We are starting a new year. The moment when many people set goals for the new year. Whether on a personal or professional level, the list of good intentions and wishes is usually extensive. However, most of the objectives will not be met. The gap between the desired objectives and the objectives achieved is very large.
One of my favorite authors on leadership and personal development is Brian Tracy. Last week he just turned 80 years old. He has written more than 70 books, among which I recommend “Eat that frog”, “Change your thinking, change your life”, “No excuses!” and “The psychology of selling”. Tracy is an expert in personal productivity and in many of his speeches and books he highlights the importance of setting goals and achieving them.
Tracy relies on THE 7-STEP METHOD TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS:
- DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT AND BE SPECIFIC. Be specific, and the more specific you are about your objective, the better. And quantify, be specific about what you want to achieve and in what quantity. If you want to lose weight, indicate the exact number of kilos. If you want to earn more money, specify exactly how much money.
- WRITE DOWN YOUR SPECIFIC GOAL. One of Tracy’s main recommendations is to put your goals in writing. This way he claims you are much more likely to reach them as it minimizes your distractions and allows you to focus your energy on the right areas.
- SET A DATE WHEN YOU THINK YOU CAN ACHIEVE IT. It is important to specify the time horizon of your objectives. You must be realistic and specify a date to achieve the objectives. As Napoleon Hill said, “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” Additionally, Tracy recommends, if the goal is large, dividing it into stages or intermediate goals.
- WRITE A LIST OF EVERYTHING YOU COULD DO TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL. In this step you must list the obstacles that you will face. You will also need to specify the additional knowledge and skills you will need to achieve the objective. Think about what actions you will need to take to get closer to your goals.
- PRIORITIZE THE MOST BENEFICIAL TASKS AND ADD THEM TO YOUR CALENDAR. Your most important tasks should be completed first. Put them in your agenda. Give them priority.
- GET STARTED ON YOUR TASKS RIGHT AWAY. Don’t procrastinate. Do not be late. Start right now. As Lao Tse said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”
- DO SOMETHING EVERY DAY THAT HELPS YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL. Tracy is committed to reviewing your goals daily and working on them every day. It usually helps to see the goals written down each day. And decide what you are going to do today to achieve your goals and check at the end if you have done what you really thought brought you closer to your goals.
Well, now you know Brian Tracy’s 7 steps to help you meet your goals. Now that you start this new year, I advise you to keep them in mind. And I end with a quote from Brian Tracy that perfectly summarizes this post: “Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor.”
