You Can be Great If You Really Want To

With a new year is approaching, we naturally look backward at what we have accomplished and forward to what we hope to accomplish. This is the perfect time to set goals.

If you want to set goals that truly work and empower you to get results, here is a system that really works. Use it and you will achieve great things that will surprise and amaze you.

If goal setting has not worked for you in the past, meaning you fell short, it’s probably because you set your goals in general terms. General goals move you in a general direction. It rarely produces big specific achievements. You need to make your goals specific. This will help you achieve what you want more quickly. Clarity is power. And things become much clearer when you write them down. A Harvard study has shown that graduates who have written specific goals are significantly more successful than graduates who do not.

I’ve been setting goals since I was 17 years old. At first, they were general goals and I didn’t write them down. But I did have a vital ingredient for success. I wanted to achieve them passionately.

You see, I did not have a warm supportive family when I was growing up, although my mother did instill in me a high value for education. She divorced when I was two years old and married my stepfather. He was an alcoholic and beat her. He was a strong man with forearms as big as hams. When I was a teenager and tried to protect my mother, he ground my face in the dirt. So you see I had high motivation to leave home as soon as I could. We also were very poor because of the Great Depression. So I had high motivation to make money.

Later I started writing down my goals and making them specific. It enabled me to get a job with Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. Before then all I did was common labor. I loaded a truck by hand with 4 tons of cement blocks. Then I drove to a job site and unloaded it. I did this four times a day, which means I handled 16 tons, just like the coal miner song. I had absolutely no white collar experience. I wanted the life insurance job so bad I could taste it. My passion must have impressed the head of the agency and he hired me.

I was the youngest salesman they had ever hired up to that time. Barely 21 years old, I outsold every one of my 16 colleagues in my agency. I made so much money I forgot to deposit my checks until I was reminded to do so by a call from a harried Metropolitan clerk who was trying to balance her books.

I wanted still more and I got a Masters degree from the University of Michigan, graduating with honors and Phi Beta Kappa, the honor society which fosters and recognizes academic excellence.

No one in my family — mother, father, uncles and aunts — ever graduated from high school.

The goal setting process I now use is simple, easy and fun; yet produces profound results. I’ve been teaching it for over nine years and I see my clients get great results.

I think most people set their goals in general terms, like I used to do, because they’re afraid to make their goals detailed and to set deadlines. They fear not reaching their goals and feeling badly. They avoid painful feelings like disappointment, frustration, feeling insignificant and being full of self-doubt.

When I am making goals, I trigger myself into the mood of a child wishing on a star, innocently full of faith and belief. I think about all the things that I really, really want. I put aside my critical self and don’t worry a bit about how I’m going to do it. Because if I did, it would feel impossible and I would shut down.

I think about what I really, really want. I see it, feel it, hear it. I might even smell and taste it. Just like I wanted that job with the insurance company so I could get out of the house, be my own person, find a good woman to love. I’ve learned that when your desires are strong enough, your unconscious mind will find ways to make it happen. Even the universe will help you out in unexpected ways.

To make your desires strong, you need to have strong reasons why you want to achieve these things. First think of your reasons, don’t worry how you accomplish these things. These answers will come to you. You just have to have big strong reasons why achieving your goals is a must.

Best wishes for a rich and rewarding business and life,
~Stan

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If you want to attain success in life then ability to set goals is a must. The goals should be effective. This is to say that they must be realistic. Once you have set your goals you are motivated to attain them. When you realize your goals your self-esteem and self-confidence boosts up. It charges you for the next assault. Goal setting is an activity that requires skill. Only then you can set right kind of and reachable goals. Many factors have to be considered while setting goals so that you keep focused and eventually avoid frustration.

While setting goals you can categorize them into two parts – Short term and long-term goals. There are some things that are very important to you and must be attained in a short time. They form part of your short-term goals. So decide what are the goals that are very important to you and put them in the category of short-term goals. Prioritize your goals in accordance with their importance. You can thus break down your major life goals into smaller parts making it easier to attain them. You have to evaluate your progress each day.

Remember, journey of a thousand mile begins with a single step. Listing your major lifetime goals is a wise move. You have to set a time frame for attainment of these goals. This will keep you motivated and will rub off any lethargy that may set in.

Monitor your progress each day. Revise your list every day as you may be ahead or may be delayed in achieving your goals due to unexpected events. Setting up a time frame prevents you from wasting your time and helps you stay focused.

Skillful goal setting helps to minimize stress. You set only those goals that you really want to achieve. These goals are important for your success and happiness. Keep in mind that your goals are realistic. They must be based on careful evaluation of your strength and weaknesses. Unrealistic goals are often the cause for frustration and stress and they ever remain wishful dreams. You feel good when you have realized your important goal and are working towards its attainment. So always set attainable goals.

Setting goals is a first step towards being successful in life. Once you attain a short-term goal, there is a sense of accomplishment. You get a shot in the arm. You taste success even though it is small. It motivates you to aim higher. Whatever skills you have picked are naturally utilized in attainment of the next goal. It supports the maxim that success is a journey and not a destination. Ultimate success is a series of small successes. Success in attaining smaller goals is a step towards attaining bigger goals. So get ready to climb the ladder of success!

What to do if you encounter failure in attaining your first goal? Don’t quit. Just review. Look where you have made the mistake, learn from it and move ahead. As long as you learn from your mistakes there is nothing to worry. Failure is the pillar of success. Use this learning to avoid mistakes when you are working towards your next set of goals. Incorporate the unachieved goal into your new set of goals and start working. It should be a challenge for you now. Thus you should have an attitude of a sportsman. Time to time review your entire goal setting skills so that you set appropriate goals and avoid disappointment. Always keep sight of the bigger lifetime goal to be achieved.

If you are overwhelmed with frustration go back to your plans. See to it that your goals are realistic. Reset your goals and start working. Never quit. Keep your focus on your most important goal.