Reach Your Goals

Getting close is always a good start to getting where you want to go – and is always a lot closer than where you began. No doubt about it, success has and always will be a step by step process. With each new step taken, the goal gets a little closer, a little clearer and a little easier to reach. By making every day count for something special, it’s not a matter of “if” an individual will reach his or her goal – it’s only a matter of when.  “The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs…One step at a time” — Joe Girad You too must take as many steps as you can every day, making certain you do not skip any important steps along the way. By staying focused on your goals, you’ll get a little closer, a little closer and a little closer to making your dreams come true. Then, before you know it, you will have reached farther and climbed higher than you ever dreamed was possible. Getting close does count – so why not get going and get closer … today? “There is ...

Our conscious mind is the gardener and our subconscious mind is the garden and whatever we plant in it will grow for us. Thoughts repeatedly sown will be reaped in physical manifestation. And the problem is that we are bound by the self-imposed limitations of our subconscious mind.  Moreover, too many people short-circuit their chances for success by having a low self-image, restricting their image of what they can do by self-imposed limitations caused by conditioning. That’s why we must use affirmations to free our untapped potential in order to achieve what we want.  “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” -- Epictetus  Furthermore, many people practice a negative kind of affirmation. They constantly tell themselves things like “I cannot do it because I don’t know how to do it”, “I don’t like crowds”, “I’m not that talented”, “I am just not good at making a speech”, “I will never get well”, “I think nobody likes me”… and so on. As...

Too many goals have been lost purely because of lack of a built-in reward and praise system. Individuals go for weeks, months, years with no "pat on the back" and give up their dreams when their motivation is at low. It is noteworthy that our craving for meaning and purpose is very strong and whenever we receive praise or reward we feel appreciated, important, and meaningful. “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.” – Mother Teresa We all know that a short statement of praise makes us double our efforts for the person who gave it, with a renewed vigor. Why? — So we can get some more. The reasons why and the major benefits will take you over obstacles but there needs to be lots of little "well dones" to lubricate the journey. To do this, you should have a reward system for all your small, medium, and long-term goals. It doesn't matter how small the reward is, as long as there is a reward. For example, if by following your...

If the inner dialogue with yourself is filled with negativity it can reduce your desire to do anything. The good news is that if you counter that with a positive pep talk it can give you the motivation you need to keep pressing forward .  For example, you might have an inner recording telling you that you are wasting your time working on a particular goal because you don’t have what it takes or it is simply never going to happen with all the obstacles on your path and the problem is that you may be unaware of such recording. Furthermore, it is easy to be down on yourself especially if you don’t think you are seeing results fast enough. No matter how successful you are, or how many victories you've had in the past, there will always be an opportunity to get discouraged and I must admit that I have been struggling with staying motivated for a couple of weeks now because I'm not seeing the results I want fast enough. However, each time I begin to feel discouraged I remind...

The Bible says that we cannot even add one inch to our height by worrying. (See Matthew 6:27) Worrying does us absolutely no good and it is a complete waste of time and energy. Yet we worry, worry, worry, which gets us nowhere. It doesn’t change one thing, and we waste time by being upset over stuff we cannot do anything about—things only God can change. And He’s not going to change them until we put our trust in Him instead of being anxious and worrying. The problem is that we let our hearts to be troubled, and disturbed when we find ourselves in unpleasant circumstances and as a result we begin to feel depressed, disappointed, and discouraged.  Also, it is noteworthy that every time we get really upset it takes a lot of emotional energy, tires us out, messes with our health, steals our joy, and still doesn’t change one thing. Yet, most of our present-day living is weighed down by worrying about what might happen in the future.  If you worry too much about things you can...

Throughout our lives there are new, exciting opportunities but we have to look for them. The problem is that too many people wait for an opportunity to present itself. Opportunity does not chase you; you have to go after it. Think about this for a moment. Every day on TV and radio and in newspapers we hear about discoveries which testify the talents and abilities of the "ordinary person" in the worlds of sport, music, literature, science, technology, medicine, and the arts. “I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.”    - Mark Twain Too many people, however, think that those talents exist only in others and not in themselves, yet they are also "ordinary everyday people". Every "ordinary person" is exceptional when involved in the right opportunity, an opportunity of their own creation, making, or catching. You are a genius at something and you have to find it, develop it, and share it with the world. Furthermore, regardless...

We have been conditioned by outside influences almost from the moment of our birth and this often results in low self-image. Whether you have been conditioned by the limiting predictions from a shortsighted parent since childhood, or someone just expressed doubt about your goals, you may be letting the negative preconceptions of others invade your mind and deplete your motivation.  To solve this problem, you have to release these limiting messages by holding a private ceremony in which you symbolically let go of any internalized messages or programming you’ve received from others. You can do this because you can recondition your mind to think in new ways.  Realize that any conditioning created by the mind of the individual can be reversed or be recreated. Most importantly, you must recognize your unique possibilities, making your own decisions about who you are and what you will become, rather than passively submitting to the power of your environment. “I advise y...

Everything that you do in life is determined by your attitude and 90% of your success will be determined by how positive your mental attitude is. We all want good results in life and the single most important factor that guarantees good results is a healthy attitude. You will find that a great attitude will seem to create unexpected opportunities— a process of happy discoveries, which others refer to as so called "lucky breaks".  “There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”                                                           — W. Clement Stone The problem is tha...

If you want to get the most out of your life and enjoy the trip along the way, you must get in the healthy habit of setting aside some 'down' time daily - each and every day without exception. Going into the silence, having complete stillness, is by far the best way to learn how to activate your inner guidance voice. In addition, everything that is valuable for us to know will come to us if we will open ourselves to the voice of the universal mind. “Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From this quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” – James Levin However, from the moment we wake up in the morning until we finally drift off to sleep at night, a din of nonstop noise is in our face all over the place. Everywhere we go and everywhere we turn, there seems to be no end to the racket and ruckus going on all around us. And it is worth noting that the silence of a quiet place is something many people have not experienced. In addition, many peop...

The weakest of ink is better than the strongest of memories. The very fact of putting your goals down on paper creates a psychological commitment. Also, it allows you to set your priorities, set deadlines, and to maintain balance in your life. However, many people don’t know what goals are and their vital importance as an ingredient toward achieving what they want. I read where less than 3% of adults have written goals! I have written extensively on goal-setting and I want to help you master this art whether you’ve been introduced to goal setting before or not. But before I release my special report on goal setting, let me give you some reasons why you should consider forming this habit: 1. A person who learns how to set goals lives each day with a sense of clarity, confidence, purpose, and passion. 2. Writing your goals down gives you a sense of direction by providing a guide for you to stay on course, and this provides a road map to help you actualize your dreams and visions. 3....

People with low self-esteem tend to have more emotional problems than others, set low goals for themselves, become socially invincible, conform against their better judgment and court rejection by putting others down. To determine your level of self-esteem, answer “yes” or “no” to the following questions: 1. Do you tend to be critical of other people to make yourself feel better? 2. Do you have very little confidence in your abilities? 3. Are you very sensitive to criticism? 4. Do you have a hard time accepting praise or flattery? 5. Do you feel awkward in social situations and just don’t know how to take charge? If you answer “yes” to most of the foregoing questions, you may be suffering from low self-esteem. Research shows that people with low self-esteem have a self-protective orientation so they avoid situations in which they might fail and focus on improving their shortcomings.  On the contrary, those with a high self-esteem have a self-enhancing orientation: they capi...

Success is the continuous accomplishment of planned objectives which are worthwhile to the individual and it is worth noting that any development of your untapped potential is a worthwhile goal.  A major reason for people not achieving what they want is that they lack a clearly defined concept of what success is and although they may feel they want to succeed, they don’t clearly define what they really want. Consequently, they are unable to know what they are able to achieve and therefore simply decide to stay as they are. “Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love.”                                                                        — David McCullough The problem is that many people measure their success and compare themselves with others. They compare their appearance, contac...

Motivation is and always has been an integral daily component in the long-term success of any winner. Staying focused, determined, and committed to being our absolute best are sure fine traits of a winner, yet none of these invaluable qualities can be infinitely sustained without a steady dose of motivation. Here are 5 motivational tips for you today: 1. Strive for excellence If you are feeling unmotivated today ask yourself if you’ve been focusing on just “getting stuff done”. If this is true about you, the reason you feel this way is because there seems to be no obvious payoff from each action step you take.  Remedy: To solve this problem, instead commit yourself to excellence in everything you do and watch how it elevates your sense of pride and satisfaction. As you get better at each task you complete, you’ll become more motivated to maintain the high quality in everything you do. 2. Focus on one goal at a time A focused mind is powerful. Whatever you do, do it with al...

When people complain about “wasted time” they are usually upset because they haven’t accomplish what they really wanted to do with their time. The problem is that many people let time slip through their fingers without accomplishing much because they devote their time to unnecessary and unimportant activities. As a result, they constantly feel that they have too much to do at work, at school, or at home and too little time to do it. They struggle with time pressure and this makes their life more stressful. If you struggle with time management you are not alone. However, you can do something to solve this problem.  Start by following these five steps: 1. Monitor your use of time The first step toward better time management is to monitor your use of time to see where it all goes. To analyze where your time goes, you need to review your time log and create a weekly time use summary. At the end of each week, you should analyze how your time was allocated.  In addition, based ...

Time is a non-renewable resource. It can’t be stockpiled like money, food or other precious resources. We can’t turn back the clock. Furthermore, everyone, whether rich or poor, gets an equal share of time—24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Time is our most equitably distributed resource but some people spend it more wisely than others. Why is this? Why is it that some people let time slip through their fingers without accomplishing much? There are many reasons why people use their time unwisely. Here are 3 key reasons to reflect on: 1. Their goals are neither clearly define nor written down  The truth is you can’t wisely allocate your time unless you decide what you want to accomplish with your time. The problem is that too many people don’t have clearly defined written goals and therefore, they cannot prioritize their work. As a result, they often use up too much time on trivial pursuits, leaving their more important tasks undone.  2. Inability to say “no” ...

Self-esteem is the overall evaluation of your worth as a person. If you feel basically good about yourself, you probably have high self esteem. The problem is the ups and downs of daily life can produce short-term fluctuations in self-esteem. For example, when a good-looking person at work asked you out you probably felt good about yourself, but do you recall the distress you experience when you saw that C grade starring back at you on your last calculus exam? The truth is sometimes we can have a stable self-esteem; that means if your self-esteem is high today you are likely to have high self-esteem in six months or two years from now. The problem is that many people are extremely responsive to feedback from others— they are more moved by praise and more sensitive to criticism. As a result, their self-esteem fluctuates in response to daily experiences. Furthermore, you have to carry your own self-image, not someone else's. Your worth is determined by you and does not require you ...

One of the tests we’re all going to have to pass before we achieve our goals, dreams, and visions is discouragement test. On the way to getting what you want, you will encounter obstacles to surmount and problems to solve. Too many people, however, allow these circumstances to keep them from moving forward because they easily become discouraged. Here are 7 ways to overcome discouragement: 1. Think positively It is so easy to think negatively when we are discouraged. For example, we start looking at what we don’t have or thinking that our dream cannot become a reality because we have too many obstacles to surmount and so on. To solve this problem, always keep your mind on what you want.  2. Learn from your experiences No matter how successful you have been in the past, or how many victories you’ve had so far, there is always going to be another opportunity to get discouraged. The key is to learn from your past experiences and develop the winning state of mind that will enable y...

The greatest people from time to time avoid the company of others. Without exception all outstanding people spend a good deal of time in uninterrupted thought. They get right away, either in a room of their own and lock the door or walk up a hill where they can sit and quietly meditate. It is important that you spend a considerable amount of time alone every day contemplating, meditating, and listening to your inner voice. The problem is there are too many distractions in everyday life and it is very easy to come up with many excuses why we can’t take time to think.  To solve this problem, make yourself a study "away from it all" even though it is only an attic or shed. Go to this "retreat" regularly. If you cannot do this, go high up some hill where you can sit alone. Try and dwell with yourself for a short time every day. Take with you that "listening" attitude, as though you were expecting to hear something.  “Follow effective action with quiet...

For every obstacle there is a solution. One of the most essential principles for success is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come. The key to victory is continuing to do the right thing with the right attitude and refusing to quit. However, too many people limit their possibilities by giving up easily when they meet obstacles. Let me ask you a question: If you could so order your life so as to avoid all types of adversity, how could you develop character? Everyone must cut his or her teeth on some form of experience. It is not the crisis or the adversity that is the problem it is how you react to it which is the problem. And so often, instead of using the time to learn, regroup and move again, or using our energy to be creative in raising a phoenix out of the ashes of our crisis, we waste time and energy blaming why we are in a situation and how “we don’t deserve this”. The truth is char...