“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” — T. S. Eliot
Brian Tracy has an twelve-step goal-setting methodology that he’s taught to more than a million people. If you follow his approach …
You will amaze yourself.
With his goal-setting methodology, he’s seen people transform. They are astounded by what they start to accomplish. They become a more powerful, positive, and effective person. They feel like a winner every hour of the day. They have a tremendous sense of personal control and direction. They have more energy and enthusiasm.
And, as a result, they accomplish more in a few weeks or months than the average person might accomplish in several years.
In his best-selling book, Goals!: How to Get Everything You Want — Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible, Brian Tracy shows us a repeatable approach and proven practice for setting and achieving any goal.
12 Steps to Set and Achieve Any Goal
Here are the 12 steps to set and achieve any goal according to Tracy:
- Have a Desire: What Do You Really Want?
- Believe That Your Goal is Achievable
- Write Your Goal Down
- Determine Your Starting Point
- Determine Why You Want It
- Set a Deadline
- Identify the Obstacles in Your Way
- Determine the Additional Knowledge and Skills You Need
- Determine the People Whose Help You Will Need
- Make a Plan: Put It All Together
- Visualize Your Goal Continually
- Never Give Up
Never giving up means backing everything you do with persistence and determination. It means resolving in advance that you will never give up, and making the decision, long before you face any obstacles or difficulties , that you will stick with it until you reach your goal.
According to Tracy, this form of mental preparation can do more to help you than almost any other factor.
Bringing It All Together
Tracy boils down how to put goal setting and goal planning all together:
- Make a list of at least 10 goals for the next 12 months. Take out a clean sheet of paper and at the top of the page write the word “Goals” with today’s date. Make a list of at least 10 goals that you want to accomplish within the next 10 months. Write the goals in the present tense, such as, “I weigh X number of pounds,” or “I earn X number of dollars this year.”
- Identify your Major Definite Purpose. Read through your list of goals and select the one that answers this question: “What one goal on this list, if I accomplished it, would have the greatest possible impact on my life?” This becomes the goal that you will use for the 12-part goal-setting process above.
- Apply the 12-step goal-setting process. Now that you have selected a goal that you really want and believe you can achieve it, write your goal on a separate sheet of paper, and set a deadlines. Write out a list of reasons you want to achieve this goal. Identify the obstacles that stand between you and the attainment of this goal. Identify the knowledge and the skills you will need to achieve the goal. Identify the people whose cooperation and support you’ll need. Make a plan to accomplish this goal. Take action on your plan and do something every day that moves you toward your goal. Visualize your goal continually as if you had already achieved it, and resolve that you will never give up until you are successful.
In my experience, one of the best ways to actually do the process is to pair up with somebody or to setup a small group of people and go through the exercise together. You’ll learn from each other, inspire each other, and you’ll enjoy the process more.
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Image by Steve Jurvetson.
Goal Setting vs. Goal Planning