Goal Setting: 5 Simple Steps

One of the things that frustrated me while in school was that most of the psychology books specialized in complicating things. It's the same with many self-help books as well. I always wondered why relationships, change and meeting goals couldn't be made much more simple.

To that end, here are five simple steps to making goals attainable:

Write it down

We all carry around in our heads great ideas, intentions and goals. The problem is that is where they often remain - floating around in our heads, taking up space and never being acted upon, much less realized. If you really do want something to happen, write it down. In fact, the simple yet powerful act of writing down your goals automatically increases the chances of meeting them. This is because even the weakest ink is so much more powerful than the strongest memory.

Another advantage to writing down your goals is that you now have them in front of you. Reading your goals on a regular basis can motivate you and keep you on course each day. We all have full days with lots of distractions. Having your goals right in front of you allows you to focus on the activities that push you toward your goals and tune out the distractions.

Break it down

This is the first place people often get stuck. You've set some attractive goals. Then you look at how much has to be done and how distant the goal seems to be, and you stop there. Break down your goals before you break down.

Many of the things we do on a regular basis are broken down into smaller chunks. A week has seven days, a day has 24 hours, an hour has 60 minutes and so on. Even a pizza is cut into slices and then eaten a bite at a time. Take your goals and break them down into small, manageable pieces that can be handled one at a time, a day at a time, a week at a time, and so on.

Take small steps

Here's the second spot where we tend to get stuck. Now that you have broken down your goals into manageable pieces, begin to take one small step at a time. As you begin to take and complete small steps, both your confidence and motivation will grow. Most people don't begin. You begin.

Take the next step

This is the third spot where people tend to get off course. You get off to a good start and then fail to follow through. Ask yourself "now that I have accomplished this step, what's the next step I need to take?" Then either take that step right away, or at least get started on it.

This builds your momentum and can carry you through to the completion of your goals.

Take one more step

This is sometimes called "going the extra mile," and it's the major difference between winners and champions. Winners take all of the steps listed above. Champions take an extra step, run one more block, lift one more weight, read one more page. When you don't believe you can take one more step and then do, that's when you become a champion.

So, here is what I'd like to invite you to do:

Choose a goal you would like to accomplish, write it down, break it down, begin to take small steps, take the next steps and then take the extra steps.

Then enjoy what you have accomplished.

For more tips and tools for achieving your goals visit Tools for Successful Living

---

Google News Updated : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:48:44 GMT Postseason ace Beckett shelled as Angels win 5-4 - The Associated Press Washington Post Postseason ace Beckett shelled as Angels win 5-4 The Associated Press - 1 hour ago BOSTON (AP) - Josh Beckett waited four extra days for a chance to show his postseason brilliance. That shine wore off with his very first pitch. Video: Angels, White Sox Each Force a Game 4 AssociatedPress BoSox attempt to finish off Angels and advance to ALCS Sports Network Washington Post - Bleacher Report - FOXSports.com - MLB.com all 3,413 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:41:31 GMT European Researchers Win Nobels for Medicine - Washington Post Washington Post European Researchers Win Nobels for Medicine Washington Post - 1 hour ago By Rob Stein Two French researchers were awarded a Nobel Prize today for discovering the AIDS virus, bypassing an American researcher who played a key role in the discovery. Nobel is postscript to bitter 1980s HIV dispute The Associated Press Three Europeans Win the 2008 Nobel for Medicine New York Times Los Angeles Times - MSNBC - Chemical & Engineering News - Daily Mail all 843 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:12:15 GMT Brooke Burke: Misty May Is ‘Out of’ DWTS - People Magazine United Press International Brooke Burke: Misty May Is ‘Out of’ DWTS People Magazine - 1 hour ago It looks like Dancing with the Stars will be down one competitor when it airs Monday night. Misty May-Treanor, 31, has injured herself and is out of the competition, her castmate Brooke Burke confirms. DWTS: Will Kim Replace Injured Misty? E! Online 'Dancing with the Stars' contestant injured The Associated Press United Press International - News10.net - Baltimore Sun - Reality TV Magazine all 179 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:35:17 GMT What’s Next For OJ Simpson? - WJBF-TV BBC News What’s Next For OJ Simpson? WJBF-TV - 37 minutes ago OJ Simpson is back behind bars, convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery, and 10 other charges. Jury questionnaires, released Saturday, reveal 5 jurors disagreed with Simpson’s 1995 acquittal for murder. Video: OJ Jury: We Didn't Need Witnesses to Convict AssociatedPress Ostler: With a prison term, maybe Simpson can find real killers San Francisco Chronicle The Associated Press - Los Angeles Times - United Press International - New York Times all 3,272 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:11:20 GMT IBM's cloud initiative repackages its familiar offerings - InfoWorld eFluxMedia IBM's cloud initiative repackages its familiar offerings InfoWorld - 1 hour ago By Ephraim Schwartz Mixing together a mélange of services, software and marketing, IBM's announcement this week of its Cloud Services Initiative is about putting an organizing construct around all of its cloud offerings, according to one IBM executive. IBM Puts More Tools in the InternetNews.com IBM unveils cloud computing offerings TG Daily CNNMoney.com - eWeek - CRN - VNUNet.com all 52 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:22:31 GMT Hamsters, turtles and other exotic pets can pose danger to kids - New York Daily News AFP Hamsters, turtles and other exotic pets can pose danger to kids New York Daily News - 1 hour ago Think that furry little hamster spinning on its wheel in your child’s bedroom is just a cute benign pet? Non-traditional household pets, including hamsters, mice, turtles and monkeys actually pose a health risk to young children, according to a new ... 8 Pets That Pose Major Health Threats to Kids U.S. News & World Report Exotic Pets Pose Health Risk To Children NBC 10.com AFP - eFluxMedia - The Associated Press - Mom Logic all 380 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:20:52 GMT Campaign Attacks Intensify in the Wake of New Ads - Washington Post BBC News Campaign Attacks Intensify in the Wake of New Ads Washington Post - 1 hour ago By William Branigin and Michael Abramowitz The campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain went after Barack Obama again today over his past association with a 1960s radical leader, and the Democratic contender struck back by highlighting ... Video: Palin Defends Terrorist Comment Against Obama AssociatedPress POLITICS-US: Asian Americans Tilt Heavily Toward Obama Inter Press Service The Weekly Standard - Christian Science Monitor - San Francisco Chronicle - The Associated Press all 4,086 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:46:43 GMT RSS to HTML Increase Web Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

How To Lose Weight, Make Money and Get Women

When deciding to write this article, I decided that I... Read More

Self Improvement and the Importance of Flexibility

People who want to achieve success in their lives and... Read More

Get Your Priorites Right!

I have been with this marketing business for a few... Read More

Goals - If You Don?t Know What You Want, Then How Are You Going to Get It?

Recently, I spoke with a client who wanted me to... Read More

Ready, Set, Change!

I was at work one day, calling on a customer... Read More

When Expectations Are Not Clear!

IntroductionThere were two incidents, which inspired me to write this... Read More

If You Dont Know Where Youre Going, Any Road Will Get You There

What do you want to achieve?Before you actually set up,... Read More

Resolutions? Try this!

Several articles and newsletters with the message that New Year's... Read More

Habits What I Want For You

Think for a moment about your Self. Is there something... Read More

Losing Site of Your Goals: Determining Your Vision From Your Actions!

In the fury of trying to accomplish our goals, we... Read More

Achieving Your Goal By Relieving Yourself In Public

Most marathons provide more than their fair share of heroes... Read More

Stop Scoring Own Goals

Own goals are actions, things we do, that stop us... Read More

Goal Setting and Goal Getting: Go Use This Stuff!

Q. I have always had such trouble with doing this... Read More

Check Your Frequency

From time to time we need to stop during our... Read More

Define Success

Have you ever asked yourself why you want to succeed... Read More

The Great American Dream Challenge

Pull Quote: "the secret to living a "dream come true"... Read More

The Power of Why: Setting Intention-Oriented Goals

Everyone ? particularly business coaches like me - talks about... Read More

Establishing Dreams and Goals

(Excerpted from Week Six of the Jim Rohn One-Year Success... Read More

Writing a Mission and Vision Statement

Last year, I attended a seminar where the attendees were... Read More

The Great American Dream Challenge: Faith Restored

Years ago, people came to America in pursuit of their... Read More

Climb and Summit Mt. Goals

Are you trying to reach a goal that feels like... Read More

The Best Way to Quit Smoking: Fasting to Quit

Most quit smoking books, maybe all of them won't tell... Read More

How to Maximize Goals, Affirmations and Visualizations

Do you want to get better results from daily exercises... Read More

Create Your Path to Success - Achieve Key Goals

Creating your path to success depends on walking on a... Read More

Setting Goals and Achieving Them

Whatever you want in life, you have far more chance... Read More