Human beings are goal-seeking creatures. We are impatient and try, and fall, and try again until we learn to walk. We babble and coo and struggle until we learn to talk. Skinned knees mean nothing in the quest to ride a bicycle. Recently, the world has watched Olympic athletes over-come incredible obstacles in the quest for a medal. When a client tells me they have had a goal, but in the past 6 months they have made little or no progress towards achieving it, I encourage them to ask themselves the following 10 questions:

1. Do I really, really want this goal? It may sound nice, it may be something I should have or might enjoy, but do I really, deep in my soul, want it? Or, not?

2. Is the goal actually just a means to some other goal? Is my stated goal really a way to look good, or to please someone, or a handy excuse to work on something that sounds wonderful while I avoid something I don’t want to do? Great-sounding goals can be a marvelous distraction!

3. Is this goal consistent with my morals and values? Often there is a subtle, unnoticed conflict between our stated goals and our values. For instance, the concept of "fair profit" may be causing confusion, or we may be caught between our goals of building a business and our values of spending more time at home.

4. Is this goal consistent with my beliefs about myself and my abilities? The years of training and total commitment to winning an Olympic medal are only possible if the athlete profoundly believes they have the potential to succeed. Doubts about what is "possible", or beliefs that life is unfair will undermine performance every time.

5. Why do I want this goal? Having many solid, vitally important reasons for our goals will drive us more powerfully than anything else. "I want to be a doctor to save a child’s life" is a very different reason to stay up and study all night than "because being a doctor might be fun." Why do you want this goal, and how badly do you want it?

6. Who else wants me to attain my goal? Knowing that family, friends, business partners or the entire world is cheering for us, counting on us and supporting us is critically important. Who else knows about and wants you to achieve your success?

7. How, specifically, will I benefit from achieving my goal? Being clear and specific about the benefits that will come from completing our goals is a powerful motivator. "Reducing my blood pressure will help me live to see my grandchildren" is very different than "If I do this, my doctor will stop criticizing me."

8. What one critical step can I take today that will move me toward my goal? Some goals are so large or so far off that they are really just dreams or fantasies. A useful goal is one you can work on today. Make an appointment, open a savings account, eat a salad for lunch, tell your spouse you love them – whatever your goal, find a specific task you can do today, and then just repeat it a few thousand times!

9. Are there smaller projects that will both lead to my larger goal, and give me pleasure in the meantime? If the goal is to run a marathon, train for a local fun-run first! If the goal is to be a millionaire, getting the first $10,000 in the bank is a worthwhile and useful start.

10. Depending on your answers to the first 9 questions, the 10th question is: "Is there another goal, or another version of this goal, that is really much more important and much more doable?" If the first 9 questions haven’t motivated you to action and created tangible, specific results, then ask number 10. Humans naturally seek and accomplish large goals, but we do best when the goal is tailored to our values, priorities and personal situation.

© Copyright 2003 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: "Written by Dr. Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr. Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and resources for your success, including a great newsletter! It’s all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com

Neil Armstrong made his first moon walk on July 20, 1969, two months before I entered college. I remember that many Americans were euphoric about this accomplishment. There were songs written, celebrations, ticker tape parades, and coins depicting an eagle landing on the moon.

Yet what really stands out in my memory was a poster on a classmate’s dorm-room wall. It looked like the front page of a newspaper’s special edition. The large photo dominating the upper half of the page showed Armstrong in his space suit, visor down, planting the U.S. flag into lunar soil. The banner headline screamed, "So what?"

I think the “So what?" poster was questioning whether the billions poured into the space program were justifiable while people in the U.S. and around the world were still suffering from hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and poor health care. Stewardship was the issue the poster was raising.

Most would agree the space program has been well worth its expense. The many spin-offs are not the only benefit. This great achievement forever transformed our assumptions of what is possible.

We should ask ourselves, "So what?" at the very moment we accomplish anything we are tempted to label "great." We should do this so habitually that we learn to ask it at the beginning of a project, not just at its end. Is this thing into which I am pouring so much of my time, money, and energy really worth it all? Will it change the world for the better? Will it change me?

The Master asked, "So what?" again and again. He wanted his disciples to count the cost, to inspect the fruit, to look down the broad road and up the narrow road. Many of His parables have to do with Judgment Day. The fire of judgment will burn up all the unworthy pursuits and the fly-by-night goals. What survives will be only what can face such a probing question with solid confidence.

Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.

Go to his DeeperStudy.org for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore "The Shallows," plumb "The Depths," or use the well-organized "Study Links" for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve’s free "DeeperStudy Newsletter."

It is known that the human body sends out vibrations: some are positive, while others are negative. We have orbits formed by people who surround us and with whom we associate closely throughout our entire lives. In my book “The Art & Craft of Success: 10 Steps” by Ostaro, I expand fully on the impact people have upon us.

Through observation and experience we will notice that the association of a certain person or persons will help us finish a project successfully. It is not just a matter of know-how or funding what makes a venture a success. It is more than that. When a person constantly exercises a positive (harmonious) influence upon another human being, it has a great influence on the brain that gives rise to a clearer judgment of a situation or a better solution to a lingering problem. These processes go on quite unnoticed by people – but they do work. In case of a negative person in our orbit, the result of a contradictory or negative vibration could lead to a bad judgment of a situation or problem, poor solutions and utter failure of the project.

The underestimation of all difficulties or challenges involved could mean higher costs and longer time periods to get the job done.

The success in a project is largely dependent upon correct estimation of all factors involved like choosing the right people in a team, carefully considering essential character traits of the human personality (dependability, punctuality, efficiency, capacity for hard work, persistence when faced with difficulties) in order that a venture be completed successfully and yield the desired results.

Cost estimation in terms of human involvement requires a profound knowledge of human nature and business experience. We don’t achieve success by chance. It requires very solid efforts on the physical plane like burning the midnight oil plus utilizing the formula consisting of three major factors, such as choosing the right team for that particular project, the appropriate location (for example: drilling for oil must be at a calculated spot), and proper timing for completion. A multi million dollar movie, if released at a wrong time without regard to competition, could lose you millions and may never get you an Oscar. There are many examples of successful or failed projects. A careful analysis of a successful project reveals the points mentioned above. In fact, timing is more important than proper funding, as evidenced by Michael Moore’s documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 which became a worldwide hit. At a time, when competition is less, the chances of success increase tremendously.

The stakes in a large venture are very high. Choosing the right people, right time to start the project and right location can make the difference between success or failure.

Ostaro is a veteran media personality and has appeared hundreds of times on television, radio and in print media. A film maker, he frequently appears on radio nationally. He is the host/producer of the Ostaro Show (Time Warner and RCN Cable TV every other Fri and Sun in NYC) featuring the best in celebrity horoscopes. Listed in Who’s Who in America, he is a positive thinker and the author of the “Art & Craft of Success: 10 Steps” published by Svarg Syndicate Inc, NYC. Mr. Ostaro is a Premier Hindu Astrologer of New York City, and is a Kentucky Colonel. http://www.ostaro.com; ostaro@ostaro.com.

Have you set resolutions for yourself to accomplish in 2005? Maybe you want to get more exercise, eat healthier, or spend more time with your family. If you’re in business for yourself, maybe you are thinking about hiring a bookkeeper, working fewer hours, or beefing up your marketing plan. All of those things are very good goals, but how do you really feel about them? If you’re like me, you probably think that you need resolutions, and furthermore, you have to accomplish all of them in order to be successful. How can we not feel that way when the media is chirping away about making and keeping our new year’s resolutions?

Well, maybe you should go a little easier on yourself. What about trying just one new thing to improve your life in some small way? This can either be something personal or professional. The important thing to remember is that this "thing," whatever it is, should be important to you, and bring value to your life in some way. Even if it’s just taking 20 minutes at the end of each day to kick back, close your eyes and do absolutely nothing; if that will improve your peace-of-mind or help you to relax, that’s great — mission accomplished!

Try to remember that we are all human, and that no one is perfect. Take baby steps to reach your goals, and they won’t seem so overwhelming. And if things are just fine in your life right now, and you don’t feel the need to make any improvements, then don’t. It’s that simple. Don’t worry about having lofty goals — just focus on smaller ones as you see fit.

By taking care of yourself, and not putting the pressure on to create resolutions that you may never keep, you’ll be able to enjoy 2005 to your fullest. Here’s to a healthy, happy, and successful year ahead…your way!!

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© 2004 Cynthia Morse, Virtually At Your Service. All rights reserved.

You’re welcome to reprint this story. If you do, please include this reference: Cynthia Morse is a Virtual Assistant, and the owner of Virtually At Your Service, http://www.virtuallyatyourservice.biz. She offers administrative support to small business owners and other busy professionals from her home office, allowing them the time to focus on what they love and do best.

Life seems to hurtle by us these days. To keep up with our frantic-paced life, our ever-changing technological society has given us radical tools to work, plan and supposedly become more efficient. Computers, cell phones, Palm Pilots and pagers are just a few examples of gadgets that keep us connected, sometimes 24/7. Information whizzes by us at a mind-numbing rate from Internet news sites, work computer systems, E-mail at work, E-mail at home, not to mention pagers, to do lists and pop up reminders. All in the name of efficiency. Work demands that we do more in less time and the global village keeps us all connected with instant news. More and more of us are reeling from information overload, feeling exhausted and possibly headed for burn out.

So what can we do to slow down the onslaught on our time and get back to what really matters? Do we continue to plug in to our to do lists on our Palm Pilot and cram as much into each day as possible? Is there any meaning and purpose to our lives? Are we living according to our core values? Have we even the time as a society to reflect on these incredibly important questions?

Meaning and purpose – Who am I?

Finding any type of meaning and purpose requires us to step back from the daily pressures of life and find out what is truly important. It means to detach yourself from your belongings and look a little deeper than the house, car, paycheck or job that you own. Introspection isn’t an easy process. This is the beginning of a spiritual journey, the first key to lasting change. Without taking the time to reflect, we may one day wake up from our busy lives and realize we are living a hollow life. Very simply, ask yourself who you are. Do it now: “Who am I?”

Perhaps you are a father, an adventurer, an entrepreneur, or a musician. Perhaps you are also a philosopher, athlete, programmer, gardener or writer. You may also feel compassion, love, ambition, or any other deep-rooted emotion. Take a few minutes and in one simple sentence describe who you are. Describing who you are is the first step towards finding meaning and purpose. Who you are will also certainly help answer the question of “why am I here.”

Meaning and Purpose – Values.

Now that you know who you are, how do you live up to that statement? Knowing your values is the next step to creating a life filled with meaning and purpose. Knowing and living by your values is all about retaining your personal power. Your values reflect the true you and every time you don’t live by them, or someone takes them away, your personal power diminishes. Sounds like something Superman has doesn’t it? Personal power.

Say, for example, you have a value called control. Control to you means leaving the office at a reasonable hour to see your family. All of a sudden your new boss wants you to stay late every night. By easily giving in to his demands you have now lost some of your personal power. Your values and personal power are very intertwined. Do you spend your time living according to your values? Do you know your values? Do you value freedom, beauty, appreciation, and compassion? Interesting question, isn’t it? And your values will certainly change as you grow. Being a bachelor as opposed to a family man might bring two different sets of values.

Meaning and Purpose – Goals.

OK, so you have your who am I statement, and your core values written out. How do we live up to these, and continue to grow as a human being? With goal setting, of course. Goal setting without knowing who you are, and your values, is like shooting blindly in the dark. There is no target, no direction, just random goals based on the flavour of the month. By knowing who you are and your core values, your goals are always in tune with the true you and a life filled with meaning and purpose.

So, maybe in your who am I statement you have described yourself as a father and an outdoors person with one of your core values being beauty. Maybe a weekly hike in the woods with the family would be a goal. Now you have truly opened the door to what is truly meaningful to you. Having taken the time to reconnect with the true you through these exercises, isn’t goal setting that much easier?

In our North American schools we concentrate almost entirely on academics. But being such complex creatures with an infinite amount of choices, why don’t we spend more time educating ourselves on the three questions that really matter?

Who am I?
What are my core values?
What are my goals?

Please consider this article for your website, blog or ezine. Permission to reprint if by-line stays intact and links are activated on the Internet.

Terry Vermeylen is one of those rare people that is passionately driven to help others unlock their own barriers toward fulfillment, meaning and purpose. He is the founder of http://www.mylifechanges.com/, an Internet value identification and goal setting enterprise.

Imagine…

Looking back on your life on your death bed and feeling totally satisfied at achieving everything you ever wanted in life… achieving and living all your dreams.

In life, we all have something dreams of a better life… of a life where things are exactly how we want them.

Whether it’s our finances, our family, our health, our contribution to society, or all of the above… we all have a dream of how our life would look life if it were perfect in every respect.

The difference between the people who do eventually get to live the life of their dreams and those who will only ever yearn for their dream is goal setting.

We all have goals, whether we consciously set them or not. Whether it is to pay the bills at the end of the week; or to buy a new house; or to increase profits in your business; or to lose those extra few pounds; or to create the life of your dreams… everybody has goals.

The difference between living a fulfilling life and just living an average life is the quality of the goals you set for yourself. Yet why do only 5% of adults ever write goals?

Did you know that studies have found that 95% of adults will never write a goal in their life? Which means only 5% of adults will ever write goals in their life!

Another interesting statistic is the distribution of wealth throughout the population. Recent studies have found that 90% of all the wealth in our society is controlled by just 10% of the population. An example of this is found in the share market… where 90% of all the traded shares are controlled by just 10% of the investors.

Is there a correlation between the fact that only 5% of adults ever write goals, and 10% of adults control 90% of the wealth?

In my opinion… there is!

Imagine…

You’ve boarded a plane in Los Angeles heading west over the Pacific Ocean… but you don’t have a destination.

All you know is that you’ll be taking off soon. And you hope that you land somewhere good.

Where will you land?

What will you do when you get there?

Will you land at all?

Did you know that an airplane traveling between two cities is on course only 5% of the time? The other 95% of the time is spent getting back on course as a result of the wind and air pressure.

Setting goals is like having a destination before takeoff. If you know where you’re going, you can focus on the end result and get back on track if any obstacles get in the way.

Without a set destination you’ll be knocked off course by the first obstacle in your path, and never end up reaching your destination.

Without your own written goals, you’re like a plane that leaves the airport with no real destination in mind. Sure you might be able to take off and cruise for a while, but eventually you WILL land somewhere… and that somewhere may not be where you want to be.

We all have at least 5 major areas in our life that if we set clear, written goals for would dramatically improve the quality of our life in each area. Those areas are: finances; career; health; family; friendships.

By setting goals in each area of our life we give ourselves a target, something to aim for, something that if we achieved would have a dramatic positive impact in our life.

Goals give us something to measure our progress against, to see if what we are doing is moving us closer or further from our ultimate target. If our actions are moving us closer to our target then we keep doing what we’re doing. If our actions are moving us further from our target, then we must change what we are doing so that we can move closer to our target.

But this also opens up the possibility of failure… and that is one of the biggest obstacles that you must overcome to have a truly fulfilling life. Most people never set goals because of the fear of failure, and the fear of the unknown.

The fear of failure is the biggest obstacle that we all must overcome in every part of our life…

And the fear of the unknown is the fear of moving outside of our comfort zone and into a world that we do not know.

The exciting part is…

Unless you are currently living the life of your dreams, your dreams lay outside the realm of your current comfort zone, in the unknown…

So take the first step today in creating the life of your dreams and start writing goals today.

Alex Cleanthous makes it easy to achieve success in your personal and professional life. For a FREE 5-day mini-course on the 5 Essential Steps To Achieving Anything You Want visit this site now: The Success Blog

When we have a thought or idea that we want to do or get across, we have to communicate to other people. Many do not get past this stage of wanting to, for they decide that they will wait until everything is perfect before they tell anyone or do anything.

I have heard people say that they’ll start when they have more money, time, learn more, practice more, when the kids are older, etc, etc, etc. The challenge with this is there is no perfect time. The best time to get started is now. Yes, you may need to be selective at first with whom you talk to as there are negative people out there who may try to stop you or shut you down. Yet, I have found that most people shut themselves down by their fears and need to have everything just so.

I was talking to this lady who wanted to go on a job interview. She had spoken to her sister about the interview. Her sister replied, "make sure you do the interview perfect, because in this city people know each other and if you blow it, you can kiss your career goodbye".
WOW, no pressure there. Going into an interview with that in your mind is a good way to blow it. You will probably be terrified, which can cause the mistakes you are trying to prevent.

I have heard things like this before, yet most people are not sitting there just waiting to crush other people who come in. I have found that most are kind, generous and helpful. What you need is encouragement and just to do your best. The world does not end with a bad interview.

Reality is much brighter when you look at the most successful people out there. They repeatedly said that they failed there way to the top, that they learned by their mistakes and went on. There are millionaires that lost everything, brushed themselves off and then created more millions. They talked to people and connected with them. You can’t succeed by being a hermit.

We are not born with all knowledge on all things. We are not robots, calculating our every move. We are human beings that learn by what we do. We discover by how we interact. We learn when we communicate our thoughts and ideas.

Are there nay sayers out there? Yes, run from them. Find the ones who are looking forward to hearing from you and wish to encourage you. You will always learn more and communicate more with positive and encouraging people.

I remember this one day I was sitting in the car, waiting for my partner while he ran into the store. The following just flowed out onto the paper.

ABOUT PERFECTION

It is in the trying and being that makes us human. It is the journey not the end that tells us who we are and what we are made of. Perfection is not a means, it leaves no room for variation, creativity and understanding of the process. It is through the trial and error that we gain knowledge and wisdom. We remember and learn more through our mistakes than by what we do perfect. For if everything were perfect, done perfect, there would be no journey, no life, no adventure,…only an end.

Maria Boomhower
The Master Communicator
http://www.falconfreedom.com
http://www.mariaboomhower.blogspot.com/
Ezine sign-up: maria13-90286@autocontactor.com

People who want to achieve success in their lives and are committed to self improvement know the value of setting goals and making workable plans for their realisation. These are essential steps to success. If you need any guidance with goal setting techniques or planning, there are many invaluable tools available from Self Improvement Experts that can really help.

Perseverance and determination are also essentials for success. But an equally important success skill is the ability to change your plans, or even abandon them completely if necessary.

One thing we can be sure of is that things rarely go according to plan. Even with the best planning, the unexpected can and probably will happen. Things beyond our control can make our plans unworkable. Or our plans may not actually be working.

It’s easy to become so involved and attached to our goals and plans that we may not even be aware this is happening. Sometimes, even if we are aware, we may not be prepared to accept that we aren’t getting the expected results.

We if we are serious about success we definitely shouldn’t just give up - many people have missed out on reaching their goals because they gave up too soon. But we can’t afford to be dogmatic either. We must be prepared to be flexible and adapt our plans to changing circumstances if necessary.

Self Improvement Quote of the Day:

“It is a wise person that adapts themselves to all contingencies; it’s the fool who always struggles like a swimmer against the current” – Source unknown

Garry Zancanaro is the founder of Self Improvement Directory, a website dedicated to Self Improvement and Personal Development, and to helping people live more successful and fulfilling lives by providing a directory of the highest quality Self Growth resources available. Includes many FREE eBooks and much more. Visit http://www.selfimprovementdirectory.com/index.html

Most of us are regularly exposed to information offering get rich quick schemes and ways to make our fortune for little or even no effort. This is probably even more the case for students of Self Improvement than for most other people.

There may even be some people who have become rich as a result of such offers!

However, if you study the lives of successful and wealthy people you will be unlikely to find many, if any, that achieved their success with little effort. Most worked very hard for their success, and you’ll find few, if any that didn’t have one of the fundamental skills of self improvement and success – discipline..

It takes discipline to do the things you know you should do when you don’t feel like doing them. It takes discipline to be able to follow your vision despite indifference or negative opinions of friends and family. It takes discipline to work on you dreams when you could be relaxing with friends or watching TV. It also takes discipline to search for and read the books, listen to the tapes, learn the skills, or get the training that can greatly enhance your progress towards your goals.

And there are countless other examples. If you desire success, you need goals and you need to make plans to reach them. But without the discipline to take the actions and to follow through, your dreams are likely to remain just that - dreams and nothing more.

Self Improvement Quote of the Day:

“The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do. They don’t like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.” - E.M. Gray

Garry Zancanaro is the founder of Self Improvement Directory, a website dedicated to Self Improvement and Personal Development, and to helping people live more successful and fulfilling lives by providing a directory of the highest quality Self Growth resources available. Includes many FREE eBooks and much more. Visit http://www.selfimprovementdirectory.com/index.html

In many of his wonderful talks the motivational speaker Zig Ziglar states “you’ve got to have goals.” Have you ever asked yourself why?

You are instructed that you need different types of goals. There are fitness goals, financial goals, relationship goals and spiritual goals. Your list of goals can be endless. There are some successful people who are working on more than fifty goals in developing their personal and business life. There is pride expressed in the fact that the more goals they have the better person they are.

There are more and more people becoming goal junkies.

There will be those of you who will give me good reasons for setting and achieving goals. I ask you a deeper question. This question is “For what purpose?” You think if you do not set goals nothing will be achieved. There are many who when setting goals feel increasingly conflicted.

Rather than more goal setters this world needs people to simply be present to their lives. Rather than live in the future-focused achievement-directed mode just take time to relax. Learn to let go into the present. In this way you can develop real confidence and presence. In this way you learn to live your life on purpose. The results will drive your energy higher than any goal setting routine. You will feel in harmony with who you are rather than simply what you do.

Goal setting for some has become obsessive.

You measure your worth by what you have achieved and not by who you are. Then this dynamic is visited upon the children. You rationalise your life into segments. You are the sum of the parts (ratio) but you do not feel whole. You measure your life in comparison with others. Everything in your life becomes a measure. It becomes something to be judged “good” or “bad”

As it says in the beautiful poem Desiderata, “do not compare yourself with others for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself.

Do you think Jesus Christ was a goal setter? Do you think Buddha set goals. Can you see either of these Beings sitting down late into the evening ticking off their list of accomplishments? Do you think that they carried the modern equivalent of a filofax? We have much to learn from the leadings of these masters.

You are a creative being.

Learn to trust this experience. Instead of doing a goal setting program learn to be more your SELF. Do you think God is asleep? Allow this power of universal consciousness to move through your feeling self. Then you will accomplish more than you ever dreamed off. Learn the secret of doing more by being more.

This experience of allowing yourself to be will be enough. Your goals are more likely to manifest without your constant interference. Allow your life to flower. Stop forcing the beauty of the moment into some future fixed result. Allow sometime for the spontaneous and the synchronistic. You are part of the play of this world. Play has been forgotten in the rush to achieve.

Remember you are enough now and forever. So be it.

Tony Cuckson is an Anam Cara. This Celtic term means “Soul Friend.” He specializes in providing insight for the spiritual journey, Blessings for YOU, words of wisdom and finding inner peace. Visitors to Irish Blessings Matter website and Tony’s Blog get the opportunity to develop a purpose driven life through articles, newsletters and other programs.

Get your free report called “7 ways to it’s a wonderful life” at http://www.irishblessingsmatter.com/, or go to Tony`s Blog at http://www.irishblessingsmatter.info/ where you will find links to information related to spiritual parenting, spiritual coaching and spirit in business.