Anyone that knows me knows that I am always reading something, whether it be related to strength and conditioning or related to personal development. I recently took the time to read Goals by Brian Tracy and wanted to share with you his 12 Steps to Set and Achieve Any Goal.
#1 – Have a Desire: What Do You Really Want?
- Step number one is all about having a desire, an intense, burning desire for your particular goal. The desire needs to be personal in nature meaning it is something that you want to accomplish and not something that others may want you to accomplish. For many people the question is, What do I really want to do in my life and with my life?
#2 – Believe That Your Goal is Achievable
- Step number two is all about you believing, deep in your heart, that you not only can accomplish and attain the goal but you deserve the goal. Having faith in yourself is essential and something that all high achieving individuals have. These people intensely believe in their ability to accomplish anything that they set their minds to and goals that they have set for themselves.
#3 – Write Your Goal Down
- This is probably something that most everyone has heard when it comes to goals yet most of us still don’t do it. People that accomplish great things have clear, specific, detailed goals and plans that they write down and review regularly. Write your goals down and put them somewhere that is easily visible to you on a daily basis.
#4 – Determine Your Starting Point
- Step four asks you to determine and analyze your starting point. You need to ask yourself, Where am I now? and more importantly you need to answer that question honestly. This allows you to set goals at are both believable and achievable.
#5 – Determine Why You Want It
- Step number five is all about you deciding why it is that you want this particular goal. According to Tracy, “The more reasons you have for wanting to achieve your goal, the more intense will be your desire. Reasons are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.”
#6 – Set a Deadline
- Step number six asks you to set a deadline for achieving your goal. You can look at setting a deadline like it’s a target and we all know that you can’t hit a target that you can’t see. If you have a huge, major goal that you want to accomplish you may find it easier to set a handful of smaller deadlines that will eventually lead to your ultimate goal. Either way, a deadline is a must if you want to achieve any goal.
#7 – Identify the Obstacles in Your Way
- No matter what you goal may be, there are always going to be some obstacles in your way. Step number seven asks you to determine the obstacles that are standing between you and your goal. Most of the time it is you that is holding yourself back from reaching a goal. As Tracy says, “Average and mediocre people blame their failures to make progress on the people and circumstances around them. But superior people always look into themselves and ask What is it that is holding me back?“
#8 – Determine the Additional Knowledge and Skills You Need
- Step eight asks you to determine the additional knowledge, skills, and information that you will need in order to accomplish your goal. Does that mean you need to go back to school an earn a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree? Does that mean you need to attend some seminars and learn from what the top-level performers are doing? “To go beyond your current level of accomplishment you need to acquire knowledge and skills you have never had before,” says Tracy.
#9 – Determine the People Whose Help You Will Need
- No matter what your goal is you are going to need the help of other people to achieve that goal. Maybe it is a personal trainer to help you finally get into better shape. Maybe it is a mentor in your chosen field that will teach you the things you need to know to excel in your field. Either way, in most cases, relationships are everything. Find out who can help you reach your goal and then do everything you can to make these people a part of your life.
#10 – Make a Plan: Put It All Together
- At this point it is time to actually make a plan to accomplish your goal. “A plan is an organized list of tasks that you will have to complete to get from where you are to where you want to go,” says Tracy. You’ve figured out where you are starting from, why you want your goal, set deadlines, identified obstacles that will have to be overcome, determined the additional skills and knowledge that you need to acquire, and determined the people who you are going to need in your life to help you out – now put it all together and make a plan.
#11 – Visualize Your Goal Continually
- Step number eleven wants you to visualize your goal each and every day as it has already been attained. Act as if you have already achieved your goal and feel what its like to have accomplished the goal. All the pride, joy and satisfaction you would have for accomplishing the goal will be rushing through your body, giving you more and more intense desire to keep pushing forward until you actually do accomplish your goal.
#12 – Never Give Up
- The final step is to back everything you do with intense persistence and determination. Promise yourself before you even start that you are not going to give up on the goal no matter what happens because it is that important to you. When difficult times and the obstacles that you knew where coming do show their ugly face, make the decision now that you will continue to persevere and reach your goal.
For anyone looking to pick up Goals, which I highly recommend, you can get it on Amazon for a very cheap and reasonable price.