A difficult challenge in achieving goals is simply remaining aware of them and staying on track. How many times have you set a goal, started working on it with the best of intentions, and then at some future time, you realize it somehow slipped through the cracks?

External influences exert forces to knock us off track. And if you have a busy life, these influences can come many times each day. Phone calls. Emails. Postal mail. A new memo. A drop-in visitor. New items to add to your to do list. New things to think about. But most are just distractions from what’s really important.

We therefore must exert a countering force to get back on track, pointing ourselves back towards our goals again and again. Reviewing your goals once a month or once a week is just too infrequent. I find I must review my major goals every single day, and if the day is filled with a lot of fire-fighting, then I must do it several times a day. Otherwise I start getting too far off course, lured into working on what’s merely important instead of what’s wildly important. It’s a process of constantly re-checking the compass and figuring out the correct next step.

For 2005 I have 14 written goals. They’re divided into 3 primary goals and 11 secondary goals. All of them are important. But the primary goals are those which will make an absolutely huge difference. Achieving any one of those 3 primary goals is more important than achieving all 11 secondary goals.

But those secondary goals are so tempting to work on first. They’re easier. They yield an immediate sense of accomplishment. Some will take care of themselves just from continuing existing habits. Most of the others can be knocked off with about 20-40 hours of work on each one. But the primary goals are not automatic, not certain of being achieved, and each one requires hundreds of hours of work. So if I don’t do anything special to keep taking myself back to the primary goals, the most likely outcome would be that I’d finish all the secondary goals and make a dent in each primary goal but not complete any of them this year. And that just isn’t good enough.

So how I do to stay focused on my primary goals, despite so many pressures to work on other things? I maintain a Personal Accountability System (call it PAS if you like acronyms). This is a regular 3-ring binder with a 1/2″ spine. It contains my 1-sentence purpose and 2005 goals (1 page), my Q1 2005 goals (1 page), my projects list (1 page), and my next actions list (1 page). I have other planning documents I maintain on my PC, but these are the ones I keep in this binder.

First, this helps me because I always keep this binder on my desk, and I open it and look through it every day, usually many times per day. This is automatic because it contains my next actions list. So I read my goals frequently, and I’m always noticing which three are the most important. It’s a process of constantly rechecking that I’m still on course and making adjustments as needed.

Secondly, I break my projects list and my next actions list into two parts: primary and secondary. The primary projects and next actions are those that lead directly to the achievement of the primary goals. The secondary projects and next actions either lead to secondary goals, or they aren’t linked to goals at all (like doing my taxes, something I must do but that’s not a major goal).

You can probably begin to see the benefit in this approach. Whenever I look at my next actions or projects lists, the primaries are at the top of the page. So this makes it very clear which next actions are the most important. I still sort each group by context (office, errands, waiting for, etc), but this doesn’t complicate things much because my primary goals involve mostly office work.

It’s very difficult sometimes, and I don’t always manage to achieve it, but I aim to spend at least 50% of each day working on my primary goals. Knowing which set of next actions are linked to those goals is very helpful. I can just go straight to my next actions list and start working on the primary actions.

At the end of the day, I can see whether I’ve crossed off a lot of actions from the primary list or whether most were from the secondary list. I immediately know whether I focused on the wildly important or got off course. If I don’t cross off actions from the primary list, I know with certainty I’m off course. There’s no way to rationalize it or justify it as being on track when it isn’t. This is one way of keeping score every day and always knowing where I stand.

The glue that holds everything together is the PAS. This keeps accountability in my consciousness, since I actively use it every day. Whenever I have doubt about a next action, I can turn the page to see the project it links to, and turn the page again to see the goal behind it. And with only 3 primary goals, each in a different area of my life, it’s always very clear which goal I should be working on.

Systems trump intentions.

Without some systematized method of daily accountability, the natural result will be to stray off course. Then at the end of the year, you look back and say, “If only…” In order to prevent that yearly “if only,” you have to squeeze that annual accountability down into each and every day. When you look back on your day and see you goofed, you can immediately regroup and recommit to doing a better job the next day. Better to do this every single day instead of “going dark” and then being painfully surprised at the end of the year. Purposeful transformation is better than tragic realization.

The best of intentions will be dominated by whatever system you have in place. If you have no system, then either old habits or just plain chaos will dominate in the long run, regardless of your intentions and motivation. The PAS is just one tool for staying on track — it’s my current favorite because it takes goals and links them all the way down to the level of actions in the moment. So accountability exists at all levels. But the real key is that it’s an integral part of every day. Without daily (sometimes even hourly) refocusing on the wildly important goals, it’s just too easy to lose sight of your goals and get sidetracked. So even though it requires a bit of effort to put together a PAS, it’s worth it.

Copyright © Steve Pavlina

Steve Pavlina
Personal Development for Smart People
http://www.stevepavlina.com
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog (blog)
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles (articles)

Steve is intensely growth-oriented. He trained in martial arts, ran the L.A. Marathon, and graduated from college in three semesters with two degrees. He can juggle, count cards at blackjack, and make damn good guacamole. Steve is also a polyphasic sleeper, sleeping just 2-3 hours per day and only 20 minutes at a time. So chances are good that he’s awake right now.

Are you feeling motivated to set some strong goals for this year? Write down those New Year’s resolutions and get going, right? Most people write down lofty resolutions that they think they should want and rarely stick to them, losing motivation and focus within three weeks of their "good intentions."

This is a brand new year of limitless possibilities. Do you want to:

• Increase your income?
• Write a book?
• Attract a relationship?
• Start a new business?
• Become a professional speaker?
• Have more personal time?
• Take a really great vacation?

I’ve got a gut feeling it’s going to be a GREAT year, a BIG SUCCESS year. So, forget writing down resolutions. They don’t work. In fact, the whole idea doesn’t really inspire action. So, let’s change that.

Start thinking about 3-5 things you want, really want for yourself this year. Not what you should want, or what you think would please others. Dream a little. Think big. What are you passionate about? Entertain several ideas that make you smile, excite you, make you giggle, make you feel really good inside – no holds barred. Remove all mental barriers to holding these ideas clearly in your mind.

Now, put your attention fully on one of the things you want for yourself this year. Visualize and see yourself already there, living it! Creative visialization is a powerful tool of attraction.Our minds cannot tell the difference between something real and something intensely imagined. Hold that picture in your mind. (Do this daily!)

Does this picture excite you - make you want to have it?

How would your life change if you got (achieved) this one thing you really want?

What would you have in your life that you don’t have now?

Now, the next step is very important. You must decide to go for it. Choose to have what you really want NOW – not someday or tomorrow. NOW. Say YES to yourself instead of saying no. Making the decision fuels your intent to take action.

3 Tips to Get on Track

1. On paper, clearly describe the 3-5 things you really want. I suggest using statements beginning with the phrase " I intend to…" vs. I want, I hope for, I wish to, I’d like, I desire etc. (too wishy-washy). Taking a stand with strong definitive statements reflects your commitment to succeed. (This first step is important in creating your road map to achieving your goals. If you don’t define the results you want, how do you know where you’re going?). Feel like being creative? Make a collage or dream board for a visual aid in keeping your focus.

2. Moving forward, break down your action steps into smaller steps over a shorter time period like 30 days. For example: your goal is to increase your income – your first step may be to explore options to generate more money. Another step may be to look at your skills and talents for further ideas. A third step may be choosing something you have always wanted to do, something that you love that has the potential for additional income. Maybe it’s a total change of career. The first month may be devoted to doing research and personal exploration.

3. Identify potential obstacles and struggles that could prevent you from reaching your goals. Develop strategies to keep yourself motivated and focused such as reading and listening to positive materials, surrounding yourself with encouraging, uplifting people, joining a mastermind group. HIRE A COACH! Note – let go of using the "money excuse" that you can’t afford to get what you want. Invest in your success. It costs money to make money. How much do you think NO is costing you to stay where you are?

5 Tips to Stay on Track

1. Resolve unfinished business. Either clear the past ( make apolgies, speak your mind, forgive someone or yourself) and let it go.

2. Stay strong if you’re feeling FEAR. Bring your attention back to the present. Fear creates uncertainty, worrisome and anxiety producing thoughts. ("What if" thinking, Am I going to be okay?) Fear looks at the future and worse case scenarios. Focus on past successes for confidence.

3. Eliminate negativity. Notice the chatter in your head. How do your emotions speak to you inside? What you think affects how you view a situation. Ever heard the phrase self-fulfilling prophecy? Your viewpoint affects your decisions and actions; therefore your attitude directly affects the outcome. Take a look at the people you associate with. Are they uplifting or do they bring you down? Be selective about who you’re with – being around consistently negative or fearful people is draining and disheartening.

4. Keep up your self-care. Taking good care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually is a key factor in staying strong and focused under pressure.

5. Celebrate along the way. Taking the time to recognize measurable successes motivates continual commitment to your goals.

"The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit." Jim Rohn

It’s a New Year. Make it a GREAT one!

Copyright 2005, Lorraine Cohen

Lorraine Cohen of Powerfull Living (http://www.powerfull-living.biz) is a Business Coach and Life Strategist and Team Member of Solo-E (http://www.Solo-E.com). Lorraine Cohen is a Business Coach & Life Strategist who brings more than 25 years of experience in life coaching, counseling, and sales. She helps people through career change, life transitions, and the process of breaking through FEAR and removing barriers to success.

Find more articles like this at http://www.Solo-E.com, the lifestyle-inspired online learning and connection community. Visit now to receive a free copy of our special report, The Four Secrets of Solo Entrepreneur Success, plus a complimentary 30-day membership.

What is your reason for setting a goal?

This is the first, and important question you need to ask yourself. Why? If your reason for setting your goal is not sincere, your motivation and enthusiasm can wane drastically as you progress on your goal path. Setting personal goals is just that - personal, and if you do not have deep-rooted reason for your goal, your chances of succeeding are reduced dramatically.

We generally set goals because we are unhappy with where we are, either in life, our job, or a relationship. As Og Mandino says, "People don’t change when they feel good. They change when they’re fed up. When things are going all right, we all tend to do pretty much what we’ve been doing. Pain pushes us to those crucial turning points. We hurt, then we finally choose. It’s that adverb finally. Enough is enough.!"

We want something better. An example is a better paying position at work, or a management position. Maybe it can be that we want to lose weight, or become healthier. Whatever it is, we generally set goals as result of wanting something better.

Animals function on instinct. They sleep, eat and procreate. That’s it.

We humans have a thinking ability. And it is with this thinking ability that we have the urge to achieve something better. But we are also an inherently lazy creature, and we tend to have a resistance to effort.

Goals help keep us motivated

When we have something to aim at, something we achieve, we usually become excited. Think of going to your favorite restaurant. While you’re getting ready, you can almost smell and taste your meal, and you are excited. It is no different when you have a goal to aim at, and this is especially relevant if you have a life goal. Each milestone that you reach, increases your excitement, aka your motivation. Especially, think of when you go on holiday. What is your level of excitement just prior to leaving on holiday, and to what level does this excitement rise shortly before leaving? And then as you progress on your journey? Using the holiday example, this excitement keeps rising the nearer you get to your destination.

Goals undoubtedly give us direction. An example here is when we want to progress in our career.

Let’s say we want to secure a management position. We increase our knowledge and experience, and as result we become more equipped for the position. It is the objective of the management position that motivates us to undergo training, for example. Our goals enable us to move forward, and moving forward can only be beneficial. Go for the gold.

Successful people are goal orientated

Whatever your definition of success is, you will find it difficult to reach that level of success without goals.

If you don’t have a target, the arrow will hit nothing.

It is very important to remember that goals are not static. As our circumstances change, it is inevitable that our goals change. The goals you had when you left school are very different to your goals ten years after school. Similarly, after marriage and children come along, your goals once again change. It is important to remember that when your circumstances change, review and, where necessary adapt your goals. The golden rule of setting your goals is to remain on your goal path.

Without a doubt, having personal goals keeps your enthusiasm up.

Using a map for our holiday

It is usual for us to consult a map when we go on holiday, and yet, sadly, for the holiday of life, we don’t consider consulting a map for this important journey. And when we don’t reach our destination, we become frustrated and annoyed. Yet, when we go on holiday, without a map, and we get lost we similarly get annoyed. And yet, this something we don’t repeatedly do. Your goals, and especially your goal path, is your map for your life.

Having goals, or at the very least, a goal, will enable you to know where you’re going in life. Goals do give us direction.

Thomas Edison is well-known for saying he didn’t fail, but found 10 000 ways it didn’t work. He had thousands of attempts over many years to invent the electric light bulb, but he knew exactly what he wanted, and his goal kept him going until he achieved it.

Oprah Winfrey was an abused child who was determined to make a better life for herself. Michelle Kwan had a goal to be the best skater in the world.

If you want proof that goal setting works, and is valuable in your life, think of musicians. They are one of the best examples of having determination in not only setting, but also achieving their goals. Athletes don’t become record holders by chance - it is only through effective goal setting. Top sales people work consciously at their goals, and as result become star performers. No-one becomes an astronaut by accident.

Every person who becomes successful in whatever field or area they choose, followed a goal path - a map to achieve their success.

Role of an effective goal setting system

If you have a dream, and want to achieve something better in life, having a goal can bring you success.

An effective goal setting system must get you on your road to success. It should also give you the tools to enable you to gain confidence in reaching your goal. There are many books and programs available that can help you set your goal. It is my belief that anyone can set a goal, but the important thing is to reach your goal.

An effective goal setting system should be a blueprint, and enable you to determine where you want to go with your life, and be an aid to keeping you on your goal path.

Having a goal, success is possible. Without goals, success is rarely possible - whatever area in your life.

About the Author
Colin Dunbar’s eaziGOAL is the ultimate goal setting program created especially for working moms and dads. "There is no reason we working moms and dads cannot reach our dream." Full details available at http://www.eaziGOAL.com Manual, workbook, PLUS companion software. FREE newsletter.

Over time I have come to realize that the three most important subjects in the world to man are sex, property and religion. By the first we create life, by the second we maintain life and by the third we hope to continue life in the world to come. But I have also come to realize that it is not our sex, our interests swarm about our own egos, self-worth or self-esteem.

Someone said “No one can fall in love if he is even partially satisfied with what he has or who he is. The experience of falling in love originates in an extreme depression, an inability to find something that has value in everyday life. The ‘symptom’ of the predisposition to fall in love is not the conscious desire to do so or the intense desire to enrich our lives, it is the profound sense of being worthless and of having nothing that is valuable and the shame of not having it.”

Self-esteem therefore is a powerful human need without which we will be vulnerable to various situations ranging from failure in school to failure in relationships. Young people, since they are profoundly uncertain, unsure of there worth and often ashamed of themselves frequently full in love.

They seek those values they cannot find in themselves. They seek honesty, they seek trust, they seek truth, and they seek courage, charm, charisma, confidence, carriage and character in other people. They build their world around the person in whom they find the values they seek. This one person controls their emotional, social and sometimes spiritual lives. They build their emotional lives around the behaviour of others, empowering the weaknesses of other people to control them. This is the height of vulnerability in people.

The reality is that over time this individual we build our world around discovers our dependability no matter how clever we try to hide it and then they use it to oppress us. They know we do not posses the values they do and so we are not their kind of person. In a question of time when they meet someone with their values they will move on. The truth is like terms attract like terms.

It is quite instructive to say that if we can develop ourselves, our heart, our habits and our character to such a level where we posses the very value we are looking for in others we will be better off. We would love from a vantage position of strength and not weakness, we would become a miracle out of darkness instead of a package of misery in motion, we would love ourselves the more and others who we meet will respect us in return.

To achieve this growth in ourselves we must limit contact with those who always pull us down, those who would only see the bad in us and never acknowledge the good, those who would not help us to be better, those who do not posses the values we seek to develop in ourselves because as a stream always partakes of the property of the soil through which it runs, so the principles and habits of youth invariably becomes tinctured with the character of the company in which they mingle.

You must make out a list of your best qualities with the determination of improving them. These qualities will form the foundation of your strength upon which you will build new values and habits. You must also identify the values you are moving towards and those you are moving away from. Remember the chains of habit are always too weak to be felt until they become too strong to be broken. So work at breaking free of every habit that will take you far away from your ultimate goal.

Finally, in the process of evolving new principles, character and habits do not leave anything to chance. Chances are that if you keep working on your thoughts, actions, habits, character and principles you will wake up one fine morning to discover that you are one of the best in your generation.

The values you admire and seek in others can be developed in you if and only if you choose to work at developing them. Remember what the mind can conceive and believe the mind can achieve.

All too often good-intentioned people set forth goals designed to satiate others rather than themselves. While the intent is honorable, the results will likely lead to failure. Why? As the somewhat provocative title of this article indicates, you need to be selfish with your goals and select ones that mean something to you.

Through segments on the evening news, magazines, talk shows, radio programming and even the advice of family and friends, we are consistently subjected to a whole litany of goals that anyone with half a brain should strive for. If we were to listen to all the experts, we would all need to be perfectly fit and rich individuals with at least two college majors under our belt.

Baloney.

Now I won’t deny that there are tremendous benefits to being physically fit, financially well off or highly educated, but let’s be honest here – one doesn’t require all of the above to live a successful and happy life. There are many somewhat overweight individuals that are quite happy to escape the annoyances of careful food selection and exercise and instead focus on earning money or spending time with family. By the same token, there are many physically fit individuals that see no need to bring in extraordinary levels of income to be happy; they would just as well get by with what they need to live.

I firmly believe all of us should constantly strive to improve ourselves, but there is no single blueprint that we should all follow. What might be important to me (business and management) might not be important to you, and vice versa. For this reason, when you are determining which goals you would like to pursue you should always block out the wishes of others and select goals that are dear to your heart.

This sounds incredibly selfish, but obviously I’m not advocating adopting a goal that would hurt others, and ideally in a committed relationship you and your significant other would share common goals. But when push comes to shove, if you choose a goal for someone else rather than yourself you will do yourself a huge disservice.

Take, for example, weight loss. Many overweight people lead happy and successful lives despite their weight; you don’t have to be as fit as a fiddle to be happy. Let’s say one of these somewhat overweight individuals decided one day to finally buckle under the constant societal harping about the benefits of weight loss and begin a diet program. What would happen?

Chances are very high the individual would adjust his diet and get off to a good start. Almost all of us are capable of losing a few pounds during the first couple weeks, particularly since much of the initial weight loss is water. But during this time chances are good the dieter will be fairly unhappy, and this unhappiness will fester over time. Eventually when the body stops losing water weight and shifts into fat loss, the weight loss will slow down to about a pound or two a week.

Throughout the diet the dieter’s morale and optimistic outlook on life will suffer, and this might even affect other areas he was already successful with, such as his relationship with his family or his business. Eventually he will quit his diet in disgust, and immediately upon reverting to his old eating habits he will not only gain what he lost he’ll also gain even more! Diets play havoc with the body’s metabolism, so more often than not a person that quits a diet will end up weighing far more than had they never dieted to begin with.

Clearly weight loss is a fantastic goal that can provide a lifetime of benefits, but it isn’t for everyone! If you are not passionate about such a goal, you could actually harm other areas of your life when stress is added and morale and motivation drops due to your lifestyle change, and then to add insult to injury you just might end up being heavier than you were had you not even tried to adopt to society’s standards.

The above example holds true for every single goal under the sun. Many people love the business world and all its risks and challenges, but others would rather avoid the stressful situations and problems that all businessmen face. Perhaps they would rather live a middle-class lifestyle, stay physically fit and enjoy hiking or camping trips with a partner over the weekends during the time the business-oriented are probably working overtime.

Choose only the goals that are compatible with your desires and needs, because selecting an incompatible goal that society or family advocates is a virtually guaranteed formula for failure, and can very easily do more harm than good.

Copyright 2005 Goals and Motivation.com

Jeffrey Rolo is an experienced human resources manager, business owner and also the owner of Goals and Motivation.com, a website offering a free 20+ page guide on goal setting. Visit http://www.goals-and-motivation.com to view this guide as well as other articles about goals and management.