How to Set Exciting Goals
You Can Reach

Most people don’t struggle because they lack ability. They struggle because they don’t know where they’re going.

Without goals, people stay busy but don’t get much done. They feel tired for no clear reason. They have trouble focusing and feel unsure about the future.

“Without goals, hopes, ambitions or dreams, the attainment of pleasure is nearly impossible.” — L. Ron Hubbard

With our new Goal Action Tool you can now make real improvements in your life in less than an hour. In fact, setting and acting on your goals may be the best time you have ever spent on yourself.

A life without goals is a life without joy.

Top 10 Excuses for Not Setting Goals

1. “I don’t know how to set goals.”
   You don’t need the perfect method to start — clarity comes from doing.
2. “I set some goals once, but it didn’t make any difference.”
   Goals only work when you act on them, not just write them down.
3. “I would rather do what others want me to do.”
   If you don’t choose your direction, someone else will choose it for you.
4. “I’ll probably fail anyway, so why try?”
   Not trying guarantees failure; trying at least gives you a chance.
5. “I don’t need to improve anything.”
   Life either improves or declines — it rarely stays the same.
6. “My life is not under my control.”
   Goals are one of the few things you can always control.
7. “I keep changing my mind about what I want.”
   Changing your mind means you’re learning, not failing.
8. “Why set goals? I’ll forget about them.”
   You forget goals that don’t matter; meaningful goals stay alive through action.
9. “Success is too much work.”
   Life without progress often feels harder than the work itself.
10. “I don’t have time to set goals.”
    Goals save time by keeping you from wasting it.

These excuses may sound reasonable, but they vanish when you look at what goals actually give you.

10 Benefits of Setting Exciting Goals

1. If you have goals, you have direction. You can invest your time and effort in a specific way that pays off.

A race car that is chained to the ground is the same as having no goals. You push on the gas pedal and the engine roars. The tires spin and smoke. Yet no matter how hard you push on the pedal, you go nowhere.

2. When opportunities pop up that can help you reach a goal, you recognize and seize them.

Opportunities are all around you. The trick is noticing them. When you have a goal in mind, opportunities are easier to see.

For example, when you decide to buy a red Chevy truck, you suddenly notice dozens of red Chevy trucks on the road. Before you had the goal of getting the truck, you probably drove past red Chevy trucks every day and never noticed them.
When you have a goal in mind, you see ways to reach your goal you never noticed before. Many of these ideas may be overlooked by everyone but you.

3. You make better decisions.

When faced with an important choice, you simply ask yourself, “Which of these options will best help me reach my goal? Will Plan A help me with my goal or will Plan B do it best?”

Like a flashlight in the night, your goal lights up your best choice so you can see it.

4. Goals motivate you and give you energy.

For example, when you are preparing to go on vacation, you get a lot more done than normal. You have a clear, firm goal to finish several tasks and then go on your trip. The excitement of the vacation goal helps you work hard and fast without getting tired.

5. You have more control of your life.

When events in life knock you around, goals can put you back in control. For example, you get arrested by the police and spend time in jail for something you did not do. The day after you are released from jail, you focus on your goals and continue onward. The bad incident does not ruin your life.

6. You can have greater confidence. You can take the initiative. You can be a leader.

For example, if you and your group were lost in the wilderness, but you alone knew the correct direction to hike, the group would eventually follow you. You would not follow someone else. You would not sit down and worry. You would take the initiative and lead your group to safety.

7. You can check if your current activity contributes to your overall success or not.

For example, you find yourself digging a hole in the ground. You ask yourself, “Why am I digging this hole?” You then realize, “Oh, yeah! I’m building my own house and need a good basement. I’m excited!” Or you realize, “Wait a minute. This hole is for my friend’s house! His house goal is not my house goal and he already owes me several favors. It’s time to go dig my own basement hole.”

As another example, you are frustrated and cannot sleep as you accomplished nothing worthwhile during the day. But then you realize you took three good steps toward one of your goals. You pat yourself on the back and fall asleep.

8. Long-range goals give you solutions for short-term problems.

For example, you and your spouse have a long-term goal of raising your three children to be happy, healthy, honest and productive. You keep that goal in mind when your son is caught stealing a jacket at the shopping mall. Of course, you work out a punishment, but you also use the incident to teach your son the benefits of honesty. The big picture helps you make wiser decisions.

Or you hate driving your old uncomfortable car and feel like getting a car loan to get a beautiful comfortable new car. But then you remember your long-term goal to buy a house so happily drive your old car another 100,000 miles.

9. You create plans that result in real success.

Each morning, you can plan your day based on your goals. For example, “What can I do today that will take me one step closer to my goal of becoming independently wealthy?”

Weekly plans, monthly plans and yearly plans give you better results when you line them up and match them to specific goals.

10. Goals give you hope for a better future. Goals make you happier.

Goals help make life enjoyable, even exhilarating. Goals give you a natural “high” you can never achieve from chemicals or other artificial means.

Each time you solve an obstacle, make progress or reach a subgoal, you feel fantastic.

“Happiness could be defined as the emotion of progress toward desirable goals.” – L. Ron Hubbard

Now that you can see what goals give you, the next step is discovering which goals are worth your time.

7 Steps to Setting Goals

Use the 7 easy steps in the new Goal Action Tool to create a big list of goals, choose your top three goals and take a small Action Step today.

Making progress toward an exciting goal may be a lot easier than you think.

Click the red button to begin.