A guide to Goal-setting

1. LifetoSuccess.com Guide to Goal Setting
By John Clark – www.lifetosuccess.com
Please distribute this freely to those you feel will benefit from this
valuable information.
G
oal Setting is the pinnacle of all Personal Development skills. This is the
skill that if not mastered will leave you in a life of mediocrity.
Goal Setting is the skill that will determine the job, income, savings and
relationships you have.
These are the areas which should be focused on in order to lead a balanced life:
1. Family and Personal Life
2. Business and Career
3. Investments and Money
4. Health and Fitness
5. Personal Growth
6. Spiritual Growth
7. Social and Community Activities
In Brian Tracy’s great book, Focal Point, he explains how important it is to build a
picture of the ideal situation in each of the above categories.
Once you have established the ideal, it’s time to look at your present situation in
these areas.
This is called Gap Analysis. The whole idea behind Goal Setting is in bridging the
gap.
Now this is not a time to beat yourself up. Quite frankly you are exactly where
you need to be at this present time.
The idea behind this is to become very conscious of what is going on in your life.
Most people go day to day giving no conscious thought as to what is happening
to them in their lives.
Once you become aware of how your thoughts actually cause what is going on in
your life it becomes a lot easier to change your thoughts. The book As A Man
Thinketh by James Allen is a great book about this subject.
In review to this point:

2. 1. Work on picturing the ideal situation in each of the categories listed above.
By focusing on these categories you maintain balance.
2. The next step is to take a snap shot of your present situation in each of
the categories.
O
nce we have identified the gap, it’s time for us to start bridging that gap.
This is where the actual Goal Setting Phase comes in. We need to focus
on making S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
S – means specific. It’s not good enough to say, “I want to make lots of money
this year.” You need to be clear. “I earn $45,000 a year.”
M – means measurable. You must be able to measure it. By weight, dollar
amount, increase by percentage or simply yes or no.
A – means achievable. You must believe that you can actually achieve it. Now
the fact that you think about it means you can achieve it. But sometimes we need
to break our goals down into steps. Our mind has a device that will sometimes
hold us back. Now this is a very complex area of study, but it has to with our self
image. We will only achieve those things that fall within our self image. There are
several resources available that go into great detail in this area. I will have a list
of them at the end of this guide.
R – means realistic. This means you can’t set conflicting goals. It’s unrealistic to
set a goal to be a professional golfer and to be the top sales person in your
industry. The two goals wouldn’t allow each other to happen and you would end
failing at both of them.
T- means time bound. They must have a deadline. Now what happens if you
don’t achieve your goal by the deadline? You simply re-evaluate the goal and if
it’s still an important goal, set a new deadline.
Now in review to this point:
1. We must set S.M.A.R.T goals.
2. Our Goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time
bound.

3. T
he next step in the Goal Setting and Goal Achieving process is to take
action.
Once we have determined our Gap and have set our S.M.A.R.T. goals we need
to take action towards our goal.
Now the trick here is that whatever it is that you want to accomplish there is
someone who has gone before you and done it.
You don’t need reinvent the wheel to achieve your goals. Simply find someone
who has achieved the goal and either ask them or buy their book and start doing
what they have done to achieve their goal.
For example, to get to your ideal weight, the most successful way is to eat less
and exercise more. Now this is a very simplistic example, but when you read
most weight loss books this is the message. And this is from years of study.
There are books on most everything you could possibly want to achieve.
The difference between those who achieve their goals and those who don’t is
action and the humility to look for help from others.
In review:
1. Lights, Camera, Action!!
2. We’ve set the stage by our ideal.
3. We are consciously looking at our day to day activities and have set our
clear, realistic, and time bound goals.
4. We are taking daily action to achieve our goals.

4. T
he next step in this process is Daily and Weekly review.
We need to constantly check on our progress. We need to have
benchmarks to measure our progress against.
Now some goals we need to look at daily, some need to be reviewed weekly, and
some need to be reviewed monthly.
This is one of the most over looked areas in Goal Setting.
If it’s a specific weight you are looking to achieve maybe you should be weighing
yourself once a week. If you let it go much farther than that you may not be able
to adjust soon enough to get back on track.
If it’s a yearly money goal maybe once a month is the measure point.
The measure point will be determined by what you are trying to accomplish.
In Review:
1. We have the ideal.
2. We have analyzed the gap. And determined where we need to go.
3. We have set specific, realistic, measurable, and time bound goals.
4. We are taking action.
5. We are looking at our progress.

5. T
he next step is constant review and systematic planning.
We need to review our goals constantly in order to make sure:
1. The goal is still important to us.
2. We are on track to achieving our goal.
We should have a quarterly review of our major goals.
A Quarterly review of your goals should start with a list of 100 things you want to
achieve. Once you have the list you should categorized the goals in the category
list from earlier in this report.
Break them down by timeframe to achieve them. 1 Yr., 3 Yr., 5 Yr. and 10 Yr.
Now take the top three 1, 3, 5, 10 year goals and write them out.
These are the goals you need to start working on.
Sometimes a Goal you have set earlier may no longer be important to you. This
review process will help you weed out the things that are most important to you.
In review:
1. Work on your ideal in the different categories to help maintain balance.
2. Analyze the Gap between where you are and where you want to be. This
is where you will come up with your goals.
3. Set specific, measurable, realistic time bound goals.
4. Take action. Don’t be afraid to look for help from others. Success leaves
tracks.
5. Measure your progress and make adjustments is necessary.
6. Systematic and regular goals review.

6. I
n closing, Goal Setting is one the most important aspects of success in life.
Goal Setting should be fun and exciting. Not a chore.
This is the time when you should be Dreaming Big Dreams as Brian Tracy says.
The ability to set and achieve goals will make your life an outstanding success. A
life filled will with fun and excitement.
Where do you want to go?
What do you want to see?
How much money do you want to make and save?
What courses do you want to complete?
What is your dream job?
Do you want to own your own business?
Your goals need to make you stretch. Your goals need to make you become
more than what you are. Your goals need to make you learn more than you
currently know.
I love to help others achieve their goals and love to hear the stories. Please feel
free to e-mail me at JOHNCHC@lifetosuccess.com with the stories of success
and your challenges.
Make your life a masterpiece. Make your life a LifetoSuccess.
John Clark – www.lifetosuccess.com

7. Goal Setting Resources:
Goals 2005 – This is the most comprehensive Goal Setting course on the net.
With several levels to choose from each of them with the Goal Setting guide with
embedded audio clips on Goal Setting.
The Goal Achiever – Bob Proctor does a wonderful job explaining the mind set
behind Goal Setting. He really takes the in depth approach to the way the mind
works in the Goal Setting Process.
Zig Ziglar’s Goals Program – Zig Ziglar also explores the way the mind works in
the Goal Setting Process. Zig is a wonderful teacher with a unique ability to tell
stories to help you learn.
Focal Point – Brian Tracy has a master book here. This book will help gain focus
on things that are really important to you. With a book full of ideas that will stretch
your mind to different ways of thinking about your life.
The Ultimate Goals Program – Brian Tracy takes his years of knowledge in
Personal Achievement and lays out a wonderful Goal Setting Program with a
step by step approach to one of the most challenging and rewarding habits in
Personal Development.
Unleash Your Greatness – A wonderful program from Mike Litman. This Program
will help you get focused on accomplishing your dreams and breaking through
the barriers that are holding you back.
Please distribute this freely to those you feel will benefit from this
valuable information.
Thank you,
John Clark – www.lifetosuccess.com