Setting well designed goals, and sticking to them, is a very important habit to develop if you intend on achieving success. Take goal setting lightly and you will end up wondering why others succeeded while you failed. Once you have set your goal(s), don’t let yourself forget them; read them when you wake up every morning and before you go to bed every night.

Aspects of a Well Designed Goal

The following are aspects that should be included in all of your goals.

Target

When setting a goal, it is important to set a definite target. Don’t say ‘My goal is to make enough money to pay the bills’ but instead say ‘My goal is to make no less than $5000 per month.’

Deadline

Always set a deadline for achievement and break long-term goals into shorter-term stages.

Will Give

You can’t get something for nothing so this is where you state exactly what you plan to give in order to achieve your goal. For example, how much time each day or week and how much effort.

Action Plan

An action plan should break down your goal into daily and weekly activities that you will do in order to achieve your goal. Include how many business presentations you will conduct, how much time you will spend on self-development, how many new members you will sponsor, etc.

Statement

When you have completed all of the above aspects, formulate them into a statement of your goal as if you were explaining your entire goal to someone else.

First of all, if you haven’t read Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, make it a priority to pick up a copy at the bookstore and read it cover-to-cover. If you have read it, get it out and read it again. Take notes, write in the margins and use sticky tags; you won’t regret it.

Having a positive mindset is a secret to success. When you begin to deliberately look at things in a positive light, whether you believe it yet or not, your subconscious will begin to make it a reality. Your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between truth and fiction. Don’t believe it? Have you ever cried or been scared during a movie? You know that the movie isn’t real, but your senses are bombarded with images and sounds that seem real and as far as you subconscious is concerned, its reality.

Affirmations

Using positive affirmations is an excellent way to develop a positive mindset. Develop a list of 25 to 50 positive affirmations similar to the list below and read them out-loud to yourself several times a day. You will begin to memorize them and once you do, you can begin to repeat them to yourself as you’re driving, exercising, trying to fall asleep, or any other alone time. After awhile, certain situations will come up that lead you to your list of affirmations; this is when you know it’s working.

• I am happy and excited.
• I am healthy and full of energy.
• My happiness and success radiates.
• All of my thoughts are positive.
• I am wealthy.
• I am a confident speaker.

Remember, don’t use only positive words and always use the present tense even if you aren’t quite there yet. If you run short of ideas, search in Google for ‘positive affirmations’ and you can find endless lists.

Visual Cues & Dream Board

Another way to work on your mindset is to give yourself visual cues that remind you of your reasons, your goals, and what you have to do to get there. Hang pictures of places you plan to go, activities you would like to do and things you would like to have. Also, leave books about business, leadership and success on your coffee table. Every once and a while you conscious mind will be reminded of why you are working so hard, but your subconscious mind will be constantly soaking up all of this information and working behind the scenes to make it happen.

You might think this sounds silly, but it works: Create a ‘Dreamboard’ on a piece of poster board, just like a collage from middle school, that displays pictures and words that will serve as visual cues. Hang this up near your desk or somewhere else where you will see it everyday.

1. Unwavering courage based upon knowledge of self, and of one’s occupation. No follower wishes to be dominated by a leader who lacks self-confidence and courage. No intelligent follower will be dominated by such a leader for very long.
2. Self-control. The man who cannot control himself, can never control others. Self-control sets a mighty example for one’s followers, which the more intelligent will emulate.
3. A keen sense of justice. Without a sense of fairness and justice, no leader can command and retain the respect of his followers.
4. Definiteness of decision. The man who wavers in his decisions shows that he is not sure of himself. He cannot lead others successfully.
5. Definiteness of plans. The successful leader must plan his work, and work his plan. A leader who moves by guesswork, without practical, definite plans, is comparable to a ship without a rudder. Sooner or later he will land on the rocks.
6. The habit of doing more than paid for. One of the penalties of leadership is the necessity of willingness, upon the part of the leader, to do more than he requires of his followers.
7. A pleasing personality. No slovenly, careless person can become a successful leader. Leadership calls for respect. Followers will not respect a leader who does not grade high on all of the factors of a pleasing personality.
8. Sympathy and understanding. The successful leader must be in sympathy with his followers. Moreover, he must understand them and their problems.
9. Mastery of detail. Successful leadership calls for mastery of details of the leader’s position.
10. Willingness to assume full responsibility. The successful leader must be willing to assume responsibility for the mistakes and the shortcomings of his followers. If he tries to shift this responsibility, he will not remain the leader. If one of his followers makes a mistake and show himself incompetent, the leader must consider that it is he who failed.
11. Cooperation. The successful leader must understand and apply the principle of cooperative effort and be able to induce his followers to do the same. Leadership calls for power, and power calls for cooperation.

Source: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill