My friend and mentor Jim Rohn is one of the wisest people I’ve ever known and this is some of his most classic wisdom:

“The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.

When Andrew Carnegie died, they discovered a sheet of paper upon which he had written one of the major goals of his life: to spend the first half of his life accumulating money and to spend the last half of his life giving it all away. And he did!

Some people are disturbed by those tough days because all they have are the days. They haven’t designed or described or defined the future.

Goals. There’s no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can do when you believe in them. And there’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them.

We all need lots of powerful long-range goals to help us past the short-term obstacles.

The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them.

Don’t set your goals too low. If you don’t need much, you won’t become much.

If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.

We all have two choices: We can make a living or we can design a life.”

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With a New Year just around the corner, here are some goal setting tips to keep in mind:

• Make goals meaningful. Goal setting for the sake of goal setting almost always ends in disappointment. Goal setting is simply a tool to use in achieving a favorable outcome — what some people call a “Dream.”
• Use positive language and the present tense when setting a goal. It is better to say “I weigh a healthy, trim and fit 185 pounds” than “I want to lose 20 pounds.”
• Always put your goals in writing. Every expert agrees that setting a goal without putting it in writing drastically reduces your chances of success.
• Goal setting should take place in every area of your life, including Health, Relationships, Spiritual, Career and Financial.
• Setting Life Goals will add dimension, excitement and texture to your life.
• Failure doesn’t always mean that you did something wrong in your goal setting or implementation. It may just mean that the time you allotted for success wasn’t adequate. A thorough review process should be undertaken before setting the goal again.

And when you’re looking for a goal planning solution, be sure an check out all of our outstanding goal setting programs for 2007… 

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While it’s true that there are some super high achievers with an apparent low self-esteem (Terrell Owens comes to mind), it’s also equally true that those who perform consistently at high levels of achievement over an extended time usually have a high self-esteem.

The person who taught me most of my lessons on self-esteem is Dr. Denis Waitley who has served as a performance coach for Olympic and Super Bowl athletes, Apollo Astronauts, returning POW’s, Fortune 500 leaders and millions of people around the world.  Here are some great insights he shares on self-esteem:

Following are six behaviors that increase self-esteem, enhance your self-confidence, and spur your motivation. You may recognize some of them as things you naturally do in your interactions with other people. But if you don’t, I suggest you motivate yourself to take some of these important steps immediately.

First, greet others with a smile and look them directly in the eye. A smile and direct eye contact convey confidence born of self-respect. In the same way, answer the phone pleasantly whether at work or at home, and when placing a call, give your name before asking to speak to the party you want to reach. Leading with your name underscores that a person with self-respect is making the call.

Second, always show real appreciation for a gift or complement. Don’t downplay or sidestep expressions of affection or honor from others. The ability to accept or receive is a universal mark of an individual with solid self-esteem.

Third, don’t brag. It’s almost a paradox that genuine modesty is actually part of the capacity to gracefully receive compliments. People who brag about their own exploits or demand special attention are simply trying to build themselves up in the eyes of others and that’s because they don’t perceive themselves as already worthy of respect.

Fourth, don’t make your problems the centerpiece of your conversation. Talk positively about your life and the progress you’re trying to make. Be aware of any negative thinking, and take notice of how often you complain. When you hear yourself criticize someone - and this includes self-criticism - find a way to be helpful instead of critical.

Fifth, respond to difficult times or depressing moments by increasing your level of productive activity. When your self-esteem is being challenged, don’t sit around and fall victim to ‘paralysis by analysis.’ The late Malcolm Forbes said, ‘Vehicles in motion use their generators to charge their own batteries. Unless you happen to be a golf cart, you can’t recharge your battery when you’re parked in the garage!’

Sixth, choose to see mistakes and rejections as opportunities to learn. View a failure as the conclusion of one performance, not the end of your entire career. Own up to your shortcomings, but refuse to see yourself as a failure. A failure may be something you have done - and it may even be something you’ll have to do again on the way to success - but a failure is definitely not something you are.

Even if you’re at a point where you’re feeling very negatively about yourself, be aware that you’re now ideally positioned to make rapid and dramatic improvement. A negative self-evaluation, if it’s honest and insightful, takes much more courage and character than the self-delusions that underlie arrogance and conceit. I’ve seen the truth of this proven many times in my work with athletes. After an extremely poor performance, a team or an individual athlete often does much better the next time out, especially when the poor performance was so bad that there was simply no way to shirk responsibility for it. Disappointment, defeat, and even apparent failure are in no way permanent conditions unless we choose to make them so. On the contrary, these undeniably painful experiences can be the solid foundation on which to build future success.

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It took me many, many years to learn this secret. So pay close attention. It’s worth my weight and your weight in Gold.

Yesterday as we were getting ready for our big Champions Club 2007 launch, we were working feverishly to meet our launch deadline and had no time to spare. We’ve spent months and many man hours preparing for the event and now on the last day before kickoff everything started to go awry. First, the video wouldn’t work on our test page. Then we had shopping cart problems. And on and on it went. Then to tie a nice little bow on top of everything, I sent someone off in my fairly new Escalade to go do an important errand. When they turned the key nothing happened. It’s completely dead. So after quickly ascertaining it wasn’t the battery, I called the Cadillac dealer who hauled it away on the back of a truck. And I went back to the chaos.

Now, if this had happened twenty years ago (and similar things did), or even ten years ago, I would have gotten so caught up in everything that was going wrong that I would have (1) been in a terrible mood and (2) lost all my focus on the task at hand.

Not so this time. No, this time I actually smiled to myself on one occasion and out loud said, “this launch is going to be huge!”

How could I say that?

Because I’ve learned (after many bumps, bruises and tears) that when I am in hot pursuit of a long-held goal, and things start going haywire, it probably means I’m on the edge of something BIG —- if I don’t get distracted.

In fact, James Allen, who wrote the classic As A Man Thinketh, says as much. In describing successful people he says, “They hold fast to an idea, a project, a plan, and will not let it go; they cherish it, brood upon it, tend and develop it; and when assailed by difficulties, they refuse to be beguiled into surrender; indeed, the intensity of the purpose increases with the growing magnitude of the obstacles encountered.”

And that last sentence is the true secret:

“indeed, the intensity of the purpose increases with the growing magnitude of the obstacles encountered.”

If you can internalize and apply that secret, you will have one of the true “keys to the kingdom.”

How did it turn out for me this time?

Well, when we opened the doors to the Champions Club earlier today we were signing people up at the rate of one per minute in the early going. Things have slowed down some, otherwise we would have been out of spots in the first two hours.

As it is, more than half the spots are spoken for (in the first seven hours!) and registrations are still pouring in. It has been an incredible launch and a great bunch of interesting members for 2007.

Here is the link one more time if you missed it:
http://www.goals-2-go.com/champClub2007.htm .

And if you haven’t yet gotten your copy of the widely acclaimed 13 Secrets of World Class Goal Achievers, get it here: http://www.goals-2-go.com/13secrets.htm

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My friend Darren Hardy, who is President of TSTN, posted this to his blog a few days ago and it begs to be shared:

In the hustle and bustle of this technologically packed world you may decide you really don’t want to achieve any lasting success in your lifetime. Sure, you can find a lot of strategies and tips here that can help you increase your success rate. But what about the people who are perfectly happy not achieving anything? So this is for all the people who want to have goals but not achieve them.

1. Make your goals vague - When setting your goals, use adjectives such as “more” and “some.” Goals like “I want to make more money” or “I want to lose some weight” virtually guarantee your progress will be minimal. Be as wishy-washy as possible.

2. Make your goals difficult to visualize - A good way to do this is to keep changing your mind on the details of your goal. If you are thinking a goal such as: “I want to own a red, blue or yellow Corvette or just a Mustang”, then you are definitely on the right track. If you kept that goal planted firmly in your mind, you are virtually guaranteed you’ll never go above a used Hyundai.

3. Think and speak negatively about your goals - Try using words like “I can’t” and “It’s too hard”. Goals such as “I can’t get a promotion, It’s too hard to take on more responsibility” will certainly keep you at the bottom of the food chain.

4. Avoid planning incremental steps - Take a goal - even a specific goal like “I will double my income by this time next year”. Then simply leave it as-is. Don’t write down any tasks or steps you’ll need to complete in order to achieve it. Just consider the goal a wish and nothing more. Creating a step-by-step plan will only confuse matters because it’s all too easy to take action on simple steps. Action in the direction of your goal would lead to success and you definitely don’t want that.

5. Don’t Do - Talk - Because talk is easier than action, this step one of the easiest steps for you to take. Try to fill up as much of your day with socializing as possible. Talk about all the things you will do someday or that you were gonna do. Just make sure you don’t mess it up by doing anything productive. Action is your enemy. Embrace your excuses!

6. Wait until you are motivated - Let’s face it, it’s much too difficult to go jogging or open a mutual fund account when you simply don’t feel like it. So just wait. Waiting gives you the peace of mind that someday, you might do something. But not yet, the timing isn’t right and you aren’t motivated anyway.

7. Don’t set a date - Setting a date when you expect to achieve your goal is too much pressure. Who needs it? Definitely not you if you want to avoid progress. You know that goals with dates get done, so by not setting a date you avoid making a commitment. You can keep putting off stuff.

8. List why it’s impossible - Now we are getting into the mental game of failing. This is quite possibly your greatest weapon against achievement because it destroys hope and optimism. So as soon as possible, set aside some time to create a long list of how impossible your goal really is. No matter what your target is, I am sure you can come up with plenty of reasons why it’s impossible. Be creative, make up some if you have to.

9. Don’t research your goal - You’re the kind of guy or gal who likes to “wing it.” Reading about how others have succeeded achieving a goal similar to you is just a waste of time. Instead of standing on their shoulders, they should be standing on yours! Sure, they might have overcome unbelievable odds to get from homelessness to CEO or 450lbs to 180lbs - but they were probably just “lucky” anyway. Don’t read anything that promises to help you get to your destination.

10. Think of anything except your goal - Here’s another mental strategy that will put you on the fast track to failure. Think of anything except for your goal. Why visualize success when there are plenty of clouds and TV reruns to think about? And while you’re at it, take action on these flights of fancy instead of your goal. Take the easy path, that’s the only way you can fail in record time.

To conclude, I know you might be a bit overwhelmed with all the work you have to do to avoid reaching your goal. You might even think it’s even more work. Never fear! You can do it. Print out a copy and hang it on your bathroom mirror. Post it in your office. Read it every day. Internalize these principals and you can reach depths of failure you have possibly never imagined!

Abridged from Achieve-IT! at www.persistenceunlimited.com

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Robert Collier said that “success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” Show me your daily habits and I can predict your level of success without knowing anything else about you. Here’s an excellent article by my friend, Philip Humbert, on the power of daily habits:

Daily Habits Determine Your Destiny

Almost everything we do is the result of our habits. We get up about the same time, go through a familiar routine of showering, brushing our teeth, and getting ready for the day. Most people take the same route to work every day, whether they drive the freeway, ride the train or take a bike. Of course, there are minor variations as we decide what to wear, make allowance for road construction or get up early for a breakfast meeting.

But the fact remains that habits simplify our lives. Imagine if you woke up with no idea where the bathroom or closet might be, what your schedule was, or what responsibilities you faced. Life would be stressful beyond belief! Fortunately, we have “ordinary routines” that help us navigate our way to our first cup of coffee, and guide our activities through the day. Most of the time, our habits serve us well.

And here’s a vital point: Habits start out as very simple choices.

There’s an old diddy that goes something like this: Sow a thought, and reap an action. Sow action, and reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character and reap a destiny. Think about the power of that sequence! To a remarkable degree our ultimate success or failure in life is the long-term result of simple thoughts and ordinary, routine habits.

So, why not intentionally choose daily habits or “disciplines” that will take you where you want to go in life? Here are a few examples.

Many people get in the habit of listening to sports or talk radio while they commute and, of course there’s nothing wrong with that. But other people get in the habit of listening to motivational, inspirational or educational CD’s, and over time, they benefit from that daily habit.

Or how about people who routinely grab a hamburger and fries for lunch, while others habitually reach for a salad? Some people habitually come home and turn on the TV, while others come home and go for a run, mow the lawn or do homework with the kids. Any of those choices are “easy” but some lead to better long-term outcomes than others. Some people have the habit of spending, while others choose the habit of saving and investing. Either option is easy and fun, but they have very different long-term results.

As a coach, I encourage my clients to make a handful of fundamental decisions about the habits they want in their lives. I encourage them to be clear, specific and committed to each of them.

One habit Mary and I have had for twenty years is that the first three words we utter every morning and the last three we say at night are the same: “I love you.” Many of my clients have developed the habit of reading something positive every single day, even if it’s only a few pages. Over time, it becomes a part of who they are and how they live their lives.

For years I’ve had a “Daily 7″ that I pursue and the “code” may not mean much to you, but the list has powerful meaning for me. My Daily 7 are: “Read, Write, Walk, Work, Nest, Network, and Fun.” Each word stands for a pattern or habit that I want in my life. Some days, they get more focus or effort than others, but over the years those seven “code words” have helped me stay healthy, enriched my marriage, made me money and expanded my community. My “Daily 7″ are habits that help me create the life I’ve chosen for myself.

I encourage you to choose a few simple, positive habits that will enhance your life. Reduce them to simple actions you WILL take every day. If they are complicated, you may not stay committed to them, so use the KISS formula and “Keep It Simple and Straight-forward.” It’s easier to develop the habit of “exercising for 15 minutes” than to “get fit.”

For better or worse, life is made up of our small daily habits. High achievers have habits that reflect their values and aspirations in life. Unfortunately, most people have habits that keep them comfortable but do not achieve the things they want in life. Over time, work to remove habits that overtly hold you back, but it’s even more important to add positive daily habits that reflect your highest and best qualities.

For more Resources for Success, go to www.philiphumbert.com .

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There aren’t a lot of movies that are great lessons in the power of having a Big Dream and a Big Goal…of the power of belief, even when the odds are against you. Akeelah and the Bee is worth owning (and watching) everytime your Dream seems too far away.

Order DVD from Amazon…

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Lisa Leguenec wrote this for our monthly eTips subscribers:

Last month, the untimely death of crocodile hunter, zoo keeper, conservationist, passionate husband and father Steve Irwin captured headlines around the world. The one article that captured my attention was by Mary Beth Crain. She said maybe his death wasn’t a tragedy but a lesson on how to live. Now that grabbed me! A lesson on how to live?

Yes, Steve Irvin was the guy that everyone loved to shake their head is disbelief. After all he did crazzzzy things with crocodiles and lived to tell about it. He was well known for his antics and his bigger than life ego, getting close and personal with all kinds of deadly creatures including snakes and crocodiles.

We all watched in amazement in interviews, movies and documentaries and expected to hear that he died sooner than later…but not by a stingray. It was ironic. His wife Terri Irwin says it was an accident…like running with a pencil. However looking at his life, Steve Irwin was a man who lived life to the absolute fullest and died doing what he loved. How many of us are doing that? How many of us let fear stand in the way of what we are passionate about? He was literally risking everyday doing what he loved. His enthusiasm was contagious.

Mary Beth in her article said that “even in death, I envy him. I’m 55, out of shape, diabetic, and afraid of dying. I could get in shape, change my diet and my attitude, and really kick ass and start living, but I haven’t. When you think about it, I live in just as big a danger zone as Steve Irwin did. I could use a little more of his hyperactivity, or, if you prefer, boundless enthusiasm. I could use a shot or two of his brazen disregard for fear and disdain for inertia. I’m not saying I need to wrestle crocs or hunt pythons, but I wouldn’t mind experiencing life to the fullest instead of waking up every morning afraid to test my blood sugar.”

“Something tells me that the ebullient, passionate, adventurous-to-the-end Mr. Irwin was too busy living to pass judgment on how others spent their time. That—and not his risk-taking excesses—could be the real lesson of his death—a lesson we all could learn.”

WOW! How many of us are so afraid of dying that we aren’t living? Are you concerned with what others will say? Live your life with passion, enthusiasm and purpose. Oprah says “Live Your Best Life”. Steve Irwin did.

Get Busy.
LIVE your life!
Everyday.

You can support the ongoing legacy of The Crocodile Hunter and get a great DVD in the process. Details here….

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If an unemployed, twenty-something could turn a simple, red paper clip into his dream of owning a home, what can you do with your dream?

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To accumulate wealth, a person must become very comfortable with the idea of money. That may sound strange, however most people are not comfortable with the idea of money, which is why they do not have any. The cause of poverty is poverty consciousness. A poverty consciousness will cause a person to see, hear, smell, think and feel… lack and limitation.

The late Mike Todd said, “Being broke is a temporary situation. Being poor is a mental state.”

Read more…

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