“I always wanted to be somebody. I should have been more specific.” ~ Lily Tomlin

Toyota was ranked #5 on Fortune’s 2007 Top 20 Most Admired Companies. I’m mentioning this here because Toyota creates goals for 500 years in the future. They actually have a charter book where they detail and update these goals. It’s obvious that none of the executives at Toyota will live much beyond 100 years; however, as a company they still understand the importance of making goals that span far into the future. In doing this they create a standard in which the direction of the company and its future achievements are so clear that they leave no room for doubt of their continued success!

A perfect example of this kind of thinking is Hulda Crooks. When Hulda Crooks was 72 years old she set a goal to climb Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest peak! It took her an additional 19 years of training before authorities thought her fit enough to even try. Finally in 1987, at the age of 91, Hulda conquered that mountain and entered the Guinness Book of World records as the oldest woman to climb Mount Fuji! She had a goal at the age of 72 and she wouldn’t be deterred. She believed in herself and accomplished what others would have considered unlikely, at best. That year Hulda was quoted in The New York Times, ”You always feel good when you’ve made a goal,” she said. ”You need goals.”

Goal-setting is magical! When you focus on something that you wish to achieve and concentrate all your energy in that direction, great things CAN happen!

What are Your Goals?

“The only true security in life comes from knowing that every single day you are improving yourself in some way.”  – Anonymous

Maybe you’ve lived stagnantly for years. If so, you may be hard-pressed to identify many of your goals. Don’t worry about it. If you can only put down things like paying your bills on time or going to the gym three times a week, start with that. Once you come close to meeting these simple [MSOffice1] goals several more will spring forth to take their place! The whole process and action involved in setting and pursing even the smallest goals creates a shift in your thinking and opens up your world for more positive change.

Write ‘Em Down!

The very first step in the goal-setting process is to physically document your goals. An unwritten goal is like a daydream – hazy, far off, and forgettable. Once you commit it to paper it becomes concrete and attainable – a potential reality.

Goals typically fall into six categories:

-       Family

-       Career

-       Finances

-       Emotional

-       Physical

-       Spiritual

Your goals should be as specific as possible. It’s important to have short-term goals as well as long-term – even lifelong goals!

When you first sit down to write, allow yourself to brainstorm. Write anything you can think of no matter how grand or how small. Write single words or whole sentences. Examine each item on your list – can you be more specific? Is there a larger or smaller version of that goal you’d like to include? Put down things you can accomplish in a few days as well as things that might take years to achieve. They can be objects you’d like to own, experiences you’d like to have, or accomplishments you’d like to achieve. Isolate yourself for 20 minutes and write these goals down as though each and every one of them was possible and within your reach. There is no place for doubt. Simply enjoy the process!

Make sure all your goals are measurable. Making money is not a goal, making $50,000 is. Traveling is not a goal, going to Paris is.

For example, your goals could include:

• Go skydiving
• Write a book
• Buy & learn to drive a motorcycle
• Overcome procrastination
• Own your own real estate business
• Make $120,000 your first year in Real Estate
• Join a charity that services homeless people
• Visit Paris
• Have a closer relationship with a sibling
• Run a marathon
• Learn how to speak Spanish
• Ski in Aspen
• Meet the person of your dreams
• Own a jet

Anything that you desire in your life is an adequate goal.

In 2001 I attended a 5-day seminar in Texas held by the entrepreneur and motivational speaker Jim Rohn. The presenters talked about many different aspects of personal development and sales success. One of the speakers mentioned something AMAZING that I have to share with you! He suggested writing down ten goals that you want to accomplish in the coming year, and then sealing them in an envelope and putting it away. When you open that envelope one year later you will find that you’ve accomplished 60-70% of those goals! All you did was write them down! Try it yourself, you’ll be amazed! Just by putting your yearly goals to paper, even if you don’t put a strategic focus toward those goals, you are still – on some level – mentally embracing them. Write them down. Seal them. Put them away. One year later you will have achieved 6 or 7 of those ten goals! It’s miraculous!