3 Steps to Setting Great Goals

In the past I have written about replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts and ideas on how to get what you really want. Today I am going to write about Goal setting and how to use this tool to help you get what you want. Realize that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, so if changing a bad habit or reframing negative thoughts are part of your goals you need to be patient.

STEP 1: Write ALL of Your Goals Down

Take a new notebook that is going to be your GOAL BOOK and on the first page write down every goal that you wish to accomplish over the next 5 years. This can be anything from getting a new car to vacations you want to take to building relationships, etc. What do you want to accomplish over the next 5 years? Take time and think about this. The reason it is important to write this down is because once it is written (in your handwriting - not typed on a computer) you then "own" the goals. Once you take ownership of these goals it will be less likely that you will give up on them.

STEP 2: Classify ALL of Your Goals

After you have completed your first step you now have to take a look at all of these goals and classify them. By classify I mean you need to now group them into category A, B, or C goals. Category A are the most important goals to you right now. Category B are the next most important goals and category C are the least important goals. Next to each of the goals you have written down, write a letter A, B, or C in the left hand margin. On the next page of your notebook I want you to write at the top of the page "A" Goals. Now go through every one of your goals on the previous sheet and transfer all of your "A" Goals to the next page.

STEP 3: Prioritize Your "A" Goals

Now that all of your "A" Goals are on a separate page I want you to go through the list and prioritize these from "1" on down. Your "A1" Goal should be the most important of all of the goals that you have written. Your "A2" Goal is the next most important goal, etc. On the next page I want you to write at the top "Prioritized A Goals". Now I want you to go back to the previous page and transfer all of your "A" Goals to the new page in their order of priority.

You now have a prioritized list of the most important goals that you want to accomplish over the next 5 years. The reason I had you write and rewrite these goals is because the more you write them down the more you think about them. The more you think about them the more you are putting positive thoughts out into the universe. And the more you place these positive thoughts out to the universe, the more likely they are to come true.

You are not through at this point. Now that these goals are written and prioritized you have more to do. First of all, the Category B and C goals are not to be forgotten. The same steps should be taken to prioritize the goals. Once you start accomplishing your "A" Goals you can then transfer some of your "B" Goals to your "A" page. And this process will continue over and over again. And if for some reason you need to add some more goals, go right ahead and do so. Now here is the part that is going to really make your "A" Goals start to be accomplished. Above I wrote that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit.

What I want you to do is for the next 21 days to take your "Prioritized A Goals" and write them down on the next page every day. So you should have 21 pages in a row with your "A" Goals written. And if you want to start the day off right, I highly suggest you start your day writing these goals down. You will be surprised at how after 21 days these goals are starting to come true and thinking about them is second nature. Again, the more you write them down and think about them, the more likely they are to happen.

Lastly, make sure these goals are all written with a positive spin. Do not write down something like "I don't want to be overweight any more." Instead write, "I am going to work at being at a healthy, happy weight for myself." Always write your goals in the positive!