Step 7: Define Your Tasks for Every Mini-Goal

We’re going to make it even easier. We’ll break down every mini-goal into small easy-to-accomplish tasks.

Tasks are usually the simple things you must do to accomplish a mini-goal.

If you’ve set a mini-goal, for example, to have a complete understanding about investing in bonds by June 15th, you will have to accomplish a number of tasks for acquiring that knowledge.

• Choosing to go to the library and get a book on bonds would be a task.
• Reading the book for one hour on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, could be three separate tasks.
• Visiting the Investors Skills’ website for their bond information would be another task.
• Calling your buddy who’s had success in the bond market would be a task as well.

All of these tasks must be set with a deadline.

By focusing your mind on the easy-to-accomplish tasks, and completing those tasks, you’ll be making great progress towards your mini-goals without feeling overwhelmed.

Make sure to write down ALL tasks, even those that take only minutes to complete.

Then, when they’re accomplished, check them off.

As more and more tasks are successfully accomplished, and checked off, you’ll find yourself becoming more encouraged, and more confident about your abilities.

And the more tasks you complete on time, the closer you’ll be to success.

Step 6: Break Your Goal Down To Mini-Goals

Now is the time to start planning the route towards your goal!

We’ll start by breaking up your big goal into smaller mini-goals. Most people fail to achieve their goal simply because they don’t break them down into smaller steps. All they can see is this big overwhelming goal they’ve set for themselves and they don’t know where to start working on it!

• Mini-goals let you track your progress more efficiently
• Mini-goals are not so overwhelming
• Mini-goals are easier to achieve
• Mini-goals let you feel the progress.

Every goal can be broken into mini goals. Mini goals should never be too difficult or too long. You don’t want to be overwhelmed by them.

Ask yourself: “What steps do I need to take to achieve my goal?”

These steps will be your mini-goals.

Step 5: Write Your Goal Down

You’ve probably heard hundreds of times that it is crucial to write your goal down. But do you know why this step is so important?

When you put pen to paper you turn your thoughts into something tangible. You can actually see it, touch it, and even smell it if you want to. Your goal is no longer just a thought! It becomes something, what motivates us and creates a gut feeling inside.

Even the act of using the eye in coordination with the hand holding the pen makes a much stronger impression on our mind as we write out the phrase or expression. Now when we read and re-read that phrase or sentence the impression on the mind becomes deeper and deeper.

There is something semi-magical about writing one’s goals down which makes achieving well-written goals an almost certainty.

Here are the four rules of writing goals down:

Rule #1: Write your goal in the positive.

Work for what you want, not for what you want to leave behind. Part of the reason why we write down and examine our goals is to create a set of instructions for our subconscious mind to carry out. Your subconscious mind is a very efficient tool, it can not determine right from wrong and it does not judge. It’s only function is to carry out its instructions. The more positive instructions you give it, the more positive results you will get.

Rule #2: Write your goals out in complete detail.

Instead of writing “A new home,” write “A 4,000 square foot contemporary with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths and a view of the mountain on 20 acres of land”.

Once again we are giving the subconscious mind a detailed set of instructions to work on. The more information you give it, the more clear the final outcome becomes. The more precise the outcome, the more efficient the subconscious mind can become.

Rule #3: Write in present tense.

Write your goals down in the present tense. This is because the unconscious mind chooses a path of least resistance. If you write, “I will be slim” the unconscious mind does nothing thinking that the will be may be postponed until later.

Write them in present tense, first person, as if they are currently true.

Rule #4: Re-write your goals.

When the words are written and then repeatedly re-written they have maximum impact. So don’t be content with a first draft.

Write down your goal. Then rephrase it, compact it, add motivating adjectives, make it pithy. A week later you may want to adjust it again. Keep on fine-tuning.

Writing your goals down is the first step to make the goals more real. Somehow having things in writing really makes them seem more important to most people. It will also make it easier to make the plans needed to reach your goals if you have something in writing. Putting it in writing breathes life into it making it a force which cannot be easily stopped.

Write your goal down and let’s go to the next step!

Step 4: Set a Deadline for Your Goal

Set a realistic date when you plan to accomplish your goal. Don’t commit to “as soon as possible”! If you don’t have a specific deadline for your goal, you won’t have a sense of urgency and you’ll start to put things off. What’s the hurry, if you don’t have a deadline?

Remember that the deadline must be realistic. We all tend to underestimate time it will take us to accomplish tasks. Keep in mind that unplanned obscacles may occur and slow you down.

Most people who have trouble keeping a deadline do so because they haven’t planned ahead very well. Often times, the calendar is full and they don’t realize it because they haven’t recorded everything on their calendar, or because they simply don’t know how to plan ahead.

Choose a date that is at the same time motivating and realistic. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.

After you set a deadline it’s time to go to the next step!

Step 3: Develop a Strong Belief That You Can Achieve Your Goal

Filling one’s mind with positive thoughts and encouraging beliefs can empower one to become far more successful than one actually is. Even if that person cannot fully unleash their full personal potential, he or she will actually see and feel himself or herself move up rung-after-rung on the ladder of success!

Using positive thinking to improve your life can be….just that…life-changing. It’s when you admit thoughts, words, images that are conducive towards your growth and use it for the betterment of your life, you’re using positive thinking. Positive thinking can be done using mere thoughts, eliminating negative ones, using words and phrases or quotes; or some people use positive affirmations and visualization to help improve their lives. It all depends on what works best on that person and with positive thinking, no two persons respond the same way to the same method. Everyone is different.

An open and positive mind is not only open to ideas on how to improve his or her life, he or she is actually using the mind to control his or her decision so that he or she can achieve better results in life. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and success. When the mind anticipates these things, that person will make decisions based on these expectations.

If you don’t believe you can reach a goal you won’t.

If there is any doubt in your mind that you can achieve something, you don’t give it your all. In fact, you may very well just set it aside. In order to fully achieve anything, you must believe it is possible at a cellular level.

If you believe that you can be successful, that you’ll enjoy being successful, then you will be successful.

Do you really believe you can achieve your goal? If yes, go the next step!

Step 2: Intensify your Desire to Achieve your Goal

Have you ever failed to achieve your goals?

Do you know the single most important reason why you couldn’t reach it?

The answer is simple: Because we did not have a strong enough desire.

Some may argue with that. “But I did have a strong desire and still I didn’t get there.”

Sorry, but if you didn’t reach your goal your desire was still not strong enough.

So what is the intense desire, passion?

It’s what keeps people working all hours, up early, late to bed. The desire dominates conversation, thinking, actions.

Take a moment to think about the goal you’ve set for yourself.

How committed are you to achieving this goal?

Under what conditions would you give up?

What if you wanted them so badly that you knew with absolute certainty that you would absolutely, positively never ever give up?

Make sure your desire is strong enough and let’s go to the next step!

Step 1: Choose a Goal

Goal setting is a process whereby you decide what you want to achieve and set up a plan to do it. Some people say that goal setting is just a matter of sitting down and deciding what to do with their lives but we beg to differ. There is more to goal setting than meets the eye.

If you fully intend to achieve your goals, you should perceive goal setting as anextremely powerful process of personal planning. Goal setting should not be taken lightly because your journey to success depends completely on the goal setting process. Your personal goals and achievements should be based on what you want out of your life, your interest, your capabilities, and the time and money you are willing to invest into achieving your goals.

The very first step of goal setting is to, first, determine what you want at the end of the journey. That is your ultimate destination. Ask yourself…in this lifetime, what do you want to achieve? Really want to achieve? This desire will help you outline your goals in life and lend a helping hand in the goal setting process. Goal setting should touch on areas regarding artistic, attitude (personality), career, education, family, financial (most popular), physical, pleasure, health…etc.

Suffice to say here that when you’re thinking about your goals, think about no one else except for yourself. What do you feel deep inside your heart? What are your dreams? Your secrets…what are they? Forget about your parents, sisters, brothers, relatives, friends and associates. They should have nothing to do with your personal goals. Therefore, they should not influence your decision even in the smallest way.
You should start with one goal and stay focused on this goal at least for 30 days. If after 30 days you feel you’re doing well and getting closer to the desired outcome you can start with the second goal.

The simple rule is: Don’t set a lot of goals at the same time. You won’t achieve any. The key to goal setting is staying focused. And it is impossible to focus at many goals at the same time.

Start with the most important one. Have you chosen one? Then let’s proceed to the second step!