1. Set only one goal at a time

2. Evaluate your desire and motivation

People often think they know what they want. The good news is that if you set a goal and work hard, you are likely to achieve it. The bad news is that it might not really be what you want.

When you try take on too much at once, you can become overwhelmed quickly. Instead of trying to tackle three or four goals try to prioritize① them. Create a list and take one goal at a time. Once you achieve that goal, back to your list mark it off, and move to the next one. The act of marking off the goals and achieving them individually will give you a greater sense of accomplishment. You can even break the one goal done into smaller parts. This gives you motivation and success more often than waiting for days or months to achieve a larger goal.

For example, let us say you want to lose thirty pounds in 45 days. Break the goal down weekly to losing about five pounds a week. You can make up a calendar and mark off the week as you achieve your weekly goal. If you did not achieve your goal that week, adjust the other weeks according and still give yourself credit for what you did achieve.

3. Find inspiration for accomplishing your goal

Suppose you want to date a girl at the gym. You overheard her say that she likes men with large muscular arms. You set the goal of working extra everyday to achieve bigger than life biceps and triceps. You reach your goal after grueling hours of sweat and pain. In the meantime, she met a guy half the size as you, and who was available because he was not in the gym 12 hours a day.

You reached your goal of large arms, but set the wrong goal of trying to get a date with a particular girl. Make sure you are really reaching for what you really want in life. You can achieve what you sought and still feel empty inside.

The reason that personal trainers are so popular is that they can help you achieve things that alone you may not. It has nothing to do with your desire to achieve your goals; it is because we need inspiration to continue on our road to success. As humans, we can talk ourselves and make excuses why we do not achieve of goals everyday. Having someone that has walked down the same path and has reached the end is a great inspiration that can help motivate you to continue on your path everyday. They can inspire you to go beyond what you thought that you were capable and hold a hand out to you in order assist you on your way.

There is a power in stating our goal to others. It is a public commitment that you will achieve what you have stated that you will. It takes it out of your head and puts it out into the world. This creates a sense of responsibility on our part because we do not wish to disappoint others. It should be in the form of a definitive statement. Instead of "I am trying to reduce my waist down two sizes", try instead "I will lose two waist sizes in the next two weeks". This sends the message of a definitive rather than a wish. There is little room for doubt in a definitive statement.

6. Think thoughts conducive to success

4. Make a public commitment to accomplishing your goal

5. Seek for support

People are social creatures that do better in groups than they do alone. People try to lose weight for years find greater success in a peer group trying to lose weight than they do alone. Find others with similar goals or try to join an already established support group. This can inspire and push you along when you begin to doubt ourselves.

7. Keep a success journal

There is only one constant in the universe and that is change. People are often resistant to change. Their resistance is often fueled② by fear. This can be the fear of failure or maybe even fear of the unknown. You must face that fear and tell yourself everyday that change is good and change is what is needed to achieve what you want out of life. Self-talk in front of a mirror daily can help you achieve this. Remember to keep your talk positive. Instead of saying, "I will try not to be afraid of that new Pilates class because it looks hard." Say instead "I will enjoy the Pilates class and get the rock hard abs I have always wanted." This shift in thought can create wonders in your life.

Earlier I mentioned keeping a calendar to mark your successes. A step beyond this is a success journal. In it, you can write down your achievements and successes. You can include pictures or whatever else is inspiring to you. This success journal is not only a testament③ that you achieved what you told others you would, but it also provides an instrument in which you can look back to when you are achieving new goals to help inspire you. It is a message to yourself that you can achieve anything you set your mind to and the journal is proof of it.

Sometimes we can be so caught up in the process of achieving a goal that we can forget what the goal is. When you set out on a trip, you may have a map. On that map are two important items, where you started, and where you are going. Create your own map of your goal. Keep it where you can see it daily so that you do not forget where you are going or forget how far you have come.

8. Keep before you, at all times, the benefits of attaining your goal