7 Tips on Setting Goals

Throughout my studies, experience, and teaching others personal growth, I have found 7 tips on setting goals that can help you manifest your intentions quicker and with more ease.

In a nutshell, the 7 tips on setting goals are: Focus on the now, keep your attention on “why” write a commitment, visualize the end result, live from the outcome, show gratitude and appreciation, and write out action steps.

Let's explore each tip in more detail...

1. Focus on the “Now”

There should only be one reason why you want to set and achieve goals, that is to improve your present circumstances.

Understand that the future is not yet created and the past is over and done with. Energy, God, or your higher power only knows one kind of time---Now. Do you really think the Universe has a time table that it follows with days, minutes, and hours? I don't think so. All the Universe knows is here and now.

When you set goals, you should set them to improve your circumstances here and now. What good does it do in trying to improve your circumstances 5 years from now? You have no idea if you're even going to be here in 5 years. This is why almost all self improvement teachers have you establish and word your goals in the present tense.

For example, “I am now happy and excited that I'm flowing $3,000 this month.” Have you seen that one before, “I am now happy and excited?” You want that money now, not 3 years from now.

I don't even like the word “goals” The definition of a goal is to strive to achieve an ideal. The word “strive” now becomes the goal and the result is always striving toward your ideal.

I prefer the word “intention.” The definition of an intention is to have a direct aim or purpose; it's an objective that has an anticipated outcome. Doesn't that definition sound better? An intention has purpose, direction, and a direct outcome.

Turn your goal into an intention to the present tense. Keep your focus on having the goal now and how it will improve your circumstances in this moment.

I find that the number one reason on why goals fail to manifest is because the person is to focused and worried about where, when, and how the result will happen.

It is not our job to wonder how, where, and when the goal with manifest. Leave that up to your higher power. The intelligence that you're co-creating with is far more intelligent than what our physical senses can pick up. Why do you think we call it our higher power?

The Universe knows what you want, and the less you focus on how, where, and when, the faster and easier the goal comes into form.

Your job is to focus on “why” you want the goal. Why is it that you want to accomplish this goal you've set. Answering “why” creates clarity and emotion. The “why” energizes our creative energies and increases the magnetic force that is attracting the goal.

Write your goal out, then write out “why” you want this goal. After you write out “why”, and if you're not emotionally involved, ditch the goal and create a new one that's more aligned with what you really want.

Human beings have a high priority to be consistent and to hold their commitments. Have you ever broken a commitment before? Everyone has at some point. How did that feel when you did break that commitment? I know I felt low self esteem and depressed when I broke my word.

However, I've noticed that when I do commit to something or someone my success rate for follow through is 100 times higher than it would be without establishing a solid commitment.

When you decide on the goal that's right for you, write out a separate commitment on a piece of loose leaf paper and tack it on your wall. Just simply write, “I, (name), hereby commit to successfully achieving my goal of (write goal here), and commit to seeing it to its full manifestation.

Visualizing the end result is just that----visualize what your goal would look like once you've achieved it.

When you're co-creating with Universal intelligence, the way you slow down and manifest the formless substance into physical form is by visualizing the object you desire in its completed state. Whether it's an object, person, place, or thing that you desire, it's all the same and you want to visualize the end result.

I have written many articles and explanations about using your mind to visualize results. Start with the creative visualization article and expand from there.

Once you've successfully visualized the goal's end result, you must ground that experience and begin living from the outcome.

Start acting “as if” your goal was already completed; live as if you already have your goal. So, how do you do this successfully? Especially if you don't have your goal yet? Well, there are two ways to do this.

First, in the moment of decision you must act boldly. No hesitations, no if's, and no but's. Act now. If your completed goal is in alignment with a decision presented to you, say yes and act. The Universe favors the bold and money likes speed.

How do you know whether a decision presented to you will make a difference on whether or not you achieve your goal? Ask this question: “Is this decision in alignment with my vision?” Or, “Will making this decision bring me closer to my goal?” If you get a yes, act, and act now.

Second, In number 2 of these 7 tips on setting goals article, I had you write out “why” you wanted the goal you've decided on. To live from the outcome I want you to focus on bringing your “why” statement to reality. In that statement, you've probably written emotions, feelings, thoughts, etc. Draw your focus to living in that state of mind.

For example, let's say your “why” statement goes something like this---“ I want this goal because I'll be happier now that I'm creating an impact on the world...” I suggest you find ways to be happy right now and do what ever you can to impact someone's life now.

One of my intentions is to be a world-wide thought leader. When I first started, I didn't have any clients, subscriber list, or anyone that knew what I was doing. I had this great product that I know works, but I was having trouble selling it because I just wasn't a trusted source yet. So, I applied the principle of living from the outcome and I decided to teach my personal development plan for free. I just went up to some contacts of mine and asked if they would like to learn how to achieve any result they desire, for free.

I was living from the outcome as if I already was a world wide thought leader and as if I already had the money I desired. When I was deciding on whether or not to do my services for free, I asked myself, “Is that decision in alignment with my vision? Yes. If money were no object would I make this decision? Yes.” So I acted boldly and didn't look back.

Did it work? Was I rewarded? You bet! I guaranteed it works!

I'm not going to go to detailed into the concepts of gratitude and appreciation. Again, I wrote many articles dealing with the attitude of gratitude concept.

However, I do want to point out that living and maintaining a state of gratitude is the most critical success factor that you can practice. Gratitude and appreciation keeps you in a positive vibration for attracting the goodness you deserve in life.

I'm continuously grateful for everything, including my challenges. I have learned a long time ago that failures, problems, pain, and challenges are either learning experiences or signals to grow. I become sincerely grateful for my challenges and failures because in the center of that mess is something I need to learn so I can lead a bigger and more fulfilling life.

A good trigger to remind yourself of what you're grateful for is a fashionable wrist band or ring. I use to wear a wrist band and every time I noticed it I affirmed something I was grateful for. Immediately I could feel a positive shift in my vibration.

Try gratitude for 30 days. Right before you go to bed at night, say 5 things that you're grateful for right now in your life. I know you'll be a different and better person 30 days later.

The last of the 7 tips on setting goals is writing out incremental actions steps. If you follow the 6 steps above, you'll be bursting from the seams and you won't be able to hold back taking action.

I suggest writing out 6 actions steps per day that are aligned with your goal, so you stay on track. In a perfect world there would not be any interruptions. But that is just not the case. We are bombarded on a daily basis with emergencies or unplanned activities that need our attention right away. It's very easy to get off track, but listing your 6 incremental actions gives you a visual reminder of what's important to complete today.

If you can't complete all 6 actions steps in one day, just roll them over to the next day. For example, if you are left with actions 5 and 6, then the next day action 5 becomes number 1 and action 6 becomes number 2 on your list and so on.

Recap...

There you have it! Seven tips on setting goals. I teach these 7 tips on setting goals in a course I created called, “The Goal Achiever”. If you're interested in receiving that course, use the contact page to request more information on the goal achiever course. Make sure you tell me the subject is “Goal Achiever”.

Additional Resources for Tips on Setting Goals:

Tips on Setting Goals for Goal Setting Worksheets

Tips on Setting Goals for Achieving Goals

Tips on Setting Goals for Financial Freedom

Tips on Setting Goals for Career Fulfillment

Tips on Setting Goals for Time Management

Tips on Setting Goals for Manifesting Money

Tips on Setting Goals for Money Goals

Tips on Setting Goals for List of Life Goals