This is a guest post by Paul Sabaj, a loyal reader of Success Circuit. This is his first guest post on Success Circuit so please comment and let him know what you think! Hopefully we will have many more from him in the future.

Goal setting has been around for a long time. When you look at some of the great minds they have all had a plan and set some goals with a time line to reach them by. Goals without time lines are just dreams. When you look through out history from the Bible, where it says,” Those without a vision will perish”, to today when Tony Robbins talks of goal setting.

There was also a study done at Harvard where they asked a graduating class their goals for the future and who had written them down. It was found that only 3 % had written them down. Twenty years latter they went back and asked the surviving members who had written their goals how they were doing. It was found that those that had written down their goals were more financially better off than the 97% combined. Pretty strong evidence for the practice of goal setting!

Take some time to write down your goals for short and long term goals. They should be looked at monthly so that should any changes be needed they can be sooner than latter. The nest step is to work on an action plan and a list of things needed to complete the goals. Again keep in mind that if you don’t where your going how are you going to get there. To leave your goals to chance is to let someone else set your course. Some of you will find that when you make your plans known people will let you do them. I know if my wife finds out I have no plans or goals she has a list of hers for me to do.

The other question you have to ask your self is “Why not me”. Your mantra should be I can, I will. The other part of goals is they become the basis for your action plan to get started to where you want to be and the steps you need to identify to make you dreams come true. The information highway has provided unlimited resources and all we have to do is have the motivation to do what ever it takes. You also find that with age and wisdom some times goals change. I myself have had the opportunity to have worked as a firefighter and retired at a young age. I’m currently working on my second career and have been busy for some time laying the ground work. My wife would like to see it sooner than latter and I must get to moving it along. I have made my list of goals and identified my short comings and have set a plan to be a video blogger with a niche for baby boomers. By following the success of others I have a road map to follow and my self motivation to help carry me along. Ok maybe a little push form the wife helps.
I have read over 100 self help books as I have found them to be a great source of inspiration and now must put all of that to work for me. Keeping your goals written down and in front of you can make those dreams a reality.

I think that having the goals in front of you allows you to think about where you want to be and go. Just like the talk of the book The Secret, the idea of having an idea or need in the fore front of your thinking allows you to concentrate more fully on the task at hand. Make the list and get started with your goals and where you want to be. So many people have no clue as to what they want and then wonder why they have no success. Get started!