My Favorite (Brian Tracy) Goal Setting Technique

Happy New Year!

How is the goal setting going?

If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed with setting goals in each area of your life, or if you are overwhelmed now that you have set goals in every area of your life and you are already wondering where you're going to get the time to do it all, then you're not alone.

I've been goal setting for years, and while I (and the rest of the world) may get pumped up by all the wonderful things I'm going to accomplish and all the changes I'm going to make, what I've learn is that there is only so much time. 

It's an old story, but if you want to know how much of the goal setting (and accomplishing) really goes, just drive by your local gym's parking lot during the first week of January and compare it to the first week in March. 

I once heard Brian Tracy talk about setting goals, and he recommended a technique that not only made a lot of sense, but that turns out to be so powerful, it is life changing...

He said what you do is make a list of your top ten goals for the year. Think about what's most important to you in the different areas of your life, and write down ten things. 

Next, prioritize that list so that the most important goal is number one. The way to determine which goal is number one is to ask yourself which of the ten would have the most impact on your life if you actually reached it.

Once you have your list prioritized, throw away the other nine goals and make a commitment to making that number one goal a reality in the coming twelve months. 

And once you've made that commitment, ask yourself what one action you can take today, right now, to begin reaching that goal. And once you have identified that, do it.

Before you go to sleep tonight, identify the one action you're going to take tomorrow, and then commit to taking it.

And then do this each and every day until you have accomplished that one most important goal.

When I heard this, my first thought was, "Yeah, but what about the other nine goals? What about balance and all that?" 

And that's when he explained that despite our best intentions, most goal setting starts strong, but by March we've given up on half of them, and by the summer most - if not all - have been abandoned. 

That's why identifying one goal, the most important and most impacting goal, is a better way to go. 

Think about how much your life will change (and the lives of your family members) if you reach your number one, most important goal.

If your goal is to become a top producer in your industry and double or triple your income, think about the impact that will have on your family! Think about buying that new home, or providing for your parents, or allowing your wife or spouse to stay home.

If your goal is to finally write that novel, think about how your life will change when you finally accomplish that this year! Think about the weight off your shoulders now that it is a reality rather than just another dream.

If your goal is to lose weight, get in shape, and get off your medication and live a longer, healthier life for yourself and your family, think about the long term rewards achieving that goal will bring you! (And think of the consequence if you don't.)

Whether or not you agree with Brian, I'm here to tell you that it's more impacting for you to hit the most important goal in your life than it is to set ten and not hit any of them...

And, hey, if you reach your number one goal by July, you can get to number two!

If you've set goals for years and not been very successful at following through, then why not take the pressure off yourself and try Brian's method? Take his 14 day goal setting challenge: 

In just 14 days, gain clarity on exactly what you want to achieve in every area of your life. Create a plan of action to start reaching your goals immediately from BrianTracy.com.

How bad would it be if you actually reached your most important goal in 2017?

How To Develop the Entrepreneur Mindset

The true potential of your business will only reveal itself if, you, as the business owner, start thinking "business". Without the right entrepreneurial mindset, you certainly won't see your business going anywhere in the years to come.



There are many reason why small to medium sizes businesses...including work at home-based solutions fail. Reasons include, but are not limited to, poor management, ineffective marketing, wrong market potential, and miscalculated capitalization.



But for whatever reason these businesses fail, one major factor to look into is the ability of the business owner to think and plan strategically to allow the business to overcome any challenges that may come its way.



When you start a business, you have to be prepared for all sorts of pressure coming your way. You have the utmost pressure to get it right the first time - make the right decisions, implement the right marketing strategy, hire the right employees, and have the right funding.



This may be achievable in an ideal business school setting, but things vary greatly in the real word of business.



It is necessary that you develop a business instinct so that you'll know at once if a particular idea will work or not before you spend time, effort, and financial resources.

Read: Entrepreneur Revolution: How to develop your entrepreneurial mindset and start a business that works

Some steps for developing an entrepreneurial mindset are listed below to help you get ready to embark on that dream business of yours:



1. Get an Ego-Check: Because they own the business, business owners often think that they can do whatever they want with it without needing the opinions of the other parties who make up the business model.



No matter how intelligent you are, there will always be something you won't know, and this is where communication and open-mindedness will come to play. In the real world of business, it's really not as simple as black or white.



2. Be Curious: When you are curious, you begin to explore other options and get to the root of the matter. Sometimes, if you focus too much on what you know, you will be blinded by your distinct belief in that certain idea.



By being curious, however, you are able to uncover possibilities and options which can make your business better. It's always recommended to become a sponge for information in order for you to build an entrepreneurial mindset.



3. Don't Focus on the Solution Alone: Instead of finding fast fixes to your problems, why not clarify the issues you have at hand first? You need to go through all aspects of the company and the problems you are facing so that you know where you stand.



And remember, unless your solution provides a business value or prevents another problem from occurring, then it will be a worthless one.



4. Gather Proofs: For you to really get to the bottom of things, you need to have hard evidence of what's causing the problem. You need to ask specific questions in order to get specific answers.



Through these specific answers, you will be able to really see the real picture of things.



5. Calculate Risks: Risks are always a part of any business endeavor. But you must be able to weigh every investment and its corresponding return. You have to see how your decision will impact the business before you even implement it.



It is also necessary that you have a benchmark of success for your business so that you can check back at certain times to see if it is indeed progressing.



6. Consider Your Employees' Welfare: Aside from thinking about how your decision will affect the business, you also have to consider how it will affect each and every one of your employees.



A good business owner knows that his business is not entirely made up of one person but a team that works together for one goal.



7. Be Forewarned: If you see early signs of possible obstacles, then do your best to resolve it before it can even snowball into something larger. Even if you fail to resolve it when you see it the first time, at least you won't be doing severe damage control later on.



8. Get to the Bottom of Things: Instead of solving the effects, see to it that you go right to the source of the problem. In order to understand completely, you must get all the facts and underlying truths. Never stop asking questions.



By taking these tips into mind, you will definitely be able to develop a business/entrepreneur mindset. Without it, your business won't flourish as long as you want it to.

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