A goal setting study sponsored by the Ford Foundation found the following interesting statistics:

• 23% of the populations has no idea what they want from life and as a result they float around aimlessly.
• 67% of the population has a general idea of what they want but they don’t have any plans for how to get it.
• Only 10% of the population has specific well-defined goals but even then, 7 out of 10 of those people reach their goals only half (50%) of the time.
• The top 3% of the people in the study achieved their goals 89% of the time.

What made the difference for the top 3% who achieved their goals 89% of the time? You would never have believed it …

They found that of all the possible variables … the only difference between the top performers and the rest was that the top 3% wrote down their goals

This may come as a surprise. What is it about writing down our goals/visions?

A few things need to happen before you can write down your goals:

You need to want to have a goal.
That alone is a mystery to some. Merely thinking about having a goal puts pressure on some people. They would rather live from day to day.  Some will say, “you don’t know when you will die – so enjoy life now”. If there is not a deep desire and an emotional reason to want something other than what you have now, you will not have a desire for a goal.

Why is it important for you to have that goal?
In practical, daily terms, how would achieve that goal changes things for you? If you can see it, and it excites you then you got a goal. That is an indication that you will probably achieve that goal

When you write down your goals, you are engaging your brain to articulate your thoughts, your hands as they write/type, and your eyes as they look at the black ink in front of you. It is now being solidified instead of being just a vague fleeting thought; you have clarified that to some degree before you pen it down. That little act of “commitment” sends a message to your brain that this is what you want and you become that much more in accord to follow the desire of your heart and brain.

So what is your next step?
Having a goal and writing it down is great. Now you can paste it on the wall in front of your desk or on the mirror in your bathroom or on your kitchen fridge door. Look at it daily and read it out verbally.  If you spend some time visualising and if you blieve in yourself that you can and will achieve this, you will find the resources to make this happen. You become creative and resourceful to take actions and steps towards making this happen because you want it to happen!.

Try it. Have a mini goal today and see if this thing works. Then make it a bigger goal, and when you find that this works, go for the stars! .

If you like some help with setting goals and achieving them, sign up for some coaching here