Develop A Goal Setting Mindset

HAROLD L TAYLOR
DEVELOP A GOAL-
SETTING MINDSET
ACHIEVING SUCCESS
THROUGH GOALS
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Develop A Goal-Setting Mindset: Achieving Success Through Goals
1st edition
© 2017 Harold L Taylor & bookboon.com
ISBN 978-87-403-1825-8
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DEVELOP A GOAL-SETTING MINDSET Contents
CONTENTS
Introduction 7
1 The benefits of goal-setting 10

1.1 The need for goals 10
1.2 Goals can help to develop a purpose for living 11
1.3 Goals can help further your career 12
1.4 Goals can reduce stress on the job 12
1.5 Goals can help you rise above an uninteresting job 13
1.6 Goals can keep us young 14
1.7 Goals can launch a second career 15
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2 The goal-setting process 17

2.1 Examine where you are heading 17
2.2 Sensitizing your mind 18
2.3 Extrapolate your life 19
2.4 The future is now 19
2.5 Other approaches to personal goal-setting 20
2.6 Put life into your living 21
2.7 Business goals 22
2.8 Goal-setting as a management tool 23
3 Make your goals achievable 24

3.1 Are they realistic? 24
3.2 Are they specific enough? 25
3.3 Are they listed in order of priority? 26
3.4 Are they compatible with one another? 28
3.5 Will they help further your life’s mission? 28
4 Scheduling your goals for results 29

4.1 Select a goal-oriented planner 29
4.2 Use your planner effectively 30
4.3 Give priority to priorities 31
4.4 The “to do” list method 32
4.5 Time: your ultimate resource 33
5 Stacking the odds in your favor 36

5.1 The character of the goal-setter is more important than the
characteristics of the goal 36
5.2 Be enthusiastic 36
5.3 Be optimistic 38
5.5 Take responsibility for your life 38
5.5 Program yourself for success, not failure 39
5.6 Make the right choices 40
5.7 Overcome inertia 41
5.8 Be willing to take risks 42
5.9 Practice visualization 43
5.10 Make a commitment 45
5.11 Be a positive thinker 46
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6 Discover your mission in life 47

6.1 The power of purpose 47
6.2 Relationship between purpose and goals 48
6.3 How do you determine your purpose in life? 49
6.4 Examples of purpose or mission 50
6.5 Developing a mission statement 50
6.6 Values as a foundation for setting goals 51
6.7 Develop a mission statement for your company as well as for yourself 51
6.8 Goals can lead to a personal mission 53
7 Books referenced 55
8 About the author 58
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DEVELOP A GOAL-SETTING MINDSET INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
We all have dreams. Some modest, some lofty. Some specific, some vague. Some seem far
away, others within reach. Some may be completely off the wall, others more realistic. But
they all help us to survive the set-backs, the hard times, the vicissitudes of life. They serve
to motivate us to get up morning after morning and tackle a job that at times may not be
a fun experience.
For many of us, our dreams will never become a reality. They are simply movies running
in our heads. Fantasies that allow us to escape momentarily from the stresses of life. But
you have the power to say yes to your dreams and make them a reality through a simple
process of setting and achieving goals.
Don’t be intimidated by the thought of setting goals for your life. You may think that the
process is too structured and are reluctant to risk losing the spontaneity and flexibility of
simply “going with the flow.” But all you’re doing is expanding on something you have been
doing all your life without really being aware of it. As a child, had you ever set your mind
on getting a new bicycle, for example? Not only did you have a specific goal in mind, you
probably had an action plan as well. It may have been to earn the required sum of money
by getting a paper route, or saving your allowances or methodically harassing your parents
until they finally broke down and bought it for you. You may even have had a deadline
date in mind.
Buying a car or a house, visiting Disney World, going on a cruise, or simply spending a
weekend with friends all require the basics of goal-setting. You decide what you want, when
you want it, and establish an action plan in order to get it. All the other characteristics of
goals are self-evident. It stands to reason that they must be specific; you must know how
much money you will need in order to buy that bicycle, or which friends you want to spend
the weekend with. You also know your goals must be realistic; you’re not going to insist
on buying a Toyota Lexus in two months if you’re currently destitute. You even take the
necessity of feedback for granted; you constantly check to see how much you have saved
to date, or how many miles you still have to go to reach Disney World. You may even
have put your goals in writing in one form or another; the model and price of the bicycle
or car, the route to Disney World mapped out, the weekend blocked off in your calendar.
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In other words, there’s nothing mysterious, complicated or difficult about setting goals. Yet
less than five percent of the population claim they actually have personal goals in writing.
Why? Well, first of all, they simply don’t recognize it as such. Who would ever think that
driving to the store with a grocery list was pursuing a goal? We take it for granted. We are
all goal-oriented by nature. That’s how God created us. But formalize it, structure it, and
make it sound complicated, and suddenly we shy away from it, resist it and deny its merits.
That too, is a natural tendency. We resist change. We’re a little afraid of anything we don’t
fully understand. We crave simplicity. That’s why the stress of modern society is threatening
our very lives.
Unfortunately some management practitioners, consultants, and writers are great at making
simple truths, natural inclinations or basic principles seem like new scientific discoveries. A
dash of jargon, a pinch of technical mumbo jumbo, and a smattering of pedantic verbosity
and “voila,” a new formula for success.
For example, it might not surprise you to know that “networking” has been a natural activity
since time began. We older folks used to make comments such as, “I happened to sit next
to a chap at dinner last night, and he owns a video store that….” Or, “What a coincidence!
The woman next to me on the plane sells the exact equipment I was looking for.” But now
business relationships have been structured, categorized, formalized, along with a twenty
point plan for initiating, monitoring and harvesting.
There’s no problem with this, as long as you are intimidated or threatened by it. Recognize
that it is not something new to be learned and mastered, but something old that should be
used more fully. Goal-setting has been in use ever since Eve spotted that juicy fruit on the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And for good or evil, goal-setting does get results.
Don’t be discouraged if you have been made to believe it is a complicated process. It is as
easy as obtaining that bicycle or going on a picnic. Decide what you want and when you
want it, write it down, establish an action plan for achieving it, and then act on that plan.
Many people do not adhere strictly to any formula, yet are still successful in achieving their
goals. In fact, according to the book, Work your strengths, by Chuck Martin, “goal-directed
persistence” is one of the brain-based executive skills that primarily reside in the prefrontal
cortex. CEOs and other top managers tend to be strong in this skill, probably since they
tend to rise within organizations because they are blessed with strong skills in the area of
goal-setting and planning. But they tend to be weaker in other skills.
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The important thing is to recognize that, regardless of your innate strengths, you can
strengthen any skill through practice, and goal-setting can impact your life tremendously.
Try it. Use some of the techniques and suggestions contained in this book. You will find
you can influence your future. And this book should make the process easier.
In a way, I have written the book backwards. Values clarification and mission statements
would normally precede the goal-setting process. But since many people have set and achieved
goals without first examining their personal values or developing a mission statement, I start
the book with the goal-setting process. You can decide what’s best for you after reading my
experience and the experience of others.
This book helps you to decide whether you want or need to set goals, examine your personal
values and discover your mission in life. If you decide you want to do so, you should find
plenty of information here to help you on your journey, and to make that journey as easy
as possible.
Have a great life!
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DEVELOP A GOAL-SETTING MINDSET THE BENEFITS OF GOAL-SETTING
1 THE BENEFITS OF GOAL-SETTING

1.1 THE NEED FOR GOALS
According to Mark Lee, author of How to set goals and really reach them, goal-oriented persons
seem healthier, happier and more confident than non-goal-oriented persons. They are the
leaders and the problem solvers. Personal goal-setting is a prerequisite for personal growth,
self-development and success. Goals add purpose and direction to our lives. Without them
we tend to drift through life, taking the path of least resistance and ending up in careers
and situations that we don’t really enjoy. Goals afford us the opportunity to take charge of
our own lives and determine our own destiny. One of the problems with the philosophy,
eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die, is that we may not. We may have long
and potentially happy lives ahead of us. Life expectancy has increased from about 40 in 1850
to about 80 at the present time. Goals may help extend this time even further.
According to Stephen Strasser, in his book, Working It Out, studies show that goal-setting
programs can increase performance 16 percent. When tied to monetary rewards they can
increase performance by 40 percent. Strasser believed that even failing to achieve goals has
a positive effect. Because we never have to look back and ask ourselves “What if…?”
Here is a summary of the benefits of goals:
• Create a climate for motivation.

• Enable us to plan and gain greater control over our future.
• Add challenge and excitement to our lives.
• Provide us with a sense of achievement.
• Make us more results-oriented so we work smarter rather than harder.
• Add meaning and purpose to our lives.
• Enable us to manage our time more effectively.
• Reduce the stress in our lives.
• Increase our chances of success in our careers and in life.
• Ensure that our jobs are compatible with our purpose in life.
• Keep us young at heart.
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The above list of advantages of goal-setting include everything from prompting us to work
smarter, not harder to determining whether our current job is in alignment with what we
really want to do with our life. Yet, in spite of these benefits as well personal endorsements
from successful goal-setters, less than 5 percent of the population have written, personal
goals. According to Paul Zimmerman, president of a financial planning firm, among high-
income persons,
• More than half have no wills.

• Many have little idea of family worth on the death of a breadwinner.
• Most have inadequate tax counsel.
• Less than half plan financially for their children’s education.
• Many don’t know their own company benefits.
Few successful people will deny there is a direct relationship between goal-setting and success.
And since an estimated 95 percent of the population have no clear-cut personal goals in
writing, it’s understandable why so many people feel frustrated and unfulfilled.
Goal-setting is a powerful tool. There is practically no limit to what you can achieve, given
the time and motivation to do so. Within ten years you can effect a complete career change,
obtain a PhD, save enough money to circle the globe, achieve an executive position in a
Fortune 500 company, or become a best-selling author or a multimillionaire. But to achieve
any of these things you should [a] honestly ask yourself you really want to, and [b] establish
a written goal to that effect, along with short-term objectives that will progressively lead to
that goal. Let’s more closely examine a few of the major benefits of goal-setting.
1.2 GOALS CAN HELP TO DEVELOP A PURPOSE FOR LIVING

Those of us who are reluctant to leave our comfort zone may end up like the frog who sat
in a pot of water while it was gradually heated. The gradual change in temperature was
at first comforting, then paralyzing, then fatal. Goals do not have to be complicated or
overwhelming to give us a sense of direction – and more importantly, a sense of purpose.
It’s easy to just drift through life. No major decisions. No risks. And frequently, no fulfillment.
I believe that we were put on this earth for a definite purpose and it’s up to us to discover
that purpose. One of the ways to discover our purpose is to get our beliefs and feelings on
paper as described in a later chapter. But some people struggle with that approach. They end
up staring at the blank page, not knowing what to put down. Rather than do nothing, it is
better to do something, so another way is to set ourselves in motion towards some selected
goals. If they’re the wrong goals, we’ll find out and can change our direction. Like a car,
it’s easy to steer our lives in a different direction once we’re in motion. But try steering a
car when it’s motionless in the driveway!
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Success requires more than positive thinking, visualization, and planning, although those
things can help tremendously. It requires action, determination, and persistence. And
frequently, just plain hard work. But the rewards far outweigh the effort. In fact, the effort
is usually part and parcel of the rewards, for success is finding satisfaction and fulfillment
in what we do.
1.3 GOALS CAN HELP FURTHER YOUR CAREER

If you’re happy in your job, set some goals relevant to that job. Goals that will expand your
knowledge, stretch your ability, develop new skills. Your new found talents may lead you
in a different direction within your own company or in the company in which you work.
It may make you aware of a whole new purpose for being there. In most cases people who
experience a lot of problems with the job blame it on the job. But the problem may be
their attitude or outlook. The more you put into a job the more you’ll get out of it. This
does not refer to money, although that may follow. It refers to job satisfaction, pride, a
sense of accomplishment, a feeling of belonging and purpose in your employment. If you’re
not happy with your job, work out of it.
But first, set goals to excel in your job first. Use them as a springboard to a better position.
It must be a solid springboard. It’s hard to propel yourself from a weak platform. Set
personal goals, self-development goals and career goals. Set your sights on something and
work towards it. People go nowhere because they haven’t taken the time to figure out where
it is they want to go. As Bill Wayman, author of Unleash the tremendous potential within
you, suggests, “Don’t ever say, “That’s the way the ball bounces. That’s the talk of a loser.
You’ve got to bounce your own ball in life.”
1.4 GOALS CAN REDUCE STRESS ON THE JOB

The antidote for stress is said to be job satisfaction. After all, people can tolerate a lot of
stress if they enjoy what they’re doing. Marshall Cook, author of the book, Slow down and
get more done, suggests that if you have a great deal of freedom in structuring your work
day, and can take responsibility for the outcome, and can see the value in what you do,
you’re more likely to achieve satisfaction from your work.
Unfortunately, not everyone is happy with their chosen profession. According to researchers
at the University of Michigan, only 43% of white collar workers said they would choose the
same type of work again. This figure dropped to 24% for blue collar workers. However, 93%
of university professors and 82% of journalists enthusiastically confirmed their career choices.
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According to author and researcher Juliet Schor many of us become trapped in an “earned-
spend cycle.” We drain our time and energy into jobs we don’t like out of economic necessity.
This is not good. We spend a lot of time at our jobs. We owe it to ourselves as well as to
our employers to enjoy what we do. This may require that one of our goals is to change
careers within five years. Or it may only require that we build interest into our job, making
the most of what we already have. The more we have control of our lives the less stress
we will experience. Carol Colman, author of Late bloomers: how to achieve your potential at
any age, suggests that we must reach the point at which our need for change surpasses our
need for security. She urges her readers not to let short-term gratification stand in the way
of lifetime satisfaction.
1.5 GOALS CAN HELP YOU RISE ABOVE AN UNINTERESTING JOB

It may be difficult for some people to go beyond their job description and develop their
jobs into something that provides fulfillment. According to one study, when asked “Do you
like your job?” only about one person in 10 answered, “Yes.” Another study revealed that
the surest predictor of heart disease was not smoking, cholesterol or lack of exercise, but
job dissatisfaction. Job stress has been linked to ulcers, hypertension, insomnia, alcoholism
and suicide.
How many people are able to influence their jobs to the extent that they see value in what
they do and have a measure of control, freedom and responsibility as suggested earlier? And
how many people can change jobs or rely on self-employment when they are locked into
an “earned-spend” cycle? In recessions, perhaps not as many as we might imagine.
But one thing that will allow us to rise above any hardship of a boring, stressful job, is a
search within ourselves for a personal mission – a reason for living a joyful life in spite of
these things. We all have a purpose in life – a calling which is unique to each one of us.
Fulfilling this purpose is the source of our self-esteem. If we rely on our job to provide our
identity and self- esteem and reason for living, what happens when we lose our job or retire?
The word “career” is derived from “carraria,” meaning “vehicle.” Your career or job is the
vehicle you use to travel your path of life. It’s not the reason for your life. You don’t need
a Cadillac to get you from point A to point B. And you don’t get your self-esteem from
what you do, but from who you are. With a purpose in life you are able to endure a boring
job until you can get a better one.
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1.6 GOALS CAN KEEP US YOUNG

Regardless of your age, whether you’re nine or ninety, goal-setting will work for you. Never
use the excuse that you’re too old. LeRoy (Satchell) Paige, who played professional baseball in
his 60s, once asked the question, “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you
were?” Which is another way of saying that you are only as old as you feel. Unfortunately,
in our society we tend to pigeon-hole people at arbitrarily selected ages. We’re an adult at
21, middle aged at 50, old at 70 and “really old” at 80. In fact, some older people actually
believe what they hear and start acting and talking accordingly. “I’m too old for sports”,
“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, “My memory’s going”, are common remarks made
by people in their sixties and seventies. They hear that they’re supposed to be old, they
think it, the self-fulfilling prophesy takes over, and soon they are old. But we don’t suddenly
become old. Life is a gradual aging process that starts the day we’re born. And living one
day at a time until we die will prevent us from categorizing ourselves as middle aged or old.
As J. Ellsworth Kales says in his book, I love growing older but I’ll never grow old, “older”
is a journey; “old’ is a destination.
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One study of high achievers revealed that 64% of their accomplishments were attained after
age sixty. So we’re certainly not “over the hill” as far as our careers are concerned. Here are
a few examples of people who were successful in their senior years: Ronald Reagan, oldest
U.S. president, was still strong and sturdy in his late seventies. Winston Churchill became
Prime Minister of Great Britain at age 65. Oliver Wendell Homes, Jr. became U.S. Supreme
Court Justice at age 61 and served until he was 92. Pablo Picasso continued painting until
his death at 92. George Burns was making people laugh in his nineties and lived to see
100. Grandma Moses turned to oil painting at age 78, and continued until her death at
101. And I just read an article in our local paper about one of our residents in Sussex, New
Brunswick, where I currently live, who just celebrated her 106th birthday. She still lives at
home. That’s an accomplishment in itself !
If you want a good example of how your mind can impact your age, read about the study
in Joe Dispenza’s book, You are the placebo, where a group of elderly people went on a
one-week retreat and pretended they were 22 years younger. To help their imagination, the
décor contained old photographs, magazines, TV programs, recordings, and so on, and they
watched old programs, discussed old news – all from the 1959 era.
As result, physical changes to the elderly men took place, including improved hearing and
eyesight, sharpened memory, grip strength, and more flexible joints. They grew taller as
their posture straightened, their fingers lengthened as arthritis diminished, and they scored
better on mental cognition. Some gave up their canes. They had actually become younger
in body as well as mind.
1.7 GOALS CAN LAUNCH A SECOND CAREER

Gone are the days when retirement meant being put out to pasture to spend your final days
in a rocking chair on the front verandah. Retirement today usually means the start of a
second career, whether that be starting a business or tearing up the golf courses. People are
beginning to recognize that 65 or 70 or in many cases, even 80 and beyond is no longer
old and that it’s not unusual to be active into your 90s.
As an advertising message by United Technologies urged: “Don’t go fishing when you retire.
Go hunting. Hunt for the chance to do what you’ve always wanted to do. Then do it!”
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Second career executives are an emerging phenomenon of the 1990s according to the book,
America’s Changing Workforce, “With more executives having good pension fund benefits,
paid mortgages, and children out of school, it is likely that many will ‘retire’ in their 50s
and work several years in another endeavor.” Many people are “bursting at the seams” to
experience those things that time, money or opportunity previously denied. With risk now
possible, retired executives and others are beginning to “do their own thing.”
Although consultants may claim that we should enjoy our jobs or get one that we find
fulfilling, it’s frequently not that simple. Some of us may find ourselves locked into jobs for
financial reasons, family or peer pressure, lack of qualifications, or outright fear of change
or risk. Add to that the fast paced environment of work with its ever-changing digital
technologies, and most of us never stop to consider whether we could actually do something
else, let alone plan how to do it. But with retirement comes a whole new perspective on life.
With the pressures of job responsibilities, financial commitments and lack of time eased,
retirees are free to reflect on personal values, smothered ambitions of the past and dreams for
the future. Creativity is unleashed, and retirees become entrepreneurs, consultants, writers,
inventors. They turn to jobs and activities they really enjoy. They self-actualize. Hobbies
become businesses and businesses become hobbies.
George Crone, owner of a gravestone company, claims that “people in the fast lane don’t
take the time to write their epitaphs anymore.” Perhaps if they did, they might be forced
to reflect on how they would want to be remembered. And that in itself could lead to new
directions and goals.
Although it would be great if everyone would evaluate their lives earlier in their careers,
an increasing life expectancy, combined with early retirement, make it possible to fulfill
lifelong dreams after retirement. James E. Buerger, writing in Quote magazine, states that if
a person speaks mainly of the past he is old. If he talks of today, he is middle-aged. But if
he is always talking about the future, he is young no matter what the calendar may indicate.
Goal-setting can help keep us young.
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DEVELOP A GOAL-SETTING MINDSET THE GOAL-SETTING PROCESS
2 THE GOAL-SETTING PROCESS

2.1 EXAMINE WHERE YOU ARE HEADING
While preparing for a teleconference seminar on the topic of goal-setting in October,1996,
I rummaged through files I had been accumulating on the topic. I came across a form that
I had filled out in April, 1986, ten years earlier. It was labeled “Two possible scenarios ten
years hence,” and was ruled into three vertical columns. Listed in the left column were
important areas of my life such as age, family situation, occupation, education, income,
investments, health, major accomplishments, and so on. The middle column summarized
where I would be in each of those areas assuming I were to continue doing whatever I
was doing, introducing no changes into any of these areas of my life. In other words,
extrapolating my current situation.
The right hand column summarized where I would really like to be in those same areas
in ten years. These remarks became the basis for my goals. The point, as I recall now, was
to determine whether I even needed to set goals. If, by extrapolating my current situation,
I saw a picture of exactly where I would like to be in ten years, then who needed goals?
I’d be there simply by continuing whatever I was doing at the time. Of course, I had to
be honest with myself. If I were not taking any evening courses then, or working on a
book then, or saving any money then, I certainly wouldn’t have a higher education, or be
a published author or have adequate savings ten years hence.
It’s amazing enough that I discovered this “ten year scenario” form almost exactly ten
years later. But it was even more amazing when I reviewed the third column. I was exactly
where I wanted to be in almost all areas, even though I had not consciously worked on some
of those areas since. I had never so much as looked at the form after filing it away with
other information on goals. Oh, I had set goals since. I set annual goals each year, and I
also have five-year goals. But I had even reached goals that I had not consciously thought
of since. The mere act of putting goals in writing helps you to achieve them. The process
of filling out the form had sensitized my mind to where I really wanted to be in ten years.
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2.2 SENSITIZING YOUR MIND

Most of the goals on this “Extrapolation Sheet” were achieved deliberately a year at a time.
But it’s almost magical the way goals almost achieve themselves once they’re reduced to
writing. It’s more than a case of crystallizing your thinking, or providing a roadmap or
reminder of where you’re heading. It actually sensitizes your mind so that it recognizes
opportunities that will help achieve those goals. When I explain “sensitizes your mind”
in my seminars, I usually refer to the example of looking up an unfamiliar word in the
dictionary. It may be the first time you had come across that word, and yet once you had
looked it up, you encountered it every week thereafter. Your mind had become sensitized
to that word. Similarly you may shop, select and purchase a car that appears unique. Yet
after buying it, every tenth car you pass seems to be an exact replica. The words were
always there. The cars were always there. But you never really noticed them until your
mind became sensitized to them.
That’s how it works with goals. Some time ago I had written down that I was going to
write a book on mission statements. Mission statements seemed to pop out of nowhere. On
bulletin boards, in books, in annual statements, in newsletters and on office walls. There
was no end to them. And yet I had originally wondered how I was going to collect over
a hundred sample mission statements! Unfortunately – or fortunately – a recent book on
mission statements also surfaced. Someone had beat me to it! An excellent book, by the
way; it is called The Mission Statement Book by Jeffrey Abrahams.
Writing your goals down on paper immediately starts the goal-setting process in your brain.
The brain seems to recognize opportunities that will help you achieve these goals.
Don’t write goals on a scrap of paper or toss them into a file as I had done earlier. Have a
“Goals Binder” that you can easily refer to on a continuing basis. Jot down your thoughts,
desires and the rough outlines of your goals. When honed to a set of realistic, time-framed
goals, copy them into your weekly planner where they can’t be ignored. They seem more
obvious in a paper planner, but if you are all digital, include them in your smartphone, and
get into the habit of viewing them daily. I believe that your goals for the year should be
outlined in your planner because that’s where the time to work on them will be scheduled.
Most people I talk to who have been successful in achieving their goals subscribe to the
practice of putting them in writing. We all have goals floating around in our minds somewhere;
but writing them down on paper increases your mind’s awareness of them. They suddenly
become real, something specific to pursue. It’s as though you’re telling that amazing mind
of yours, “Hey, I’m serious about this. Let’s get to work!”
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2.3 EXTRAPOLATE YOUR LIFE

If you want to achieve something in the future, the time to start is now, in the present.
Don’t be afraid to put your ambitions in writing. And don’t be discouraged by the fact that
some of your goals may not be reached for another ten or more years. It is better to aim
for success in the long run than to never know what success feels like. The process of filling
out the ten year forms I referred to earlier is called the “Extrapolation Technique.” If you
have not drawn up personal life goals, try it. If you think you’ll be happy and successful
without goals, this exercise may prove you right – or wrong.
Think ahead ten years. Where will you be if you make no changes to your current career,
education, savings, and so on? How old will you and your family be? (You can’t control
that, but it may be an eye-opener.) What education will the children be able to afford?
What job will you be working at? How much money will you be earning? What will you
own? What hobbies will you have? What achievements will you be able to look back on
with pride? If you’re happy with what you see, you probably don’t need goals. That’s where
you’ll be. But don’t kid yourself. If you’re not saving anything now, or not spending time
with the family now, or not attending college classes now, what makes you think you will
be doing those things in the future?
2.4 THE FUTURE IS NOW

Without structure, people procrastinate. The intentions are there. Someday we’ll do this,
and someday we’ll do that. Most of the difficulty people experience in achieving goals is a
result of the fact that we perceive goals as something to work towards in the future. But
the future never comes. Tomorrow becomes today and we never leave the present. What
actually determines where you and I will be in five years or ten years is what you and I are
doing today, tomorrow and next week. Goals are not accomplished in the future; they are
accomplished in the present, a step at a time.
If you have extrapolated the present, and you’re not satisfied with where you’ll be in ten
years, repeat the process. But now assume that all your dreams of a lifetime have come true.
What does this new scenario look like? You may see a different person with greater skills,
expanded interests, and formidable accomplishments. If you prefer this to the first scenario,
draw up some specific goals for yourself, along with a plan of action. Almost anything can be
accomplished in ten years. The hardest part is deciding what you want and getting started.
The Extrapolation Technique is simply a way of determining whether you will be happy
with your future the way it is progressing. Some people don’t need to go through this
exercise. They already know they want to change. Dissatisfaction becomes the motivator
for setting goals.
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2.5 OTHER APPROACHES TO PERSONAL GOAL-SETTING

The “Extrapolation Technique” is not the only approach to goal-setting. The process you
use is not as important as the results you obtain. You already have your own unique life
purpose waiting to be claimed. All you have to do is uncover it. It’s not a case of trying to
be someone you’re not, but rather trying to discover who you really are.
Another way of starting is to simply jot down all the things that appeal to you. From the
following situations, which ones attract you, intrigue you, interest you or excite you?
• Having an interesting career.

• Having a happy, satisfying marriage.
• Running your own company.
• Spending time with interesting friends.
• Having a comfortable home in the suburbs, or city or country.
• Living in a modern apartment resort in the heart of an exciting city.
• Producing a great work of art or best-selling novel.
• Having enough free time and money to travel.
• Getting to really know and understand your family, and spending quality time
with them.
• Staying in good physical condition.
• Having people consult with you because you are an expert in some field of education.
• Making enough money to travel, educate your children, and buy whatever luxuries
you desire.
• Working in a high-level job and influencing the direction of a multinational
corporation.
• Having an interesting hobby.
• Spending time in meditation, prayer, and spiritual development.
• Retiring at the age of 55, 65 or 70.
• Changing careers or going back to school.
Any of the above could be the start of a goal.
Can you think of other areas not listed above that appeal to you? Conduct a brainstorming
session with yourself, or better still, with your family. Write down what you think you
would enjoy doing. Your list might include more exciting things, such as climbing Mount
Everest or excavating around the Pyramids or white water rafting in Africa -whatever gives
you a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, achievement and personal growth. Then, from the
list, select a few priorities – those things you want above everything else – and see if you
can express them in terms of goals.
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For example, if authoring a best-selling novel appeals to you, and you think you will feel
the same way in the future, one of your goals might be “to complete a 100,000 word
novel by Dec. 31st, 2019, that has the potential to become a best-seller.” (No author can
actually write a best-seller; the publisher, media, and the public determine its success.)
Your shorter term objectives might include things like “complete a 10-week fiction writing
course at Florida State by June 15, 2020”, “read six best-sellers currently on the market by
November 15, 2019” and so on. Your resulting goals should be examined carefully when
being reduced to writing. They should be realistic, measurable, and compatible with one
another and with your desired lifestyle.
2.6 PUT LIFE INTO YOUR LIVING

Don’t limit yourself to my list. There are probably all kinds of things you would like to do;
but they have been shoved aside in favor of other people’s priorities or the tyranny of the
moment. It’s time to express in words and on paper the things that are meaningful to you.
You may simply want to recapture experiences of the past. What are the things that you
used to do that have somehow escaped you over the years? Travelling, spending time with
loved ones, reading, skiing, gardening. What are the activities that you really enjoyed? Jot
them down on the left side of a sheet of paper. Then, next to them, note the date of the
last time you recall being involved in those activities. The results may surprise you. People
claim they are bowlers or skiers or tennis players and they haven’t bowled or skied or played
tennis for over ten years. Sometimes the things we really enjoy doing have been crowded
out of our lives by the time demands of others.
Go one step further and to the right of these dates, jot down how frequently you actually
perform these activities. Abbreviate by putting an “O” for “often”, an “S” for “seldom”, and
an “H” for “hardly ever.” How many “hardly evers” do you have? Ask yourself the reason
for this. If it’s because they are illegal, fattening, or injurious to your health – or harmful to
others – perhaps you are justified in avoiding these desirable activities. But be honest with
yourself. Is it simply that you have never had time, or just never seem to get around to it?
It’s safe to say that you are not getting any younger, and that the longer you procrastinate,
the easier it becomes to put things off indefinitely. So if you have recognized that you are
not doing things you want to do, make up your mind now to change your ways. Copy
over those things you seldom do. Put them in the form of goals and list them in order of
priority. You could even transfer them to a 3˝ × 5˝ index card and carry them with you
in your purse or wallet. Or record them on the goals page on your planner. Keep them
as a reminder so you will never let those meaningful activities drift to the back of your
mind again.
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Block off time in your planner each week to engage in one or more of those activities.
Everything can be scheduled. Even if one of your neglected activities is “spending time with
the kids”, you can schedule a block of time specifically for that purpose. You could label the
block of time “outing” or “family time” if you have no specific recreational activity in mind.
Treat that block of time as though it were a dentist appointment or a meeting with your
boss. Enter it in ink, not pencil. Protect it from others. Say “no” politely but firmly when
asked if you are available for something else. If the activity involves cost, pay in advance
so you have an added obligation to go through with it. For example, buy season’s tickets
if the activity is theatre or a sporting event. Join a fitness club if the activity is exercise.
Put a down payment on a trip if the activity is a holiday with the family. Make a verbal
commitment, a written commitment, and a financial commitment. Then muster up your
willpower and make a mind commitment. Do it. Put life into your living. And you’ll never
have to look back with regrets.
2.7 BUSINESS GOALS

I have been using the term “personal goals” and using examples such as saving money,
buying houses, taking a vacation, etc. But the same process can be used for business goals.
For example, you might reflect on what major tasks you want to complete during the year.
Record them in your planning binder or electronic handheld device before refining them
and transferring the most important ones to your weekly planning calendar. Make each one
specific, such as “By March 31st of the current year to decrease the collection period on
accounts receivable to 30 days or less.” Then you have to develop a strategy for achieving
each goal, such as
By January 1st to issue a letter to all customers announcing the new 15-day credit policy.
By January 15th to have all order forms revised to accept all major credit cards.
By February 1st to accept only orders accompanied by payment or purchase order.
The point is, every goal, whether personal or corporate, has to have a concomitant plan of
action or strategy for achieving it. It may be at this point in the goal-setting process that
you may realize your goal or the time frame is unrealistic and requires revision.
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2.8 GOAL-SETTING AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL

Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, claimed that high
achievers invent ways to challenge themselves, whether they are studying, working, or simply
mowing the lawn.
One way of challenging themselves is through goals. Psychologist Richard Guzzo of New
York University, after 100 studies of worker productivity, found that goal-setting outdid
most other techniques in raising both the quantity and quality of work.
When setting goals for employees in your business, encourage participation on the part of
your employees. Ownership produces commitment. The goals established should satisfy the
criteria discussed in chapter 3. Make them challenging, yet realistic. And don’t use goals
to create competition among employees. They should challenge employees to exceed their
previous results, not encourage them to try and outdo the next person. Be prepared to offer
assistance and to hold meetings to discuss problems and receive feedback.
Psychologist Edwin A. Locke of the University of Maryland, who studied goal-setting for
25 years, concluded that individuals have to be committed to their goals. They have to be
convinced that goals are important and worthwhile. Employees will only be convinced if
management spends time, effort and money communicating the proper method of setting
goals, provides constant assistance and feedback along the way, and rewards the achievement
of goals through recognition and rewards.
Business goals should be set for the key result areas of a company. For example, productivity
goals could be expressed as units produced per day or income generated per employee or
cost per unit of production. Profitability goals could be based on net income or return on
investment. Market goals could include such statements as “increase the market share of
‘Product B’ to 25 percent” or simply “to sell 100,000 units to the health care industry by
December 31st.” There could also be safety goals, innovation goals, and social responsibility
goals and so on.
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DEVELOP A GOAL-SETTING MINDSET MAKE YOUR GOALS ACHIEVABLE
3 MAKE YOUR GOALS ACHIEVABLE

3.1 ARE THEY REALISTIC?
You can achieve almost any goal if the desire to achieve it is strong enough; but you will
find it easier if your goals exhibit certain characteristics. In addition to having them in
writing, ask yourself if they satisfy these requirements.
Can they be reached by anyone with the same abilities and opportunities as you have? If so,
they’re realistic. Avoid pie-in-the-sky goals which are beyond your reach. You might break
them into sub-goals, to see if they are realistic. For example, if saving $64,000 requires that
you salt away $8000 per month, is this within your control? Behind every goal is a plan
as to how you expect to achieve it. If the plan is not workable, the goal is not achievable.
Being realistic applies to the number of goals we set, not just their difficulty or complexity.
Susan Silver, author of Organized to Be the Best subscribes to the saying, “If you accomplish
everything you planned, you haven’t planned well enough.” She claims if you plan more
than you can do, “you’ll probably accomplish more than if you lower your expectations.”
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No doubt you should make your goals challenging enough to add interest, produce stretch,
and provide a sense of achievement when hitting the mark. But beware of having too many
goals. If totally unrealistic, they could actually be de-motivational. It is so easy to make
the excuse, “Well, after all, what do you expect?” And how can you zero in on the few
value-packed goals if they are diluted with others of lesser importance. There’s a danger of
losing your focus, and the list of goals becomes a shopping list or “To Do” list, with the
name of the game being crossing off items with little regard for their relative importance.
An extra goal or two will probably do no harm if they’re of equal importance. But resist
the urge to write down as a goal everything you ever thought of doing. Focus on those
precious few which will produce the greatest results.
Most people could accomplish more if they attempted less. Concentrating on a few meaningful
activities is far more productive than crossing off items on a “To Do” list. When you have
a few challenging goals, your time and energy are not dissipated, but focused. And instead
of starting a dozen things and finishing none, you achieve those things which are most
important to your life and career. A greater sense of achievement ensues, which in turn,
acts as a motivator to spur you on to other goals.
Overwhelming yourself with a dozen or more goals, on the other hand, could be
counterproductive. You are involved in a juggling act, trying to keep all the projects in motion
while handling the usual interruptions, crises, and demands of your daily job. Objectives
not reached and projects unfinished offer little motivation to continue.
There is no right number of goals to set in a particular year. It depends on the demands of
your job and life and the complexity of your goals. But it is better to err on the low side.
You can always throw in another short-term goal or two if you complete the major ones
ahead of schedule. Remember, you can’t do everything; but you can do anything.
3.2 ARE THEY SPECIFIC ENOUGH?

One of the most frequent errors people make when they write down their goals is to make
them too vague. You should paint a detailed picture for your mind. Be specific. Quantify
them, if possible, with a definite target date. For example, don’t say, “Save a lot of money,”
say, “Save $64,000 by January 15, 2021.” Instead of writing, “Own a lovely home in the
suburbs,” write “Purchase a $350,000, 4-bedroom, split-level home in Unionville by July 15,
2026.” Instead of “a promotion,” write “To be prepared to assume the position of executive
vice president by September, 2020.” A goal to “read a lot more,” can become “To read one
book per month on the topic of leadership.” And “To take a vacation” could be expressed
as “A 3-week vacation at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Maui beginning February 1, 2022.”
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If possible, avoid vague goals such as “to be happy,” “to be fulfilled,” “to be rich” or “to be
intellectually mature.” Think of the things that would make you happy or fulfilled and put
them down in concrete terms. For example, a measurable goal would be “to be qualified
to assume the position of plant superintendent by Sept. 1, 2021.” Be sure your goals have
a deadline.
3.3 ARE THEY LISTED IN ORDER OF PRIORITY?

The extrapolation technique should get you thinking about goals and where you would like
to be in five or ten years, but the resulting list could be overwhelming.
We will never have enough time to do all the things we would like to do, so we must
choose those things that are the most important to us. Trouble is, everything may seem
important. There’s time with the family, career- related goals, exercise, self-development,
community involvement, hobbies, health, church politics, and on and on. And they may
have reminded of other things that are important, such as time alone with the spouse, time
for ourselves, spiritual growth, association involvement, keeping up with current affairs and
technological advancement. Wow, we’re on a roll – personal financial planning, new house,
visiting friends, golf lessons, networking, and oh yes, that book we want to write.
There seems to be no end to the places we want to see, the people we want to spend time
with, the things we want to do. How do we determine the four or five things that are the
most important? Which ones should be reduced to writing as a specific goal for this year or
next? There are a few exercises you could do to help isolate those truly meaningful activities.
One exercise is to imagine that you have suddenly been given six months to live. Not a
pleasant thought, perhaps, but it forces you to think about how you would spend those
last six months on earth. Write down the things you would do, the places you would like
to visit, the people you would spend time with. Some people might say they would travel
and see as much of the world as possible, or spend more time with the immediate family, or
develop a closer relationship with God. Others might think of making a will, or wondering
if they could get life insurance, or telling their spouse where all the legal documents are
kept. In other words, when faced with a brief period of time, with no second chance, no
room for procrastination, real priorities come to the surface.
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For example, if someone had only six months of life left, and they would spend a third of it
traveling through Europe, that trip must be a real priority. Yet people may not have selected
it as a short-term or medium-term goal, believing they could always do it later when they
have more time – when the kids are grown up, or when the mortgage is paid off, or when
they retire from their jobs. When faced with the reality that death could come at any time,
we can see that putting it off indefinitely could mean never experiencing it. Not only does
this exercise force us to face our own mortality, and to realize that we are procrastinating
on some really important activities, it also serves to remind us of the minor tasks that are
important, yet take such little time, the will or life insurance, for instance.
In actual fact, few of us would enjoy a trip to Europe with a death sentence hanging over
us. And where would we get the money on such short notice? And who would look after
the kids if we left them behind? But think for a moment. If we set a goal this year, that in
five years we would take our three weeks’ vacation plus a three week leave of absence, and
tour Europe, and if we saved five dollars each week for those five years, we’d have plenty
of money to make our goal a reality. We could likely obtain that leave of absence if we
badgered the boss for five consecutive years. We could even get a baby-sitter if we had five
years notice. There’s not much we couldn’t do, if we had five years. But the catch is, we
have to start now. What determines where you and I are in five years, is what you and I
are doing today, tomorrow and next week.
A variation of this exercise is to change the time you have left from six months to just
three minutes. Some might spend their last three minutes in prayer, or writing a note to
a loved one.
Another variation might be to write your own obituary or eulogy or epitaph. What would
you like others to say about you when you’re gone? How would you like to be remembered?
What is it you would have liked to have done with your life? Exercises like these could
stimulate your thinking as to what is really important. Rarely would people say, when faced
with imminent death, that they would clean out the garage, or complain to the boss, or
work overtime to earn more money. Rather they would like to spend more time with a
loved one, patch up a broken relationship, rid themselves of unfulfilling jobs, or tend to
some unfinished business they had been putting off. Once you have established the real
priorities, they can become the basis of some meaningful goals.
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3.4 ARE THEY COMPATIBLE WITH ONE ANOTHER?

Make sure that your goals are compatible with one another, as well as compatible with the
goals set by your spouse and other family members. For example, one of your goals may be
to start up your own business while still employed full time elsewhere. If another of your
goals is to spend more quality time with the family, the two might not be compatible. You
should consider whether one of them could be changed, delayed, or sacrificed. If only one
goal could be achieved, which one is the most important to you? Could you achieve both
by selecting a certain type of business? Realistic goals are ones that have been thought over
carefully before being transferred to your goal’s page and being acted upon.
3.5 WILL THEY HELP FURTHER YOUR LIFE’S MISSION?

Many people who have a clear set of tangible personal goals, have never really taken the time
to examine their mission in life. As mentioned earlier, make sure your goals are compatible
with your “reason for being.” This will reduce the stress in your life and goal-setting will
become a lot more enjoyable and meaningful.
Although the mind, sensitized to what it is you want to accomplish, has a great bearing on
your success, don’t assume you don’t have to put forward some conscious effort. You should
be willing to sacrifice short-term benefits for long-term rewards. Put your goals in writing,
be as detailed as possible, develop action plans where necessary, and be sure to establish a
deadline for each goal. Don’t hesitate to adjust that time frame if you feel it may not be
realistic; but if you adjust it more than once, you are probably procrastinating.
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DEVELOP A GOAL-SETTING MINDSET SCHEDULING YOUR GOALS FOR RESULTS
4 SCHEDULING YOUR GOALS

FOR RESULTS
4.1 SELECT A GOAL-ORIENTED PLANNER
The planner features I describe here apply to paper planners since I feel they are more
appropriate for getting things done. But I realize most people now use their smart phone
or other handheld device for their “To do” list and planning. I use a paper planner for
planning, and a digital device for everything else. The important thing is to block off
specific time periods to work on your goal related activities, and place non-priority items
on a “To do” list.
A planner, diary, calendar or whatever you wish to call it, should do more than simply tell you
what day it is. Basically, a planner should display your annual goals so you never lose sight
of where you’re heading and supply enough space to actually schedule time to work on those
goal-related activities. It should also remind you of appointments, assignments due, meetings
and special events such as birthdays and list the multitude of things that you have to do
that day or that week so you won’t forget them. It should also provide space for scheduling
evening and weekend activities so your work won’t infringe on personal commitments.
There are other things that planners could do for you. But don’t choose a planner with
all the bells and whistles if you never use bells and whistles. The planner should fit your
personal management style, not the reverse. Some of the more analytical people prefer a
day-at-a-glance, perhaps because they like detailed records of everything. Others prefer a
month-at-a- glance because they’re more interested in the overall picture and long-term
results and don’t want to get locked into the daily nitty gritty. I prefer the week-at-a-
glance, so I can concentrate on detail, yet have an idea of how the week is shaping up.
It provides space to schedule activities without the constant flipping of pages necessary in
the day-at-a-glance planners. A. Roger Merrill, in his book Connections: Quadrant II Time
Management, suggests that “The week is a complete little patch out of the fabric of life. It
has the weekend, it has the evening, it has the workday.” It’s difficult to balance your life
on a daily basis, but a weekly schedule puts things in perspective.
You should give careful thought to the selection of a planner, since it’s within its pages that
you organize your life and achieve your goals. Select one that feels right for you. Don’t be
afraid to try different types and change part way through the year if necessary – until you
find one that is compatible with your lifestyle.
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I recommend you use a larger planner than the pocket size and schedule all activities and
events; record all birthdays, anniversaries; describe all trips, vacations; include rough maps
of how to get to places; list items to take to staff meetings and conferences, etc. Then your
planning calendar will also serve as a record of where you have been and what you have
done, complete with reusable information for the future.
Select one that has enough space for the entries yet is portable enough to toss into your
briefcase or purse. It should have time segments from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. or later for
recording personal commitments, evening courses and meetings. It should contain the total
year so you can plan well ahead. Also, have space for those daily “things to do” that don’t
merit assignment to any particular time slot. Choose one that will work for you.
4.2 USE YOUR PLANNER EFFECTIVELY

More important than the planner you select is the way you use it. Keep your goals
highlighted there, as well as your “to do” list, important telephone numbers, assignments
due, commitments made, important events to remember and scheduled blocks of time
for yourself. Don’t be afraid to record information in your planner, including evening and
weekend plans. People who simply use it as a calendar – to tell whether a holiday falls on
a Monday or a Tuesday – are making a mistake. The more you use it the more valuable it
becomes and the more organized you will be.
Separate the goal-related activities from the items of lesser importance and schedule these
“must do” items directly into your planning calendar along with your meetings. For instance,
the development of a policy manual, if this were one of your goals, should never remain
on a “to do” list. Block out the time needed in your planner, let’s say between 2:30 p.m.
and 4:00 p.m. every Tuesday and treat it as though it were a meeting with the boss or
an appointment with your doctor. Close your door and have calls intercepted if possible.
Allow a little extra time for those unavoidable interruptions that are bound to occur. If
you schedule several of these meetings with yourself during the ensuing week, you will
accomplish those goals and increase your effectiveness.
“To do” lists are fine for grocery shopping; but if you’re a results-oriented person, scheduled
commitments are recommended. Don’t be discouraged if some of your scheduled activities
have to be changed. A schedule is a guideline and must be flexible. But resist changing your
schedule simply to accommodate tasks of no greater importance than your originally planned
activity. If someone shows up unexpectedly, for instance, don’t abandon your priorities in
favor of an impromptu meeting. Block off periods of time in your planning calendar with
the intent of following through with them. But don’t stop scheduling even if your plans
have to be frequently altered. Doctors don’t stop scheduling office appointments simply
because they are frequently called out on emergencies.
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4.3 GIVE PRIORITY TO PRIORITIES

The first thing you schedule into your planner should be blocks of time to work on your
goal-related activities. This will ensure that you are working on the 20 percent of the activities
that will produce 80 percent of your results.
Your goals may include things you have been putting off year after year because you simply
haven’t had the time. These goals could be personal as well as professional. They could
include the writing of a book, the redecorating of a home, or planning a trip to Europe.
In order to determine the target dates, recorded to the right of the listed goals, estimate
how many hours it would take to complete each task. In some cases, this is impossible to
determine accurately. If so, simply guess, then add up to 50% more time to be on the safe
side. For example, if you feel it could take 100 hours of solid writing to complete a project,
make it 150 hours. Then divide this figure by the number of weeks you plan to work that
year. For example, if you work 50 weeks, then the number of hours each week that you
will have to work on your goal-related activity should be three. Since it is difficult to work
steadily for three hours on any activity, break this into two sessions of 90 minutes each. To
accomplish your goal of writing a book, you would have to spend 90 minutes twice per
week in order to complete it by the end of the year. If this amount of time is unrealistic,
set the goal for the end of the following year and work half as long each week. Don’t be
impatient; be realistic.
Let’s assume you have set a goal, recorded the target date, and have estimated that you would
have to spend two 90 minute blocks of time of each week throughout the year. Use the
balance of time for other goals or priorities; but leave plenty of time for urgent priorities
that will invariably pop up unexpectedly. The regular interruptions that occur are already
allowed for by blocking off up to 50% more time than you think you will need.
The continual recording of your major goals on each weekly page keeps your original
intentions in mind. Each week you must now schedule an actual time in your weekly planner
to work on that particular task. Treat these blocks of time as though they were appointments
with important people (in fact they are – appointments with yourself ). By now you will
already have appointments, meetings, etc., scheduled in your planner. You will have to work
around these. But once your priority, goal-related activities have been scheduled, resist any
temptation to use this time for less important “spur of the moment” things. Pretend they
are appointments with your surgeon. Few people would delay life-saving surgery.
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This method of actually determining the amount of time it will take to accomplish a goal
forces you to be realistic. If you had ten goals, for instance, all requiring two hours each
week to accomplish, it is unlikely you would be able to steal 20 hours each week to work
on those special projects. You would have no time for your regular jobs (or for family time
if you planned to work on them in the evening). But there’s always next year. Boil those
goals down to the few really meaningful accomplishments which would give you the greatest
return on invested time. Be realistic. Leave spaces to accommodate the unexpected and to
allow time for those items on the “to do” section. You must have a planner that breaks
each day into time segments, however. Little blank squares for the days will not work. Your
planner is your most important time management tool, so choose it carefully. Get into the
habit of referring to it every morning. Follow it like a road map. Look at it again in the
evening and make any necessary changes to the next day’s plan. Your goals are accomplished
one step at a time; schedule those steps.
4.4 THE “TO DO” LIST METHOD

I sincerely believe that the best way to make sure that goals get accomplished is to schedule
protected chunks of time in your planner to work on them. But a lot of goals don’t require
scheduled time as such. If you’re saving money, for instance, it would be ludicrous to
schedule five dollars a day in your planner (although you could write the reminder there,
and keep score there.) Some people have been successful by simply making lists of what
they want to accomplish. Their goals take the form of “to do” lists. The late John Goddard,
adventurer and motivational speaker who died in 2013 at the age of 88, made a “life list”
of 127 impressive goals, and at the time of his death had achieved 109 of them.
“To do” lists have worked for some extremely successful people, such as John Goddard –
people with strong executive skills such as self-motivation and self-discipline. But there
is a danger in that they leave you vulnerable to procrastination and distraction. “To do”
lists tend to grow as time passes, like a snowball rolling downhill. Your original priorities
can become easily buried by dozens of other “nice-to-do” things. Unless you have the self-
discipline necessary to work from lists, be sure to use the scheduling technique described
earlier. It will help convert your intentions into commitments.
The number of things you accomplish is not as important as the type or quality of things
you accomplish. Just as there is no prize for the person who dies with the most toys, there
are no extra points for the person who dies with the most things accomplished. Being is
more important than doing. The quality of your life increases as your goals more closely align
with your personal mission or purpose in life. This purpose will be explored in chapter six.
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4.5 TIME: YOUR ULTIMATE RESOURCE

What is more valuable than gold, weighs nothing, disappears as you attempt to measure
it, and is wasted more than any other resource? You guessed it – time. If we could bottle
it and sell it to the aging population, we’d be rich. Unfortunately, each of us is allocated
only a specific amount of time. It has to last us a lifetime because it is our lifetime, and
we can neither subtract from it, nor add to it.
In some countries, selling organs such as one of your kidneys, can gain you some money.
But nowhere is it possible to sell your time. Your time, your life, is yours to spend, and
yours only. How will you spend it? If you have not consciously thought about budgeting
your time, I suggest you do so. We budget our money; but how many of us actually sit
down and establish our purpose or mission statement, set some lifetime objectives, plan
our days and budget our time? Based on what I have discovered at my workshops over the
past forty years, very few of us.
The great thing about time management is that you don’t need any particular skills or
prerequisites. You simply decide what you want to do with the rest of your life. If there’s
nothing you want to do, that’s probably what will get done. If you have no goals, you’ll
no doubt reach them all with a minimum of effort.
But if you have a vision of becoming a successful entrepreneur, president of a corporation,

church leader, volunteer, author, politician or if you want to be financially independent,
retired at age 55, a world traveler, a respected authority in a fascinating field of your choice
or if you want to be a great parent, aneducator, a sports historian, a physically fit, healthy
individual – if there’s anything you dream of doing, having or becoming, you can probably
do it, have it, or become it if you take control of your time.
Time management involves determining what you want out of life, including your job or
profession and setting some specific targets. Once you have your goals established, timeframes
determined, and a schedule of the time for the necessary tasks required to reach these goals
recorded in our planner, it becomes simply a matter of working on those tasks. Listing goals
shows interest in them; but scheduling time for goals shows your commitment to achieving
them. A dream becomes a goal when you have a plan for achieving it.
33
For some of us it’s not that simple, because many of us do not have the self-discipline or
motivation necessary to stick to a plan. Time management includes the self-control necessary
to persist in the pursuit of our goals – in spite of the interruptions, meetings and crises
that invariably occur. In spite of the temptation to procrastinate, take the path of least
resistance or give up altogether.
Time management is not getting more things done in less time. It’s getting fewer things
done – but things of greater importance – in the time that we have left. It’s not saving
time. Time can’t really be saved. And even if it could, it’s more important to live time than
to save time.
It’s not the attempt to eliminate interruptions, meetings, telephone calls or low priority
obligations. These will always exist to varying degrees. Time management is simply zeroing in
on what is important to you. Doing less, but doing it better. And doing it with determination
and persistence.
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34
The time management ideas, shortcuts and tips that you get from other articles, books,
seminars and recordings will help you by freeing up more time to work on your goal related
activities. But they will not give you the motivation, willpower, self-discipline needed to
actually work on them. That comes from within. You already have it; but you must learn
to use it. It’s a classic example of on-the-job training. We learn by doing.
So do it. If you slip, if you fail, if you quit, start again. Any small success increases the
probability of a greater success later. The height of one’s effectiveness varies directly with
the depth of one’s commitment. Persistence can become habitual. Motivation kindled by a
desired goal will get you started. And habit will keep you going.
True time management is not something that you learn. It’s something that you do. It does
not come from others. It comes from yourself. From within. You can do what you have
decided in your heart to do.
Clear, concrete, concise goals will increase your confidence that they can be achieved.
Motivation is desire multiplied by expectancy. If you really want something badly enough,
and you really believe that what you are doing will achieve it, you are motivated to achieve it.
Set realistic goals that will have a major positive impact on your life. Reveal your goals to
your supporters, but not to your critics. We all need cheerleaders. When the going gets
tough, focus on the payoff. Visualize the rewards. And measure progress by what you have
accomplished to date, not by what remains to be done.
35
DEVELOP A GOAL-SETTING MINDSET STACKING THE ODDS IN YOUR FAVOR
5 STACKING THE ODDS IN

YOUR FAVOR
5.1 THE CHARACTER OF THE GOAL-SETTER IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GOAL
People are goal-oriented by nature and have little difficulty setting written goals that are
specific, realistic, compatible with one another, and having a target date. Yet most goals are
abandoned. Goal-setting is easy. Goal achievement can be either easy or difficult, depending
on the personality of the individual.
The character of the goal-setter is far more important than the characteristics of the goal.
Here are a few of the major attributes that will help you to stick to your plan once you
have formulated your goals. It will increase your chance of succeeding.
5.2 BE ENTHUSIASTIC
Keith De Green, author of Creating a Success Environment, puts it this way. “People,” he
said (quoting a friend of his), “often break down into two categories; those who set their
goals with such overwhelming desire and commitment that they cannot help but succeed,
and those who set their goals with so little desire that they cannot help but fail.” In the
same book, De Green goes on to claim, “Goals don’t start in the brain; they start in the
heart, with a desire so intense, a commitment so complete, they can withstand the larger
obstacles, the most profound discouragement, the most bitter disappointments.”
It is one thing to recognize the need for goals, another to actually set them, and quite
another to continue working on them. We can all recall times when we were initially fired
up about doing a job, only to lose enthusiasm later and end up setting it aside. It’s more
than an initial spurt of enthusiasm that’s necessary, it is long-term enthusiasm. The late
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale included this quote in his publication, Plus: The Magazine of
Positive Thinking: “Every man is enthusiastic at times. One man has enthusiasm for thirty
minutes, another has it for thirty days. But it is the man who has it for thirty years who
makes a success in life.” How can you sustain enthusiasm? W. Clement Stone claimed, “To
become enthusiastic for achieving a desirable goal, keep your mind on your goal day after
day. The more worthy and desirable your objective, the more dedicated and enthusiastic you
will become.” If you want to be enthusiastic, act enthusiastically. Initially you may even have
to fake it a little. But eventually it will become a habit as your mind picks up your intent.
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Frank Bettger, in his book, How I raised myself from failure to success in selling, agreed. He
claimed he was a success the day he decided to put the same enthusiasm into selling that
he had put into baseball. He also related the case of a salesman who made a fortune selling
insurance, not because of his knowledge, but because of his enthusiasm.
We can all relate to incidents in which we found ourselves getting emotionally charged
because of another’s enthusiasm. Entrepreneurs receive funding, employees receive promotion,
and speakers capture their audiences because of their enthusiasm. Conversely, employees,
audiences and potential investors have all been bored and reluctant to get involved because
of a lack of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm tends to be a fleeting emotion; you have to continually
stoke the fire by anticipating those goals you are working towards. If goals are too far in
the future, this anticipation and enthusiasm is dimmed. So make sure you have short range
goals as well as long range goals.
Success feeds on itself. Once you successfully achieve a goal, you become more enthusiastic
when striving to achieve the next one. Dennis Waitley, in his book, The Double Win,
described an experiment in which adults were asked to solve puzzles and hand in their work
afterwards. One group was deceived into thinking they had done poorly, while the other
group was told they had done well. (Both sets of results were fictitious.) When given another
set of puzzles to solve, the group who had been told they had done poorly did worse than
they had done before, while those who had been told they had done well did better than
before. The feeling that we get when we do something well motivates us to do even better.
There is a story of a champion bowler who claimed he had never experienced failure as a
child. His father would set up the pins in the gutter, since that’s where he invariably threw
the ball. But when he started sending the ball down the alley, the father set the pins in the
alley. Success breeds success.
One of my earlier goals to write a book was a bit of a drag. But since I had already succeeded
in writing several articles, it didn’t seem impossible. And once it was accepted by a publisher,
I tackled the next one with a full head of steam and the subsequent ones were relatively
easy. Increase your chance of success by setting a modest goal or two at first. The success
of achievement will spur you on to greater heights.
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5.3 BE OPTIMISTIC
Someone once said that if it weren’t for optimists, pessimists wouldn’t realize how miserable
they were. But there are more advantages to optimism than uncovering the pessimists.
Optimism appears to be a prerequisite to success. A sunny outlook appears to melt problems
and cause setbacks to slip right by. Most failures are caused by quitting, and people with
rosy outlooks don’t quit easily. Ninety percent of all failures come from quitting.
The world is filled with people who have succeeded because they refused to quit. In the
field of writing, for instance, Thor Heyerdahl, author of Kon Tiki, was turned down by 20
publishing houses before his book was finally accepted by Rand McNally. Lawrence Peter’s
Peter Principle was turned down by 17 publishing houses before it was finally accepted. The
author of Little Women received a letter from a well-known Boston publisher. “Stick to your
teaching Miss Alcott. You will never be a writer.” Other “rejects” include The Rise and fall
of the Third Reich, Love story, The Godfather, Exodus, and Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Jack
Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were rejected by 33 publishers before their Chicken soup
for the soul was finally accepted. But the authors were optimistic and persisted.
Martin Seliqman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, claims that the link
between optimism and performance is basically persistence. And persistence gets results. Take
the example of a salesperson who persists in making one more call each day. That’s 5 extra
calls each week – 250 additional calls each year – resulting in a significant increase in sales.
But to persist, the person must be optimistic about the outcome of those extra calls. If the
salesperson adopts a pessimistic “what’s the use” attitude there will be no motivation to put
forth the extra effort.
Research has shown that optimists get more done and are more successful than pessimists.
If you asked a pessimist about this, they would simply insist that they were being realistic.
You must be realistic when setting goals; but be optimistic when working on them.
5.5 TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE

Some of us are so busy blaming others for our mistakes that we lose control of our own
lives in the process. By finding excuses, searching for scapegoats, blaming circumstances,
we program ourselves to become life’s victims. Do not deny responsibility for your own life
by claiming that everything bad that happens to you is not your fault.
38
It may be great not to have to shoulder the responsibility for failures, but unfortunately we
abdicate the responsibility for success at the same time. We become complainers, pessimists,
grumblers, always bemoaning our fate and continually crying, “If only this had happened…
if only that had happened.” In our minds, things happen to us; but in fact, most things
happen because of us.
If you find that things never seem to go your way, ask yourself whether you have ever
participated in directing those “things.” Life is not a spectator sport. Those who succeed
take charge of their own lives, accept full responsibility for their failures, forgive their own
blunders, and get back on course. Energy that would have been expended blaming other
people or circumstances is invested in correcting the errors and pursuing the goals.
Keep yourself in the driver’s seat at all times. The next time you encounter a barrier to
success, don’t say “Look what he did!” or “Look what she made me do!” It’s hard to change
other people or stop them from doing things. Take a responsible approach instead. Say,
“Look what I did” or “Look what I allowed to happen.” Then quickly leap the barrier and
get on with life.
5.5 PROGRAM YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS, NOT FAILURE

Some people feel that they have no control over their future, that their lives are completely
controlled by external events. Those people will likely gain little, if anything, from reading
this book. Not because their lives are controlled by others, but because they think they are.
Attitude is an important consideration when attempting to improve a person’s position in life.
The most important part of any book is not the list of ideas or techniques imparted to the
readers. It is the portion that convinces the readers that they do, in fact, have choices. That
they can control certain aspects of their job and life, and that they are the ones responsible
for initiating that control.
If people are convinced that goal-setting won’t help them, it won’t. It’s a self-fulfilling
prophecy. Great ideas can be within their grasp, but they won’t even reach for them because
they’re convinced that they won’t do a bit of good.
There was an experiment conducted long ago that involved a large pike swimming around
in a tank surrounded by minnows which he gobbled up as he became hungry. Then a
glass partition was introduced, separating the pike from his food. Every time he’d grab for
a minnow, he’d only succeed in banging his snout against a glass wall. Soon he came to
realize that going after the fish was futile, and he stopped trying. Then the glass partition
was removed, and the minnows were allowed to swim about in the tank as before. The pike
knew better than to try to eat them, however, and slowly starved to death in the midst of
all that food.
39
The pike’s reality was in his mind, but it prevented him from eating when food was
plentiful. Similarly many people have an incorrect view of reality and it results in failure
to take advantage of opportunities that may be obvious to others. If they believe they have
no control over their lives, they’re right. Don’t allow yourself to adopt a “what’s the use”
attitude. You owe it to yourself to take full advantage of your skills, talents and gifts. It is
not what you have, but what you do with it that counts.
5.6 MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES

How well you manage your life is determined by the choices you make. Everyone makes
daily choices. To say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. To start a project now or later. To interrupt yourself to get
a coffee or to keep working. To write things down or make mental notes. To do something
or to leave it undone. To get upset under stress or to remain calm. You choose the type of
planner you use, the smartphone you buy, the books you read, the courses you take, the
foods you eat, the associations you join, and the friends you make. You decide how to spend
your weekends, your work time, your lunch time, your spare time and your family time.
And yet we often blame our time problems on others. The boss is at fault for giving you
too much to do. Your peers are at fault for interrupting you so often. Your employees are
at fault for not working efficiently. Even God is at fault for not giving you enough time.
If we are really serious about gaining control of our lives, we must first accept the responsibility
for its use. The real meaning of the word responsibility is “response- ability” – the ability
to respond. We must respond to situations we encounter by making the right choices. If
your goal is to complete a certain task by 4 p.m., your choices should reflect this. If asked
if you’ve got a minute, your choice might be to say ‘no’, and schedule the meeting after
4 p.m. Other choices might include engaging the voice mail for a few hours, turning off your
cellphone, cancelling a luncheon appointment, delegating other jobs that should be done
that afternoon, drinking water instead of coffee, sticking to the job instead of interrupting
yourself, ignoring the e-mail that flashes on your computer screen.
The point is, if you choose to do a job – to make it your goal that day, you can complete
it by making other choices consistent with that goal. But too often we simply make a
decision to do something and lose sight of this decision amid the vicissitudes of the day.
Another example is our reluctance to say ‘no’. We seem to be unaware that saying ‘yes’ to
something that will demand a lot of our time is the same as saying ‘no’ to something else
that we could have done instead – whether it is reading a book, spending a few hours with
the family or going for a walk. It is more than just a decision as to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, it is a
choice we make as to how we will spend our time.
40
Many of us seem to go through life placing the responsibility for our time problems on
others. “We had to work late.” “It was a bad day.” “It was impossible to get anything done.”
Statements like these indicate we had no choice in the matter. Things happened to us that
were beyond our control.
Of course we could argue that indeed we had no choice, because if we had refused to work
overtime we would have been fired. But isn’t that a choice? Conceivably there could be a
situation where choosing to be fired could be the best choice to make. It is simply a matter
of recognizing we do have choices, and accepting the responsibility for the choices we make.
Managing our lives is more than simply setting goals, planning, scheduling and working
as efficiently as possible. It is a process of making the right choices. What is right for one
person may not be right for another. But once you are aware of your values, your mission,
and personal goals, and you know what it is you want to do with your life, both on and
off the job, you will be able to make the choices that lead you in that direction. Managing
your life is managing your choices.
5.7 OVERCOME INERTIA

Charles Templeton, in his book Succeeding, touched on another reason people don’t achieve
goals – inertia. As Templeton reminded us, the law of inertia applies to the mind as well.
Inertia can be altered only by a force greater than the tendency to remain as is. To quote
Templeton: “To change the pattern of life takes an act of will. It requires a wrench and a
jerk. It is not enough to think wistfully about the need to change your job; you will remain
as you are unless you summon your resolve, persevere in your determination and then act.”
Although Charles Templeton was referring to the reluctance to change jobs or strike out on
your own, the same inertia applies to the act of pursuing goals as well. When Templeton
claims “It isn’t so much that he chooses to stay with what he is doing as it is that he avoids
choosing to do something else,” there is a direct parallel to a person’s reluctance to work
on goals. We know it makes sense to set goals. We’ve read about successful people claiming
that goals were the key to their success. We’ve even read articles and books and attended
goal-setting seminars that provided the know-how to set goals. But still we haven’t gotten
around to actually doing it.
41
We need that “wrench and a jerk” that Templeton refers to – that “act of will” that will
dislodge us from our status quo and put us on the road to progress. But it’s not something
that comes from someone else. Sure, we could be inspired by the motivational “do it now”
teachings of a time management speaker. Or we could be shocked into action by some
tragedy occur ring in our own life. But the action must be self-generated. We must want
to change or succeed at something badly enough that we overcome our inertia and act.
The process of setting goals, in itself, is motivational. Reducing goals and action plans to
writing allow us to see the direct relationship between effort and achievement. And seeing
that relationship tends to shake us from our inertia and get us moving. A body in motion
tends to stay in motion, and the actual achievement of a goal provides the big surge of
satisfaction needed to set other goals. But to see a goal to completion does take persistence,
and that can only come from within. You can call it vitality, commitment or belief in
yourself. But it is the spark that provides the persistence necessary to overcome inertia,
procrastination and the inevitable road blocks.
The effort is in the starting. Once we actually set goals, put them in writing, and take the
initial step towards them, the other part of that law of physics takes over and objects or
people in motion tend to stay in motion. Someone once said that there is no such thing
as trying, only doing or not doing. This applies to goal-setting as well. No longer can we
use the excuse “I tried to set goals and work on them but I just couldn’t get the hang of
it….” Of those hundreds of successful people who attributed their success to goal-setting,
not one of them indicated you had to be an expert on goal-setting. Or that you had to
follow six principles of effective goal-setting. Or even that you had to achieve all the goals
you set. But they did emphasize the fact that you had to start, act, do, and take charge.
Positive thinking, visualization, concentration, focus – they are all great. But none are as
great or as effective as the power of acting.
5.8 BE WILLING TO TAKE RISKS

Sandra Felton, writing in her book, Messie No More, compares change to a trapeze artist.
Swinging higher and higher, she gets to the point where she must make the leap. She must
let go of one bar in order to catch the one coming in the opposite direction. Like change,
it’s scary. You have to be prepared to let go of the old in order to grasp the new. The status
quo is comfortable and there is risk in changing ways. The preparation is easy, the swinging
higher and higher, just as taking time management courses and reading books is easy. But
the actual letting go, physically making the change, is difficult.
42
Many of us have been hanging from the trapeze for years, taking self-development courses,
attending seminars, and applauding the motivational speakers and mentors who show us
the way. But we resist taking the plunge, discarding the old habit regardless of its comfort
and feeling of security, and taking hold of that new habit. There is an element of risk
in anything worthwhile, whether it’s changing a habit, a career or a lifestyle. And to be
successful we must not be afraid of accepting the risk.
The July 25, 1989 issue of USA Today reported the results of a survey of 500 adults who
were asked what they would do if they won $1 million. 27 percent said they would start
their own business. How sad when you think that most of these people would have been
able to start their own business without the million dollars. They may never experience
fulfillment because they are not willing to accept the risk. When confronted with a change
that could improve your performance, your career or your life, don’t be afraid to release
your grip on that old bar and catch the new one with its exciting opportunities.
5.9 PRACTICE VISUALIZATION

An old issue of Psychology Today (July, 1985) reported on the use of video playbacks of
athletes. David Drazin, a clinical psychologist, created tapes of athletes at their best, winning
a race, beating an opponent at tennis or sinking a putt. The videotapes were voiced over
with commentary from the athletes describing the sensations and thoughts they had at the
time. The athletes watched the tapes immediately before competing to give themselves a
boost in self-confidence. According to a study completed by Drazin on the effectiveness of
these tapes, golfers who viewed tapes of themselves at their best had the highest scores in
“putting” competitions.
A further example of visualization in action was provided on an audio recording produced

by Jack Kinder, Jr. Two lowest ranked members of a California State tennis team evidently
shot to almost instant stardom after participating in a mind-programming process. The
tennis players were videotaped every day during practice and all the mistakes and bad shots
edited out. The composite tape eventually produced showed the players playing to perfection,
making faultless serves, volleys and shots. The tennis players viewed these edited tapes of
themselves, and practiced what they saw. Within two weeks they had changed their lives
and became undefeated representatives of their college team. By changing the way they
viewed themselves, they became successful at what they did.
43
Bill Glass, All-America football great, during one of his talks, told the story of Jim Brown,
who had gained over 200 yards against New York. When asked after the game how he
had managed to get himself so “up” to perform the way he did, Jim Brown replied that
all week long before the game, he saw himself in his imagination doing the job – catching
passes, making blocks, end runs – reacting to every conceivable situation. And when he
did perform well, he wasn’t surprised.
Athletes who do well see themselves doing well, long before the game. If you want to be
successful in what you do, you must burn into your mind a picture of what you want to
become. Norman Vincent Peale, in his book, Positive Imaging, claims there is a tendency
in human nature to become precisely what we imagine ourselves to be. It goes further than
“positive thinking”, since you don’t merely think about a hoped-for goal, you visualize
it intensely.
360°
So visualize what you want to become. See yourself managing your own clothing store,
.
or speaking to an audience of 2000 people, or designing and manufacturing the novel
thinking
children’s game you have been thinking about. Visualize in detail. See yourself performing,
taking specifications, giving specific orders – and collecting and depositing specific checks.
See yourself achieving those goals you set for yourself.
360°
thinking . 360°
thinking .
Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers Dis
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers

44
5.10 MAKE A COMMITMENT

You may set a goal for yourself or agree to pursue a goal set for you; but unless you are
committed to the goal you will rarely succeed in reaching it. Especially if it is a challenging
goal requiring time and effort on your part in order to achieve it.
Commitment involves a binding pledge to yourself that will take the necessary action to see
the goal through to completion. The higher the threshold of commitment, the greater the
likelihood of success. It is not simply an agreement to do something. It is a sincere resolve
to persist, in spite of setbacks and hardships.
A person with modest skills and abilities could easily outperform more gifted and able
individuals if they were committed to a goal. Commitment releases powers that we never
realized we had. When totally committed, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things.
Great people of history were not necessarily smarter or faster or better educated. They were
more committed.
When you have lost weight in accordance with your plan, do you keep your “fat clothes” just
in case? When you set a goal of a half-hour of cycling daily, do you simply rent a bike for a
week at a time just in case the urge passes? How committed are you to your personal goals?
Don’t make it easy to cop out. Burn a few bridges behind you. Don’t keep cigarettes on a
top shelf while you attempt to give up smoking. Don’t keep your savings in a jar on your
dresser when you’re saving towards a vacation. And don’t borrow your neighbor’s jogging
shoes when you decide on a daily workout. Set your goal and commit yourself to it. Believe
that you will attain it. Be confident that you will maintain it. And act accordingly. Dennis
Hensley, in his book, Staying Ahead of Time suggests we can gain commitment by actually
taking out a contract with ourselves.
Since a contract is supposed to be binding and takes precedence over everything else, and
since defaulting on a contract results in loss of pride, possessions and future opportunities
for assistance, it puts us into the right frame of mind to practice the self-discipline needed
to stick to our plans.
Hensley suggests an actual form, such as “I do hereby agree to accomplish each of the
following items on or before…” complete with date and signature. Giving a copy to your
spouse or a co-worker increases the level of commitment. I’ve never gone so far as to take
out a contract with myself, although I do find that letting others know about the goals I set
does tend to spur me on, if for no other reason than to save myself some embarrassment.
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5.11 BE A POSITIVE THINKER

Someone who claims, “I’d be a positive thinker but it probably wouldn’t make any difference,”
is not a positive thinker. Attitude can make the difference between success and failure. What
other resources do we have that are any greater than the next person’s? We all have the
same number of hours in a day. Our physical abilities are similar in most cases. Among our
associates or competitors there is not that much variation in our experience or education.
The big difference is our attitude. Do we have that desire to succeed? Dr. Maxwell Maltz,
author of Psycho-cybernetics, maintained that you may never realize your full potential unless
you assume you have it. His simple formula was to assume it’s possible, rehearse doing it,
and do it!
You must act the way you want to feel. Smile. Take a front seat at meetings. Make eye
contact with your customers and associates. Visualize success and play the part. Act confident
and you’ll be confident.
There’s nothing mysterious or supernatural about the power of positive thinking. Our
motivation to strive towards a goal is determined by our desire to reach the goal and the
strength of our belief that a particular action will lead to the achievement of that goal. This
is an accepted theory of motivation. And the belief that our efforts will result in achievement
is positive thinking.
If our belief is strong enough, if we think positively, we will be motivated to work hard
towards our goal. There is a catch. Positive thinking by itself will not achieve goals. There’s
effort involved as well. You can’t wish things to happen. You must make them happen. But
if you think positively, you will be motivated to work towards your goal in spite of fears
and temporary setbacks. With a positive attitude you’ll remain in control.
You won’t allow other people to control your emotions and reduce your effectiveness. After
all, if someone refuses to buy your product, for example, or criticizes you personally, it’s not
their refusal or the criticism that affects you. It’s your reaction to their refusal or criticism.
Don’t allow others to control how you feel. Take a positive attitude. Think about the dozens
or hundreds of people who do buy your product and think you’re terrific. And get on with
the job of success.
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DEVELOP A GOAL-SETTING MINDSET DISCOVER YOUR MISSION IN LIFE
6 DISCOVER YOUR MISSION IN LIFE

6.1 THE POWER OF PURPOSE
For the sake of simplicity I do not differentiate between mission and purpose, just as I do
not differentiate between goals and objectives, plans and strategies, or values and beliefs. If
you want to examine the subtle (and not so subtle) differences, refer to Kevin McCarthy’s
excellent book, The On-Purpose Person.
Can you imagine the tragedy of spending your entire life pursuing the wrong goals? This
could happen if you don’t first examine your purpose in life. Don’t achieve goals for the
sake of achieving them. Examine your personal beliefs and wants before setting any goals.
Having a sense of purpose in life not only allows us to set goals compatible with our personal
values, it also allows us to retain a positive self-image even if we don’t achieve them. Purpose
addresses what we are as opposed to what we do.
Richard Leider, in his book, Power of Purpose, relates a survey conducted at an American
university where 60 students were asked why they had attempted suicide. 85 percent replied
that life seemed meaningless. And surprisingly “93 percent of these students, suffering from
the apparent lack of purpose in their lives, were socially active, achieving academically, and
on good terms with their family situation.”
Purpose brings meaning to life – a reason for getting up in the morning and tackling each
day with enthusiasm. It provides the standards by which we live and the motivation for
what we do. When we work on goals or activities that reflect our values and purpose in
life, we have fewer anxieties and a greater sense of success and happiness.
You could fail to achieve a goal; but it’s difficult to fail a purpose. A purpose is a reason for
living. As Robert Ringer, author of several books, including Winning through Intimidation and
Looking Out For #1, feels that man’s real purpose is not to achieve goals, but to constantly
strive towards them. He provides another benefit of having a purpose in life when he quotes
Victor Frankl: “If there is a reason for happiness, happiness ensues. It is a side effect of
having a purpose, a meaning to life.”
47
6.2 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PURPOSE AND GOALS

Goals can be thwarted by a sudden change in your employment, health, or family situation;
but your purpose remains constant. To quote Stanton, “Imagine yourself luxuriating in an
exquisite estate, surrounded by a loving family and a host of servants. Then think of living
in a refugee camp, subject to squalor and starvation. If you can realize your purpose in
both places, you have something worth living for.”
Activities are usually derived from your purpose, not the reverse. And yet many people,
convinced that happiness and fulfillment depend upon setting and achieving goals within
the work environment, become so engrossed in their profession that work becomes their
reason for living. Their status, friendships, self-esteem and identity are all connected with
their position at work. When that connection is severed, their life collapses.
Awareness of your purpose in life not only allows you to set goals in harmony with your
reason for being, it provides guidance so you don’t get sidetracked. Ironically, the things
that most people count as important in their lives are not the things they are remembered
for – if they are remembered at all. Bob Shank, author of Total Life Management, uses an
interesting exercise in his seminars. He asks people to jot down the names of the greatest
people in history (e.g., Joan of Arc, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein), and then to note the
one thing that distinguishes them as great. Seldom do these things relate to their material
possessions, incomes, hobbies, travels or recreational preferences. Most of them had a single-
minded purpose to which they dedicated their lives. To quote Shank, “The great men and
women of history were not great because of what they owned or earned, but rather for
what they gave their lives to accomplish.”
“A life purpose encompasses all of your goals,” claims writer and seminar leader Sybil
Stanton.” And since it’s your purpose that determines your goals, you don’t fall apart when
your goals do.” This makes sense. But where does the purpose come from? How do we
develop a purpose in life? We don’t develop a mission; we discover it, according to the late
Richard Bolles, author of the best seller, What Color Is Your Parachute. He claimed that
“when we search for a sense of mission we are searching for reassurance that the world is
a little bit richer for our being here, and a little poorer after our going.” He believed that
we are put on this earth for a purpose and it is up to us to discover what that purpose is.
48
6.3 HOW DO YOU DETERMINE YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE?

If we are born with a purpose, we should have some indication of that purpose in our earlier
years, even though we may not be aware of it at the time. And this tends to be the case.
Denis Waitley, in his book, The New Dynamics of Goal Setting, tells about a series of British
films which followed the lives of 50 people from the age of seven to the age of thirty five.
Most of the individuals eventually found work that was related to their childhood interests,
even after straying from those interests as young adults.
You may have noticed that many people who retire make a full-time job out of what used
to be a hobby or interest – one that they didn’t have the time to pursue or what well-
meaning counselors or parents had steered them away from because it didn’t seem like a
viable option as a well-paying career.
What were your interests as a child? Have you become side-tracked from your calling? I
recall that I used to ham it up in front of family and friends as a child. I also used to write
poetry, epigrams and short stories, even sending them to magazines such as Readers Digest,
Saturday Evening Post and Macleans. Understandably, they weren’t accepted since they were
the scribbling of a 12-year-old child. Later I took the traditional path of more practical
courses at school, and pursued more practical careers with their greater immediate rewards,
including security and money. After serving my time as an industrial manager and college
teacher for twenty years, I eventually emerged as a professional speaker and writer.
If I had followed my heart instead of my head, I may have been self-actualizing a lot sooner.
On the other hand, perhaps I needed to experience life so I would have something to write
and speak about. Greg Anderson, in his book, Living Life On Purpose, claims that having a
life mission implies that the world has need of us, and has been preparing us to fill this need
with one incredible life experience after another: “A life mission is a continuing responsibility
that one is specifically fit to fulfill. Your mission is a calling, a lifework, a vocation. It is not
a job, a role, or a goal that we can check off a list after we accomplish it.”
As Richard Bolles claimed in his book, How to find your mission in life, “the concept of
a personal mission assumes a belief in God, since a calling implies someone calls. Bolles
claimed there are three parts to our mission here on earth; to know God, to make the world
a better place, and to exercise that talent which we came to earth to use.
49
6.4 EXAMPLES OF PURPOSE OR MISSION

Most of the people who have a clear set of tangible personal goals, have never really taken
the time to examine their mission in life. A failure to examine your values first may result in
goals that are at cross-purposes to them. Discomfort, stress, and feelings of guilt may ensue.
If your pursuits are in harmony with your values you will be happy – at peace with yourself.
Laurie Beth Jones, in her book The Path: Creating your Mission Statement for Work and
for Life, claims that every mission implies that someone will be helped. “Mother Theresa’s
mission was to show mercy and compassion to the dying. Joan of Arc’s mission was to free
France. Nehemiah’s mission was to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.”
My personal mission, for example, is “To help others manage their time and their lives by
sharing ideas through publications, workshops and by personal example, so they are free to pursue
their personal and organizational goals.” It might be difficult for me to fulfill my mission by
working in a factory or an office. But it could be fulfilled in an educational environment
or as a consultant, speaker, or writer.
6.5 DEVELOPING A MISSION STATEMENT

Although we may not yet know our mission, there are things we can do to help discover it.
We can at least develop an interim mission statement that will assist us in the goal-setting
process. Stanton, in her book, The 25-Hour Woman suggests you think of a scenario like
this. You are celebrating your 80th birthday when you are approached by a publisher who
wants to print your autobiography. Right away he needs a title for your life story. What
will you suggest? “Naming your autobiography is a start to nailing down your purpose. The
title you ascribe to your life has something to say about what you count most important
and, therefore, what you are living for.”
Your purpose may be condensed into a brief sentence or take up a whole paragraph; but
it will express your aim in life. It could be as simple as the one developed by a psychiatric
nurse in one of Sybil Stanton’s seminars: “Learning to love and express love in all aspects of
my life.”
50
6.6 VALUES AS A FOUNDATION FOR SETTING GOALS

The number of values is unlimited and will vary from person to person. Home life is a
value. Doing God’s will is a value. Fame is a value. Materialism, self-reliance, sincerity,
freedom, career, friendship, health, morality are all values. Participate in a brainstorming
activity alone or with a partner. Write down all the things that you feel are important to
you. Values are things we consider worthwhile, our personal standards. They establish our
sense of purpose and direction. Writing them down ensures that we are able to express
them, understand them, and become committed to them. We may think we know what
we want, but thoughts are fleeting; words on paper are more concrete.
Once our beliefs are on paper, we can evaluate them, change them, and make them
adequately express where we stand as individuals. Keep that mission statement handy as you
formulate your goals. Reconsider any goals that seem to conflict with your values. The result
should be a set of goals that are consistent with your purpose in life. They will be much
easier to achieve. And a lot more enjoyable. Your personal mission is not your vocation, it
determines your vocation. Nor is it the same as your company’s mission, although it should
be compatible.
If your mission is compatible with your work, you will be more motivated, experience less
stress, become more effective and find greater fulfillment in the performance of your job.
6.7 DEVELOP A MISSION STATEMENT FOR YOUR COMPANY AS

WELL AS FOR YOURSELF
Every organization should have a mission statement. Dale McConkey, in How to Manage By
Results, urges companies to develop a concise mission statement that is reviewed periodically.
Then employees will feel more motivated to meet daily goals once they understand the
company’s overall objectives.
A mission statement explains why a company exists. It outlines its purpose or main thrust.
As Chris GowerRees explains in Weapons of Winners : “The main purpose, – and competitive
advantage, of having a mission statement is to ensure that every employee is aware of the
firm’s general goals and constantly strives, in a team setting, to attain them.” The most
important factor in forming a cohesive group is a unity of purpose. Employees should be
aware of this purpose.
51
The advantages of having a mission statement, both for ourselves and our companies,
include the following:
• Helps us to keep us focused on what we consider to be important.

• Provides direction and purpose for ourselves and our organizations.
• Keeps us from being distracted or sidetracked by other opportunities.
• Helps us to draw up meaningful goals.
• Reminds us why we are in business.
• Helps prioritize the things we do.
Goals indicate what you will do, when you will do it and how you will do it. But a mission
statement explains why you will do it.
Mission statements should state the type of business you are in, describe the service or
products provided, and indicate the markets serviced. Some mission statements are several
paragraphs in length, but the shorter the better. Times and technology change the market
quickly these days. By making them brief we are forced to identify what business we are
really in. Companies who recognized that they were really in the “idea” business, not the
cassette tape or video business, are still in business today. Similarly manufacturers of board
games, bicycles or skateboards are in the entertainment business, and railroads are in the
transportation business.
Once the mission statement has been developed it should be reflected in any goals set by
management or employees. It keeps the company “on course” and prevents individuals from
pursuing objectives which are inconsistent with the purpose of the organization. Since the
mission statement must be communicated to all employees it should be brief and simple.
At most it should contain the type of business you are in, the services provided, the markets
serviced, and the way you do things – your corporate philosophy.
I have virtually the same mission statement today and it has kept me from being sidetracked
from what I do best. Each year I enter my mission statement in the space provided near the
front of my Taylor Planner, and it is virtually the same as my personal mission. Needless
to say, although I am in my eighties, and semi-retired, I still write books, give talks, and
facilitate seminars on time and life management. You may retire from your job, but it’s
difficult to retire from your purpose or mission. It’s what keeps you going.
52
As mentioned, mission statements should be brief – just one sentence if possible – so it can
easily be reduced to writing and committed to memory. If it’s a company or organization,
every staff member should understand it. It provides direction and focus in your business.
It should be clear, brief and memorable.
The mission statement gives birth to goals or objectives, which in turn translate into plans –
culminating in action. Your personal mission may be different than your company mission,
but it should never be in conflict with it.
6.8 GOALS CAN LEAD TO A PERSONAL MISSION

Companies develop mission statements. Individuals do not always develop mission statements,
they discover them. There are books listed in the appendix that will provide further help in
this area. Richard Bolles’ book, What Color Is Your Parachute ? is still updated annually and
has an excellent section on mission statements as well. You owe it to yourself to explore
your mission in life. Life is precious, and next to it, jobs pale in significance.
Purpose normally precedes goals. Goals determine the what, when and how, while purpose
provides the why. But most people find that purpose is a little more elusive than goals. Goals
are concrete, easily expressed, and more easily acted upon. This action of working towards
goals frequently sets us thinking about why we are doing what we are doing and whether
it’s what we really want. So if you are searching for purpose in life, make your life fruitful.
Make it eventful. Make it active rather than passive. Set goals in all the important areas of
your life, not just in your career. Make things happen. Purpose may find you. And it may
even cause you to change your goals and your priorities and reassess your life.
Remember, it’s what you want out of life that’s important, not what other people want for
you. Frequently other people mean well when they attempt to direct your career; but they
have no idea of your personal mission in life. How could they, unless you tell them? And
even if you tell them, they may doubt your sincerity or question your ability. Some people
are simply pessimistic or assume your degree of initiative and tenacity is the equivalent of
their own. Others might see your success as a threat to their own self-image. It’s as though
your achievements might make their own mediocre efforts appear pathetic by comparison.
If possible, surround yourself with positive people who will encourage you rather than
ridicule you and follow your dream.
53
If you develop a personal mission statement first, setting specific goals will be even easier.
You will already have considered what is important in your life and the things you would
like to accomplish. If you’re not sure what you want out of life – what it is you want to
do or accomplish – you might want to start thinking about it now. A seminar trainer once
suggested that if you keep participants busy enough, they won’t realize they’re not learning
anything. The same thing applies to life; if you keep yourself busy enough, rushing from job
to job, you won’t realize you’re not getting anywhere. It’s important to stop from time to
time and take inventory. One thing’s certain. If you find you do want to achieve something,
chances are you can do it – if your desire to succeed is strong enough. It has often been
pointed out that we tend to become precisely what we imagine ourselves to be. All that we
need are concrete goals and a step-by-step plan of action.
We will turn your CV into

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We will appreciate and reward both your enthusiasm and talent. www.employerforlife.com
Send us your CV. You will be surprised where it can take you.
54
DEVELOP A GOAL-SETTING MINDSET BOOKS REFERENCED
7 BOOKS REFERENCED
Abrahams, Jeffrey. The mission statement book: 301 corporate mission statements from Americas
top companies. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 1999. Print.
Anderson, Greg. Living life on purpose: a guide to creating a life of success and significance.
San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997. Print.
Bettger, Frank. How I raised myself from failure to success. N.p.: Worlds Work Ltd, 1959. Print.
Bolles, Richard Nelson, and Richard Nelson. Bolles. How to find your mission in life. Berkeley,
CA: Ten Speed Press, 2005. Print.
Bolles, Richard Nelson, and John E. Nelson. What color is your parachute? for retirement:
planning now for the life you want. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2007. Print.
Colman, Carol, and Michael Perelman. Late bloomers: how to achieve your potential at any
age. New York: Ballantine, 1987. Print.
Cook, Marshall. Slow down – and get more done. Cincinnati, OH: Betterway, 1993. Print.
DeGreen, Keith. Creating a success environment: SE = (I x O x H x W) Y. Phoenix, AZ:

Summit Enterprises, 1979. Print.
Dispenza, Joe. You are the placebo: making your mind matter. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House,
Inc., 2015. Print.
Felton, Sandra. Messie no more: understanding and overcoming the roadblocks to being organized.
Grand Rapids, MI: F.H. Revell, 2002. Print.
Gower-Rees, Chris. Weapons of winners: strategies for success in the information age. Toronto:
Stoddart, 1988. Print.
Hensley, Dennis E. Staying ahead of time: how to make time management a way of life – and
why its worth it. Indianapolis: Research & Review Service of America, 1981. Print.
Jones, Laurie Beth. The path: creating your mission statement for work and for life. New York:
Hyperion, 1998. Print.
55
Kales, J. Ellsworth. I love growing older but I’ll never grow old. Nashville, TN: Abingdon
Press, 2013. Print.
Lee, Mark W. How to set goals and really reach them. Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada: Horizon
House, 1978. Print.
Leider, Richard. The power of purpose. New York: Ballantine Bks., 1985. Print.
Maltz, Maxwell. Psycho-cybernetic principles: a new way to get more living out of life. Chatsworth,
CA: Wilshire Book Co., 1960. Print.
Martin, Chuck, Richard Guare, and Peg Dawson. Work your strengths: a scientific process to
identify your skills and match them to the best career for you. New York: American Management
Association, 2010. Print.
McCarthy, Kevin W. The on-purpose person: making your life make sense. Winter Park, Fl.:
On-Purpose Publishing, 2009. Print.
McConkey, Dale D. How to manage by results. New York: AMACOM, 1990. Print.
Merrill, A. Rogers. Connections: Quadrant II time management. Salt Lake City, UT: Institute
for Principle-Centered Leadership, 1990. Print.
Ringer, Robert J., and Jack Medoff. Looking out for #1. New York: Fawcett Crest/Ballantine,
1983. Print.
Ringer, Robert J. Winning through intimidation: how to be the victor, not the victim, in
business and in life. New York: Skyhorse Pub., 2013. Print.
Shank, Bob. Total life management. Portland, Or.: Multnomah, 1990. Print.
Silver, Susan. Organized to be the best!: new timesaving ways to simplify and improve how you
work. Los Angeles: Adams-Hall Pub., 1995. Print.
Stanton, Sybil. The 25 hour woman. New York: Bantam, 1990. Print.
Strasser, Stephen. Working it out: Sanity and success in the workplace. New Jersey: Prentice
Hall Trade, 1988. Print.
56
Templeton, Charles. Succeeding: mastering the art of getting ahead. Petaling Jaya: Pelanduk
Publications, 1990. Print.
Waitley, Denis. The double win. New York: Berkley, 1986. Print.
Waitley, Denis. New dynamics of goal setting: flextactics for a fast-changing future. Place of
publication not identified: Diane Pub Co, 1996. Print.
Wayman, Bill W. Unleash the tremendous potential within you – and achieve the success youve
always dreamed of ! Phoenix, AZ: Positive Living Publications, 1987. Print.
57
DEVELOP A GOAL-SETTING MINDSET About the author
8 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Harold Taylor, CEO of TaylorInTime, has been speaking, writing and conducting training
programs on the topic of effective time management for over 40 years. He has written
more than 20 books, including a Canadian bestseller, Making Time Work for You. He has
developed over 50 time management products that have sold in 38 countries around the
world. His monthly Time Report has been published for twenty-five years and he has had
over 250 articles accepted for publication.
A past director of the National Association of Professional Organizers, Harold received their
Founder’s Award in 1999 for outstanding contributions to the organizing profession. He
received the CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) designation in 1987 from the National
Speakers Association. In 1998 the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers inducted
him into the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame. And in 2001, he received the Founder’s
Award from the Professional Organizers in Canada. The award has been named in his honor.
Prior to his speaking and writing career, Harold held management positions in industry
for twelve years and was a teaching master in the business division of Humber College in
Toronto for eight years. He has been an entrepreneur for forty years, incorporating four
companies during that time. Since 1981, when he incorporated the time management
company, Harold Taylor Time Consultants Inc., he has presented over 2000 workshops,
speeches and keynotes on the topic of time and life management.
His website is www.taylorintime.com.
58

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1 The benefits of goal-setting 10

2 The goal-setting process 17

3 Make your goals achievable 24

4 Scheduling your goals for results 29

5 Stacking the odds in your favor 36

6 Discover your mission in life 47

8 About the author 58

Have a great life!

1 THE BENEFITS OF GOAL-SETTING

Here is a summary of the benefits of goals:

• Create a climate for motivation.

• More than half have no wills.

1.2 GOALS CAN HELP TO DEVELOP A PURPOSE FOR LIVING

1.3 GOALS CAN HELP FURTHER YOUR CAREER

1.4 GOALS CAN REDUCE STRESS ON THE JOB

1.5 GOALS CAN HELP YOU RISE ABOVE AN UNINTERESTING JOB

1.6 GOALS CAN KEEP US YOUNG

Potential ENGINEERS, UNIVERSITY

Total will hire 10,000 people in 2014.

More than 700 job

1.7 GOALS CAN LAUNCH A SECOND CAREER

2 THE GOAL-SETTING PROCESS

2.2 SENSITIZING YOUR MIND

2.3 EXTRAPOLATE YOUR LIFE

2.4 THE FUTURE IS NOW

2.5 OTHER APPROACHES TO PERSONAL GOAL-SETTING

• Having an interesting career.

Any of the above could be the start of a goal.

2.6 PUT LIFE INTO YOUR LIVING

2.7 BUSINESS GOALS

By February 1st to accept only orders accompanied by payment or purchase order.

2.8 GOAL-SETTING AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL

3 MAKE YOUR GOALS ACHIEVABLE

3.2 ARE THEY SPECIFIC ENOUGH?

3.3 ARE THEY LISTED IN ORDER OF PRIORITY?

3.4 ARE THEY COMPATIBLE WITH ONE ANOTHER?

3.5 WILL THEY HELP FURTHER YOUR LIFE’S MISSION?

4 SCHEDULING YOUR GOALS

4.2 USE YOUR PLANNER EFFECTIVELY

4.3 GIVE PRIORITY TO PRIORITIES

4.4 THE “TO DO” LIST METHOD

4.5 TIME: YOUR ULTIMATE RESOURCE

But if you have a vision of becoming a successful entrepreneur, president of a corporation,

5 STACKING THE ODDS IN

5.5 TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE

5.5 PROGRAM YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS, NOT FAILURE

5.6 MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES

5.7 OVERCOME INERTIA

5.8 BE WILLING TO TAKE RISKS

5.9 PRACTICE VISUALIZATION

A further example of visualization in action was provided on an audio recording produced

© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.

Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.

Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers

5.10 MAKE A COMMITMENT

5.11 BE A POSITIVE THINKER

6 DISCOVER YOUR MISSION IN LIFE

6.2 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PURPOSE AND GOALS

6.3 HOW DO YOU DETERMINE YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE?

6.4 EXAMPLES OF PURPOSE OR MISSION

6.5 DEVELOPING A MISSION STATEMENT

6.6 VALUES AS A FOUNDATION FOR SETTING GOALS

4 Scheduling your goals for results 29

5 Stacking the odds in your favor 36

4 SCHEDULING YOUR GOALS

5 STACKING THE ODDS IN

6.7 DEVELOP A MISSION STATEMENT FOR YOUR COMPANY AS