Five Surefire Steps For Achieving Any Goal In Your Professional Or Personal Life

Everyone knows that setting goals are essential for success.  But actually achieving those goals can seem daunting.  Through my success in the mortgage industry, my athletic accomplishments, and the coaching I do to help others, I’ve learned five essential steps for reaching your goals – Declare, Record, Focus, Visualize, and Do. 

These steps will help you get out of the starting gate and continually keep your eye on the target daily while you work to achieve your goals, whether in your career or personal life.

#1. Declare 

Declare your goals and make your intentions known. Tell your friends and family. Focus on people who will encourage you and hold you accountable. Post it on social media. You want to be humble and not sound like you’re bragging, but when you let people know what you’re trying to do, it accomplishes two things:

First, it gets people on board with what you want to do. If they’re good friends, they will try to help you with your goals. Even if that help is just support or words of encouragement, that can go a long way. They will understand your sacrifice and won’t stand in the way or put you in compromising positions that make you feel guilty for the time you dedicate to this new pursuit. 

Second, when you make your intentions and goals public, you are more likely to achieve them because you want to hold yourself accountable. You also want to save face and not have to explain to people that you didn’t accomplish what you set out to achieve, providing additional internal motivation. 

#2. Record 

Write down your goals and read what you write every day. You can put your goals in writing on your phone or take this a step further. Read your goals aloud and record them on your phone so you can listen to them daily. Hearing yourself recite them in your voice takes this up a level. It’s uncomfortable at first because nobody likes hearing their own voice, but that heightens your own awareness. But it’s a great way to encourage yourself to keep going.  

#3. Focus 

Literally, just think about what it is you want. Believe it or not, that alone will get you far. Your brain is a network of neurons that hones in on what you think about. If you spend your days thinking about buying a brand-new black Mercedes convertible, all you’re going to see everywhere you go are black Mercedes convertibles. In other words, you’re programming your subconscious, which is the first step in creating your reality. Reading or listening to your goals daily will keep your mind focused on the task. Thinking about what you need to do will help you recognize those opportunities when they present themselves. You’re more likely to notice it if it’s on the brain already.

#4. Visualize 

Start with the end in mind. You know your target, but what will it be like when you get there? Take the time to visualize yourself and what will happen when you achieve that goal. Go into detail. How do you plan to celebrate? How will your life change? What will your day look like? How will your career, relationships, or health improve? Try to incorporate all five senses to help you bring this experience to life. That can include the sun on your face, the feel of the grass, and the smell in the air. Bringing your senses into the mix makes this future feel all the more real and allows you to internalize that positive feeling. 

#5. Do

The only way you can create change is to dive in. Stop talking about why you can’t achieve your goals or why it’s not the right time to start. You just have to do it. People fantasize about what they want, but very few actually take the steps necessary to accomplish those goals. They plan to start next week, next month, or next year without realizing that the perfect time will never arrive, and the longer you put it off, the less likely you will do it. The perfect time is right now because those same excuses will follow you forever.