiang's FREE newsletter The Ultimate Success Secrets.

http://www.theultimatesecrets.com/

support@theultimatesecrets.com

Vocalized Goals + Action = Realized Dreams

by: Miami Phillips

WEEKLY WISDOM NEWSLETTER

Vocalized goals + Action=Realized dreams December 10, 2003

Do you have a dream? Is there something you want to do, to achieve, or to complete?

How close are you? How many people have you told about it? Do you have a written plan on how to get there?

And the most important question – Are you taking action?

This much is absolutely true: If you never vocalize your dreams, and you never come up with even the most rudimentary plan on achieving them; and if you never take action I can guarantee that those dreams will never happen.

However I can tell you this as well. Many times in my life I have come up with a dream that appealed to me and then made it happen. The most important part is that no one made it happen but me.

Sure I had lots of help along the way. And yes, there were many apparent ‘lucky’ breaks just when they seemed to be needed the most. This will happen to you as well.

Let me tell you why. I believe with all my heart that we are part of the energy of the Universe. This energy that makes up the Universe answers to us in a way, and in fact wants desperately to help us in any way possible.When we express a desire, and then take action towards that desire, the Universe has no choice but to help us achieve it!

That assistance will come in ways we would never have thought of! But come it will!

One of the latest goals completed for me was completing a roof on our new barn. This might not sound like a lot, but I assure you it is. To complete this goal, we had to clear more than 2 acres of land, clean it up and plant it in grass. 4500 feet of siding lumber had to be cut from the logs and stacked to air dry. Over 60 stumps, and the roots and debris from the trees had to be piled and burned. The barn had to be designed, drawn and all the materials bought and delivered. (BTW, this is no little barn. It has 4 stalls with two 1100 square foot apartments over it!) **We started this process back in March of this year.

I am so grateful to have completed this part, and we are eager to get on to the next dream of a finished barn, full of horses and renters to pay for all this!

For every dream turned reality for us over the last 35 years, I can point to several things that are common.

1. Don’t be afraid to dream big.
2. Don’t listen to others who are afraid.
3. Do make your dream real to you by talking about it and writing it down.
4. Do take action - every day possible. Be willing to pay the price!
5. Do not worry about the finish line. Pay attention to what has to be done today.
6. Get that the Universe is working for you, even while you sleep.
7. Don’t be afraid to change your goals if you see the need.

Then you too can realize your dreams.

As always,

Your online Coach and Friend,

Miami Phillips
http://www.creativemasterminds.com/
Helping owners and entrepreneurs have more profit and less headaches
coach@creativemasterminds.com

About The Author

Miami Phillips is an ANSIR Certified Personal Coach and the founder of Creative MasterMinds who believes personal growth is an essential ingredient to being happy and contributing to this world. While his main focus is affordable personal and business coaching, he also offers motivational teleclasses, ebooks, reading recommendations and much more. To find out more visit his site at http://www.creativemasterminds.com/ or send him an email at coach@creativemasterminds.com

Top Ten Ways to Achieve Your Goals

by: Norma Reid

1) Write them down! Statistics show people who write down their goals have over an 80% higher success rate of achieving them. Start a Goals journal. Make sure they are SMART goals- specific, measurable, achievable, results-oriented and time-limited.

2) Create a plan made of small doable steps to get you where you want to be, with timelines. Review your plan monthly.

3) Write down your compelling reason for wanting the goal. Write it with passion, with feeling, with energy.

4) Create 3 to 5 believable positive power statements that will keep you on track. Make them juicy enough to excite you and keep you motivated. Use the present tense.

5) Visualize what it is like having achieved your goal. Visualize you are living it- taste it, feel it, smell it, see it, revel in it.

6) Start a daily routine. Each morning review your goals, your compelling reasons and say aloud your powerful positive statements. Visualize your goal already obtained. Write out one step you can take today to achieve your goal. Then do it! No excuses- make your goal a priority! Repeat your power statements throughout the day.

7) Replace negative self-talk/beliefs with life-enhancing ones. Know that you are the creator of your thoughts and beliefs, and choose ones that are life-enhancing rather than limiting.

8) Journal daily- your thoughts, emotions, barriers, possible solutions/alternatives, daily successes, your gratitudes.

9) Enlist support to keep you accountable! Find a buddy, join a group, hire a coach. Make sure your buddy is in tune with your goal, and will support you in a positive way.

10) Celebrate your successes! Set up small milestones in your journey, and when you reach them, celebrate! And at the end, celebrate some more!

About The Author

Norma Reid is a Certified Executive Coach and the owner of From Dreams to Reality Success Coaching. She is passionate about empowering others to make their rofessional and personal dreams a reality. For more info: http://www.fromdreamstoreality.ca/ or email her at norma@fromdreamstoreality.ca