In 1982, the year I turned 28, I realized my life was headed all wrong.

I had gone into nursing wide-eyed, thinking I could make a difference—even improve the state of healthcare. Then I bumped up against the reality that no matter how hard I worked, my efforts would never make a dent. My financial advancement was also moving far too slowly, and I was forgetting what it was like to have fun on the job.

It wasn’t easy admitting I’d chosen the wrong career. I had worked hard to become an RN, earn my bachelor’s degree, then my master’s, and had worked six years in the hospital. Now my passion was dying and my potential was wasting away.

That was 60 million dollars ago. And that’s when I first made my 5 Promises. I have renewed them daily for more than two decades. These 5 Promises transformed not only my career but my entire life. I promise they’ll work for you, too.

PROMISE #1— I Will Live and Work a Passionate Life.

One of my passions was ignited in me when I was eight years old. For hours each day I taught an imaginary class. I was so absorbed with my class that my dad would come in and break it up to encourage me to play outside with my real friends. To this day I have no idea what I was teaching, but I was darned passionate about it.

At eight years old teaching was play. At 28, I turned that passion for teaching into a business, and I’ve been playing ever since. When I left hospital nursing to start my legal nurse consulting business, I promised myself I would work only my passions. Later, when I started teaching other nurses how to become legal nurse consultants, as The New York Times reported, I “crossed nursing with the law and created a new profession.” That’s the kind of Big Thing that can happen when you commit to Promise 1, to living and working a passionate life.

PROMISE #2—I Will Go for It or Reject It Outright.

If you want something better for your life and career, you owe it to yourself to go for it or reject it outright. Don’t wait for the conditions to be perfect. That will never happen. People who wait or dabble usually end up at their retirement party rewarded with a glass of watery punch and a piece of white cake. Own up to your passions, then step out and grab hold of them with both hands.

Despite a fear of cliff-hanging heights, I stepped out of an airplane at 14,000 feet to sky dive. I was terrified. Once out of the plane’s cabin I couldn’t step back in. I was truly committed, even if not by choice, and the exhilaration I felt later at overcoming that lifelong fear proved to be a catalyst for future accomplishments.

Most of us stay in the safe cabin of everyday life. We never step out into the audacious dreams that smolder and spark inside us. What would your life look like if you didn’t have the choice of that safe cabin? If your only option was to grab that dream and jump into it? To go all the way once you made the jump?

Fear will freeze you in place. Don’t tell yourself, “One day, some day, I might get around to living my dreams.” With that attitude one day, some day, you’re sipping that punch thinking about all the things you didn’t do.

If you want something, go for it all the way and go for it now.

PROMISE #3 – I Will Take One Action Step a Day Toward My Passionate Vision.

Dreams and visions are great, but without action they are nothing more than hallucinations. Without action your visions scud away and dissolve like clouds. I’ve met many people much smarter than I am who had dreams and ideas but didn’t do anything with them. They didn’t take action.

When a national news anchor from CNN asked me how I got to where I am today, in light of my humble beginnings, the answer was easy—one step at a time. I lacked business savvy, but with each small step I gained both knowledge and momentum. What I learned in the process and what still applies now is that it is less important what I do and more important that I do something.

By taking action every day you develop the habit and discipline to make your vision a reality. When you focus not just on the idea but on making it happen, you stay in motion, not just dreaming your passions but living them.

PROMISE #4— I Commit to Being a Success Student for Life.

All great athletes and performers practice every day. Even after they achieve a level of success, they continue to practice and take instruction from their coaches, learning new ways to reach higher levels. They are lifetime students.

Becoming a success student for life is about practicing being successful. What’s hard today is easy tomorrow—with practice.

It is a myth to think you can launch a successful career or succeed in other life goals without learning, even if your driving desire is as intuitive as being a full-time mom.

Even as a successful CEO, I still learn every day—from my students, staff members, favorite writers, speakers and other business experts.

PROMISE #5—I Believe As a Woman I Really Can Do Anything.

I was lucky to go to an all girls’ high school. Co-ed schools have advantages, too, but when I grew up men were expected to be the business geniuses, women to be helpful homemakers. I gained confidence in those formative years from not having teachers telling me the boys were smarter or calling on them instead of me. As a young woman I honestly believed I could do anything. Believing you can do it is 90% of the win.

Any time I have hesitated to go for it, it was because I had stopped believing in myself the way I did in those glorious adolescent years. Today, when an opportunity arises and I find myself hesitating, I remember, “I’m a woman. I can do anything.” I think back to my past success as an RN in the hospital, making split-second decisions that were the difference between life and death for my patients. Then I remind myself: If I could save lives in the middle of the night while the rest of the world was sleeping and a doctor was nowhere in sight, surely I could make effective decisions in my career and life.

Find your own example, a personal or career accomplishment that gives you pride and encouragement, then use it to bolster your resolve. Any time you’re not grabbing the opportunity, tell yourself, “I am a woman and I can do anything!”

Sometimes we make a promise, set about achieving a goal, and we do achieve it, but then it’s over. Success is a journey. Apply these 5 Promises daily—you’ll take your career and life to new heights. Promise BIG and promise NOW.

Inc. Top 10 Entrepreneur Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD is the founder and president of Vickie Milazzo Institute. She is credited by The New York Times with creating the legal nurse consulting profession in 1982. She is the recipient of the Nursing Excellence Award for Advancing the Profession and the Stevie Award (business’s Oscar) as Mentor of the Year. Vickie has revolutionized the careers of thousands of RNs. She is the author of Inside Every Woman: Using the 10 Strengths You Didn’t Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now, coming March 2006 from John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Preorder this anticipated bestseller now at http://www.Amazon.com
Reprinting and republishing of this article is granted only with the above credit included. Permission to reprint or republish does not waive any copyright or other rights.

Setting goals

Setting personal and business goals are a must if you want to experience the benefit of time management. Setting goals outlines your intentions for what you plan to do and makes it real to you.

Goals are not results!

Many people are afraid to set goals because they are afraid of what happens if they "fail" to achieve them. They believe that it negatively affects their self-image.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

One of the most positive aspects of setting personal and professional goals is what not achieving a goal teaches you. If you don’t achieve a goal, there can be any number of reasons why, some of which are beyond your control. However, examining why it was not achieved will yield valuable insights into your beliefs, attitudes and emotions.

Goal setting and motivation

You need to feel desire about your goal. Motivation is desire. Do something because you really want to. You can use all the best techniques for goal setting and planning, but if the desire is not there then: Ø You’re less likely to achieve the goal Ø You feel a sense of emptiness about it if you do

Write your goals down!

Write your goals down (or draw, paint them, etc). It helps to make them real where you can see them, rather than swirling about endlessly in your head, where they have no outlet. This will also help to keep you on track. The phrasing of goals is also very important. Phrase them in the present, so you can act as if they’re already happening. This programs your brain to start working towards it. Use "I am…." instead of "I will…". The latter refers to some indeterminate time in the future, which may never happen. The former keeps you firmly focused in the here and now, while keeping the future in sight. Also remember that just because a goal is written down, doesn’t mean that it is set in stone! You are always free to change and modify your goals as your circumstances change.

Focus on the results you expect to gain

Your job is to learn how to direct this power by consciously focusing to get the outcomes you want. First, you have to discover all the things you focus on that you do not want and I’m willing to bet there are quite a few, way more than you think. Then, you have to get very clear about what you DO want. You have to examine each of the things you want and be sure that they are not just something you do NOT want in disguise. For instance, saying: “I want my business to make over $100,000/year” would no longer be an issue if you had not had previous businesses that did not do that well, and so even in making this seemingly positive statement, you are focusing on not wanting to be unsuccessful. Saying “I want a reliable car” wouldn’t even come up if you weren’t focusing on the fact that you don’t want a car that breaks down and needs a lot of repairs. Remember, focus on positive results and drop the history of former experiences that were negative.

The Solution? Practice, Persistence, Practice

It’s a good idea to write down what you want specifically. Read what you have written to yourself, preferably aloud, several times a day, while seeing yourself, in your mind, already having what you want. A good example of this would be: “I get things done timely,” “I get things done timely,” “I get things done timely.” It could also be something like: “I am the best organizer around,” “I am the best organizer around,” “I am the best organizer around.” Then, take whatever action is available to begin moving towards what you want. A good time to do this reading and visualizing is when you first wake up and right before you go to bed.

Want more happiness and success in your life and business? Contact Cheryl Vallejos, Author, Motivational Speaker, Certified Business Coach and Consultant at Cheryl@energyofthemind.com and visit http://www.energyofthemind.com/nl/newsletter.html to sign up for the free “Happiness and Success” e-zine.

2005 © Cheryl Vallejos

"We pass this way but once," we have heard it said. But my wife has learned that, unless I’ve studied a map, that isn’t necessarily true.

So I understand the fix a local hunting guide got himself into. His party became hopelessly lost in the mountains and they blamed him for leading them astray. "You told us you were the best guide in Colorado!" they asserted.

"I am," he said, "but I think we’re in Wyoming now."

It’s bad enough to get lost in the city or in the mountains. But how much worse to get lost in our life’s journey.

One parent asked the clerk in a discount store if they carried any compasses. She answered, "We have compasses for making circles, but not for going places." Have you ever confused the two? Has it seemed as if your life is going in circles and not actually getting anywhere? Then it may be that you are lost or at least unsure what direction you should be heading.

Here are some questions to ask yourself if you feel as if you are going in circles:

- Where do I want to be a few years from now (in this relationship, this vocation, or any other way important to me)?

- What do I need to do to make it happen?

- Who will help me along the way?

- When do I want to arrive?

- How will I take the next small step?

Living well has little to do with comfort and speed, but much to do with direction.

For more Life, Love and Laughter from Steve Goodier, go to: http://LifeSupportSystem.com

We are moving rapidly through 2005, and you’ll find previously intelligent and reasonable people struggling with trying to keep a ‘resolution’ that they made earlier in the year to push themselves to create change in a specific area of their lives.

If you’re ready to make some BIG changes, but you’re not sure where to start, or if you have already made some promises to yourself, but need positive reinforcement and support, then this article is for you.

How do you ensure success for the goals you’ll set in 2005? First, you have to identify the goals you REALLY want. Not the ones someone in your life has told you that you ‘should’ achieve.

First rule: throw out the ‘shoulds’ from others. You cannot change your life simply because someone says you ‘should’. Often the ‘shoulds’ from others serve no purpose except to generate resentment and set you up for failure.

Choose an area of your life - health, career, money, relationships, your environment, fun, personal growth, and then examine how satisfied you are with that area. What do you want to change? Where would you like to be a year from now? A month from now? A week from now? What do you REALLY want?

Your goal is to make changes that will have you love being yourself, what you see in the mirror every day, and how you’re living your life. What will those changes look like? Be careful to choose one or two areas to make changes in, because any more than that may have you overwhelmed and feeling powerless.

You must define for yourself the difference between making a decision and setting a goal. They are not the same, and you can’t succeed at one of them without involving the other one. Commitment is incredibly important in this process as well - how many times have you made a promise to yourself and then not followed through? If you had a friend that let you down as many times as you’ve let you down, would that person still be your friend?

You need a personalized Success Strategy to help you get into motion and create positive momentum so you’ll keep going. You must have a way to hold yourself accountable – to something or someone that will encourage you to keep progressing, moving forward and achieve your goal.

The power of belief can work near-miracles on your behalf, but only if you put it to work on your goals. Your beliefs determine the life you have. If you don’t like the results you’re getting in your life, take a look at changing the beliefs that are producing those results.

The difference between limiting beliefs and those that can empower you are crucial to your success. You have to make the decision that you’re no longer willing to have the consequences of limiting beliefs in your life, and replace them with positive, empowering beliefs.

Setting effective goals in another important piece in making 2005 - or any year - your best year ever - I believe that any person, male or female, cannot reach their full potential without setting and working towards goals. There are many reasons people don’t set goals, including fear of criticism and fear of failure.

There are several characteristics of highly effective goals, and incorporating these into your personal goal setting will greatly enhance your degree of success. Writing down your goals is one of the first steps toward success, along with stating them positively, and making sure they are measurable.

Once you’ve gotten in motion though, you have to continually reinforce your new mindset. Ultimately, it’s the actions you take each day, each week and each month that will determine whether you are successful in achieving your goals or not.

Find sources of inspiration, positive reinforcement and help in setting and achieving your goals, and 2005 will be Your Best Year Ever!

About the Author: Dianne M. Daniels is an Image & Color Coach, Consultant and Professional Speaker, and the author/publisher of "Polish & Presence: 31 Days to a New Image". She has helped individuals refine and define their personal and professional image, along with corporations and organizations. Learn how to create your Personal Climate for Personal and Professional Success at http://www.imageandcolor.com

Do those two thoughts seem contradictory? Can you actually set goals for yourself and your business and yet relax and “let go”?

We read a lot about setting a goal for ourselves and then making it happen. And there’s usually a lot of activity and “doing” involved in working toward our goals. Letting go, on the other hand, is more of “being,” relaxing and trusting. So how can the two work together?

I’ve always been a planner and a doer, but I hit burn-out in a previous business. Even though I had created a nice income in that business, I made the decision not to continue. I was physically and mentally exhausted. I had not reached my original (very high) goal for that business and so the decision to stop pursuing that goal was very painful at the time.

But once that decision was made, doors opened for me that I would never have imagined. I now have two totally different businesses and I’m having fun!

So how does this all work? First, get in a quiet place and write down what you want to achieve, personally and professionally. Write down specific goals for what you want, i.e., in business that could mean sales dollars or numbers of customers. Personally that could mean reading a book a month. Then write down what action steps you need to take to accomplish that.

But then take a step backwards and look at why you want those specific goals. Is it to be able to stay home and raise your children? Is it to get out of debt? Is it to grow and become a better person? Or to be able to help your community or a cause you love? Identify the reason behind those goals and THAT is really your ultimate goal.

Work your plan but take a few minutes each day to tune into your intuition and your inner guidance. When you can get to the point where you feel the underlying driving essence of your goal and how that will enhance your life, then you can relax into it. You do the work but listen to clues along the way so you can make adjustments. My change was fairly major but your intuition and instincts will guide you in making the necessary changes – whether that’s big or small.

This doesn’t mean that you stop whenever things get a little tough. But this does give you a roadmap to follow. Work your plan, listen to your inner guidance, know the essence of your goals and then let go of the outcome. If you’re on the right path, your intended outcome will happen. And if you need to make some detours, trust that those clues are guiding you to a better and stronger place.

Donna Davis has successfully built several businesses from a local accounting service to a large online network marketing team. To learn about her current business and her family, visit http://www.HotAZCandles.com For a free ebook “Entrepreneurial Spirits” email ebook1@aweber.com

The goal-setting process enables an organization to check on the attainment of both its short-term and long-term objectives. When properly done, this process provides an array of valuable benefits and is a link to coaching, motivation, and performance management. Working without goals is much like trying to bowl without pins at the end of the alley. There is nothing to aim for, no way to determine how many pins you have knocked down. Human beings, by their very nature, are scorekeepers; we love to know how close we come to the target. If there is no way for us to tell how well we are doing, we will probably drop out of the game. Goals provide the necessary measuring sticks to tailor work into actual productivity. And contrary to what many people believe, goal setting is not an elusive or complicated process. It merely requires communication between management and staff and a desire to clearly state where you want to go, how you will get there, and how you will know you have arrived.

Why set goals? The process of goal setting raises questions and issues related to planning, specificity, and negotiation. Can an organization and its employees have compatible goals? Can both sides develop goals together to be more effective? Goal setting is a process for deciding where you want to go as an organization, as an employee and as an individual. Goals for management support the vision and strategic plan that an organization must have in order to stay alive and be successful. Goals for individuals support job success and individual development. When an organization and its (individual) members pull together to link their goals, overall success is the result.

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Have you ever noticed that ships operate essentially the same way people ought to, but so few do? Maybe you’ve never given it much thought, but at any given moment, a ship has a direction and a destination. That is, either she’s sailing to a predetermined port of call, or she’s in port, getting ready to sail to another one. You can ask the captain of any big, far-sailing ship where they’re going, and they can tell you instantly – and in one sentence.

How many people do you know who can do the same thing? It seems that most people want too many different things – or at leasy they think they want them – they’re unable to focus their efforts, their minds, and their hearts on anything specific. And all this leads to is doubt and confusion. They’re like the guy who jumped on a horse and rode off in all directions at once. They don’t recognize how vital it is to pick one port that’s important, then sail to it, rest and refit for a little while, and then sail to another port. In this way, in not so many years, a person can set and reach their goals, one by one, until finally they have a tremendous pile of accomplishments in which to take pride – they have all the things they want, just because they had the sense enough to realize they could do well with only one thing at a time.

There’s another analogy that fits here, and maybe it makes the most important point of all. If a ship tied to a dock for some reason had no place to go, she would stay there until she fell apart from rust and disuse. A ship’s engine isn’t started until she has some place to go. Here again, it’s the same with people. This is why it’s so important that each of us has a port of call we want to reach – a goal – a place to get to where we feel will be better than the place in which we now find ourselves. If we don’t, we might never cast off. We might never start our engines and know the thrill of sailing a charted course to a place we can’t see for fully 99 percent of the journey. But we know it’s there, and we know that if we keep sailing toward it, we’ll reach it.

If someone came up to you today and asked you what your next port of call is – that is, where you are going – could you answer him in one sentence, as could the captain on the bridge of their ship? If not, maybe you’d like to give that some thought.

A clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Dr. Ari Kiev writes, "In my practice as a psychiatrist, I have found that helping people to develop personal goals has proven to be the most effective way to help them cope with problems. Observing the lives of people who have mastered adversity, I have noticed," he writes, "that they have established goals and sought with all their effort to achieve them. From the moment they decided to concentrate all their energies on a specific objective, they began to surmount the most difficult odds."

So writes Dr. Kiev in his book, A Strategy for Daily Living, "The establishment of a goal is the key to successful living. And the most important step toward achieving an objective is first to define it." I’m sure you have at least 30 minutes a day in which to list your thoughts about possible goals. Set aside such a period each day for a month. At the end of the time, choose from the possible objectives you have listed, the one that seems most important, and record it separately on a single card. Carry this card with you at all times. Think about this objective every day. Create concrete mental images of the goal, as if you’ve already accomplished it.

The doctor points out, "You can determine your special talents or strengths in a number of ways, ranging from psychological tests to any analysis of the unexpressed wishes in your dreams. No one method works for everyone." You might start, for example, by clipping and saving magazine and newspaper articles that interest you for 30 days. After which, look for the pervasive trend or trends suggestive of your deep-seated interests and natural strengths. Whenever you discover a strength or talent, think of five possible ways to develop it. Write these strengths down on your card as well, and check it periodically to keep them fresh in your mind.

If possible, have your card laminated and place it on your bathroom mirror so that it is the first and last thoughts of your day. Then focus your day’s energy on this goal and on activities that utilize these natural strengths.

Dr. Kiev continues, "Focus on one objective at a time. Like a microchip, the brain, set on a target, will call into play those mental processes that will bring your efforts to fruition. Your actions will conform to your expectations, thereby bringing about the event. If you believe that you will reach your objective, you will continue to work at a task until you have accomplished it."

So, take the advice of the psychiatrist Dr. Ari Kiev and don’t be afraid of failure. As Herodotus wrote, "It is better by noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half of the evils we anticipate than to remain in cowardly listlessness for fear of what may happen."

Sit down and make a list of everything you want in life. When you do this, you will make some surprising discoveries. You might find that you have already managed to get many of the things you have wanted seriously. Or, if you don’t have most or all of them, chances are you are now in the process of getting them.If your list contains some items you want very much but do not have, you might ask yourself why you have failed to get them. Chances are that you have not tried very hard. Or perhaps you felt, for one reason or another, that these things are completely beyond your ability to achieve. These wants make very worthwhile goals.

It’s a good idea to have two lists of things you want. The first list would include those bigger goals that relate to your career or the overall good of your life or your family. These might include the position and/or income you are working toward, perhaps a higher educational degree, a certain amount of money in savings, a goal of height of business success, or that beautiful home you have had your eye on.

The other list could be a fun list. It might include the car you want for no good reason except it’s the car you happen to want, redecorating your house, getting new furniture, traveling to some special place — perhaps abroad — or buying a new wardrobe. This is a list of things you want just because you want them.

You should have long-range goals. These should be on your number one list, and each of them should be numbered in the order of importance to you. These are goals that might take five years or longer to achieve. They’re extremely worthwhile, and you should be working toward them daily. These are the goals that give meaning and direction and substance to your life.

But you also need short-range goals. These are the goals that add zest and interest to your life and break up the monotony of the long haul for the long-range goals.

If you’re honest with yourself about the things you want – not idle wishes that change from day to day but things you are serious about – you’ll find that they all can be yours, and in a surprisingly short time, if they are taken one at a time.

It’s been said, "People can have anything they want. The trouble is that they don’t know what they want." Get off by yourself for a quiet hour or two, and make up your card and your two lists. It is a fun and rewarding exercise and will prove to be the first step toward living the life you most desire.

Earl Nightingale co-founded Nightingale Conant an audio publishing company and world leader in personal development with over 2 million loyal customers. In addition to Earl’s audio programs, Lead the Field and The Strangest Secret, Nightingale Conant publishes authors such as Wayne Dyer, Brian Tracy, Napoleon Hill, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, and many, many more.

So here we are in July. Where did the first half of the year go? It only seems a couple of weeks ago that I was drinking festive egg-nog, wearing my Christmas sweater and humming ‘Sleigh Ride’ too loudly in line at the supermarket.

It’s kinda scary to think that there’s just six months of 2005 left to run, and we’ve already had the longest day of the year which means that the nights are starting to draw in (I’m not trying to get you down, honest!). So how’s the first half of the year gone for you? Was it what you expected?

Most importantly, what do you want the next six months to be about? To help you get clear on the rest of your year, here’s what I want you to do,

1. Take a moment to think about the last six months - January to June. Think about everything you’ve done, the opportunities that came along, the tough times and the fun times, and think about where you are now having gone through the last six months. Give the first half of 2005 a rating from 1 to 10 - it could be a big-grin scale, a temperature scale or a fulfilment scale. How would you rate your 2005 so far?
2. Now go forwards in time six months, and imagine yourself on a crisp December morning (or warm if you’re somewhere hot!). You’ve put effort into moving things forwards and it’s worked - things have progressed in some important ways and you’re seeing results and reaping the rewards. Using the same scale as before, what rating do you want to give to July to December? What rating respresents how you want to feel about the next six months?
3. Imagine that it’s still that December morning. You wake up, your eyes flicker open and things are different. Things have moved on, you have more of something and things have changed for the better. What one thing would make the biggest difference to you? What do you want things to look like or feel like on that December morning? Be as specific as you can be (close your eyes if it helps) and write down what comes out for you. Maybe it’s building your confidence or boosting your self-esteem, maybe it’s finding a new partner or improving your relationship, or maybe it’s finding work you can love or feeling more fulfilled in the work you already do. Whatever it is for you, have fun thinking about what will be different when you have it.
4. Don’t stop there - create another two things that would be amazing to have, do or be on that same December morning. What’s bugging you right now that you’d like to change? What would make a huge or powerful difference to you? Again, be as specific as you can be about what you want to have, do or be on that December morning and write down your ideas.
5. You’ve just created three goals that you can achieve within the next six months. Keep them somewhere close to you and be sure to pay positive attention to those things as often as you can. Feel good about them and imagine yourself there with all three in place - pretty darn good, right?!

   But it doesn’t stop there. Each and every week from now until that December morning, dive back into your goals and feel what it would be like to have them, then ask yourself ‘What’s one thing I can do this week that will move me forwards?’. Each week, think of what decision you can make or what action you can take that will be one step forwards, no matter how big or small.

Simply by paying positive attention to what you want all kinds of things can just fall into place, but there’s nothing like quite doing something about what you want! Be excited about the rest of the year because it truly can be extraordinary - you just have to make it extraordinary and allow it to be extraordinary. Yep, we’re half way through 2005 already - but the best can still be to come.

About the Author
Steve Errey’s free ezine ‘ Being More’ shows you proven ways that YOU can have, do and be more than you thought possible. By signing up you’ll also receive a special report titled ‘5 Little Secrets Other Coaches Won’t Tell You’ – visit http://www.steveerrey.com now.

Steve Errey is one of the UK’s most successful coaches and specialises in personal growth for thirtysomethings - helping them with their careers, relationships and confidence and to get more fun, fulfilment and freedom. For more information please contact Steve on 0845 644 3001, by email at steve@steveerrey.com or visit his website at http://www.steveerrey.com.

It is important to write down your goals, since that action imprints them on your brain. Before writing your goals, identify what price you are willing to pay to achieve them. These may be material, emotional, or spiritual. At some point, expose your barriers and excuses; write them on a separate piece of paper. This list is not meant to be dwelled on; it is meant merely as acknowledgement – celebrate as you conquer each barrier or excuse.

If you are finding it difficult to decide on what you want, you could consider what author Michael Losier advised in his book, The Law of Attraction. He teaches a process of listing what you don’t want as a prelude to making your definitive list of what you do want. Mark Victor Hansen co-author of Chicken Soup for The Soul said, "Once focused on the positive, you act as a magnet, to attract those things you hold in your mind."

You may have heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals. The acronym stands for specific, measurable, attainable/agreed on, relevant, and timely. My colleagues and I created an alternative formula. Here it is.

International speaker, Dr. Brian E. Walsh, is the bestselling author of Unleashing Your Brilliance. For much of his 30-year corporate career he was involved in human resources, specifically training.

While living in the arctic, Brian studied anthropology and Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), which prepared him for working with other cultures. He was then transferred to China where he served as his company’s GM.

After his return to Canada, he elected early retirement to further his earlier interest in NLP and hypnotherapy. He returned to formal study, and within four years had achieved his Ph.D. His dissertation, which focused on accelerated learning techniques, inspired his passion and his book, “Unleashing Your Brilliance”. Information is available at http://www.UnleashingBook.com

Dr. Walsh regularly conducts workshops on accelerated learning. He is a master practitioner of NLP, an acupuncture detoxification specialist, an EFT practitioner, and a clinical hypnotherapist.

Subscribe to his monthly eZine, "Enriched Learning" at http://www.UnleashingBook.com

If you have always been procrastinating on how to get started or going with your goals, try this interesting method. Write a blog.

“What? You are asking me to publicly declare my goals?” Before you start thinking that this is another fruitless suggestion, would it convince you if we are to tell you that famous professional life coaches such as Anthony Robbins actually encourage people “to make commitments to others who hold them to a higher standard” about their goals?

When you make public announcements to people you trust about your goals, the tendency is, you will do whatever it takes to achieve your wildest dreams so as not to disappoint them. You will be less likely to stray from your bottom-line.

“Alright, I am convinced of the benefits of announcing my goals. But why must I have a blog?” A blog gives you more advantages than what a verbal announcement can provide. It helps you to

(1) Expand the No. of People You Are Committed To

Imagine declaring your goals to the entire internet community! Being online and available 24 by 7, almost anyone who have access to your blog url would be able to share your joys and frustrations in the pursuit of your dreams. Even your loved ones working or studying overseas would be able to know your progress through the internet. Surely you would not want to let them down by procrastinating on your goal tasks?

(2) Focus and Review Your Goals

As you write about your goal progress in the blog, you are actually focusing and reviewing the targets and methods in your goal plan. Say for example, your goal is to lose 20 pounds in 6 months. After sticking to a non-fat diet for 3 months, you find that your weight loss remained stagnant upon reviewing your past blog records. At this time, it may be appropriate for you to change your approach towards achieving your goal. You may want to add some exercise into your goal tasks, or change the timeline of your target. Sometimes, if you allow readers to add comments or suggestions to your blog, you might also receive an interesting tip or two from your friends or the public who have “been there, done that”.

(3) Obtain Constant Visualization of Success

By consistently visualizing that you are living your dreams, it is easier to encourage yourself to achieve much more with your goal. A blog provides that kind of opportunity for this consistent reflection. If you write your blog on a weekly or even daily basis, you are constantly reminding yourself of the potential success that you can achieve should you religiously work on the goals tasks in the action plan.

(4) Get a Constant Stream of Motivation

Most people derive a lot of satisfaction and momentum once they have realized that they have made a lot of progress in their goal endeavours. It will be exhilarating to know how close you are to achieving your goals. Is not it? If you have a blog, you can easily check your status just by reviewing your past records. While checking, you may also come across a few words of encouragement left by your friends or the public on your blog. It is just like running a marathon race, with people constantly cheering you on the sides. Eventually you will be able to run pass the finishing line!

Start a blog today and write towards your goal success. You will be amazed at its results! See you at the finishing line.

About the Author
Ellesse Chow is the creator of Goal Setting College , a website that provides a 4 part Goal Setting Tutorial, other related articles & resources. Subscribe to Goal Setting College’s newsletter and get inspired by people who achieved their financial, personal goals today!