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According to research, less than 3% of Americans write out their goals and fewer than 1% read and review them daily.
Take a moment to think about this statistic. Is it any wonder that the top 20% of earners in our country take home 80% of the nations wealth?
Clearly, there is a great disparity of income in our country.
What we often fail to consider is that the majority of the wealthiest people in this country are all first generation wealth. Many of whom, started with nothing!
What do they all have in common? A propensity to get serious about their goals and to stop at nothing to achieve them.
Think about your list of goals as a road map to the future. If you fail to take the time to prepare before you set out on your voyage, how do you ever expect to reach your destination?
Research shows that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down!
There are a variety of reasons why people fail to take this step in reaching their goals, but let’s take a look at why this powerful habit is essential for achievement and success.
Clarity is key
The vast majority of us have hopes and wishes but we don’t have clear and decisive goals. Clarity is the underpinning of success.
You must get maniacally focused on what it is you want to accomplish and then work consistently and deliberately toward achieving it.
The process of writing out our goals allows us to get laser focused on exactly what it is we want and why we want it.
What do you want your life to look like in five or ten years?
What steps can you take today to make that life a reality?
Creating a list of your goals will allow you to decide which of your goals you want to begin working on right away.
Identify the one or two goals that take priority and then write a few things you can start immediately to move you closer to those goals.
You don’t have to know exactly how you will reach your desired outcome, you simply have to know what it is that you want to achieve and take any step you can think of that will move you towards it.
Regardless of the action, the mere act of contemplating and visualizing yourself achieving your goal will begin to seduce your subconscious mind into working to assist you in accomplishing it.
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
Don’t just write them-read them daily!
It’s simply not enough to write out a list of goals in your journal, stuff that journal in a drawer and expect those goals to be realized.
A key component of goal setting and attaining those goals is to read and review them on a daily basis.
When you think about your goal regularly and work on achieving it daily, you will begin using more and more of your mental power to move you closer to your goal and in turn your goal closer to you.
Measuring Progress
One of the things I love so much about writing out my goals is the act of going back and checking off the goals I've accomplished.
How satisfying is that?
It is a wonderful feeling to write out a goal, discipline your mind and body to move toward that goal, finally accomplish it, and then check it off your list. This is the juice of life.
“Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.”
Humans are wired for action
As human beings we are naturally goal and action oriented.
The problem is so many of us neglect this biological component of our innate abilities and choose to make excuses rather than plans for our future.
When we move along the path of achievement and realize our goals, our body releases dopamine, a feel good hormone in the brain.
This keeps us focused and motivated as our self-esteem rises when we’re making progress toward our goals.
Where so many of us get tripped up is we often choose the comfort of what is safe and familiar, rather than stretch into the unknown in order to achieve greatness.
As we go through our days denying our dreams and undermining our capabilities with doubt and fear we begin to lose our thirst for life.
Eliminate Distractions
We find that with no clear direction of purpose we fall susceptible to the numbing of distractions like alcohol, television, shopping, etc.
When you write out your goals and review them everyday you get very clear about which activities are empowering and which are not.
This makes it easier to make decisions about which activities are of low value and which are of high value.
As you begin eliminating low value habits one by one and implementing more of high value you will notice your self-confidence and self-esteem begin to improve.
Before you know it, you will have optimized your time in the most efficient way to allow you to reach your dreams and aspirations.
It’s worth the effort
Growth and learning must be an everyday habit if you want to live a life of success and fulfillment.
It is through the constant pursuit of becoming a better version of yourself that you go through life experiencing a steady flow of happiness.
You genuinely feel good, because you are exercising your potential to become more of who you were meant to be.
Don’t allow your precious days to be filled with activities that are not serving you. Take the extra time and effort to think about your goals and dreams, write them down and review them everyday.
You will be absolutely amazed at how powerful this simple habit can be for your future.
Do you have your goals written down? Let me know in the comments below and speak those dreams into existence!
Everything you need is already inside of you.
