THE21 SUCCESSSECRETS OF$ELF-MADEMILLIONAIRE$ episode (03)
702 Words
Develop a
Clear Sense
of Direction
A person with a clear purpose will make
progress on even the roughest road.
A person with no purpose will make no
progress on even the smoothest road.
—THOMAS CARLYLE
TAKE YOUR DREAMS out of the air and crystallize them
into clear, specific written goals. Perhaps the greatest
discovery in human history is that “You become what
you think about most of the time.” The two factors
that, more than anything else, determine what happens to you in life are what you think about and how
you think about it most of the time.
uccessful people think about their goals most of
the time. As a result, they are continually moving
toward their goals, and their goals are continually
moving toward them. Whatever you think about most
of the time grows and increases in your life. If you are
thinking about, talking about, and visualizing your
goals, you tend to accomplish far, far more than
the average person, who is usually thinking and talking about his or her worries and problems most of
the time.
Here is a simple seven-step formula for setting and
achieving goals that you can use to become a millionaire:
First, decide exactly what you want in each area of
your life, especially in your financial life. Most people
never do this.
Second, write down your goals clearly and specifically. Something amazing happens between your head
and your hand when you put your goals in writing.
Third, set a deadline for each goal. Set subdeadlines if a goal is big enough. Give yourself a target to
aim at.
Fourth, make a list of everything you can think of
that you will have to do to achieve each goal. As you
think of new ideas, add them to your list until it is
complete.
Fifth, organize your list into a plan of action. Determine what you are going to do first and what you will do later. Decide what is more important and what
is less important.
Sixth, take action on your plan immediately. It is
amazing how many splendid goals and plans are
never realized because of procrastination and delay.
Seventh, and perhaps most important, do something every day that moves you at least one step closer
to your most important goal. This commitment to
daily action will make you a big success in anything
you decide to accomplish.
Here is an exercise for you. Take a sheet of paper
and write the word “Goals” at the top of the page with
today’s date. Then, make a list of 10 goals that you
would like to achieve over the next 12 months. Write
your goals in the present tense, as though a year has
passed and you have already achieved them. Begin
each goal with the word “I” to make it personal to you.
By making out a list of 10 goals for yourself for the
next year, you will move yourself into an exclusive
group consisting of only 3 percent of adults in our society. The sad fact is that 97 percent of adults have
never made a list of goals in their entire lives.
Once you have your list of 10 goals, go over the list
and ask this key question: Which one goal on this list,
if I were to achieve it, would have the greatest positive
impact on my life?
Whatever your answer to that question, circle that
goal and make that your number one, most important goal for the future. Set a deadline, make a plan, take
action on your plan, and do something every day that
moves you toward that goal.
From now on, think and talk about that goal all the
time. Think and talk about how you can achieve that
goal. Think and talk about all the different steps that
you can take to make that goal a reality. This exercise
will stimulate your creativity, increase your energy,
and unlock more and more of your potential.
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[ACTION EXERCISE
Always think on paper. Sit down and
begin writing out your goals and creating your plan to achieve them. This exercise alone can make you a self-made
millionaire.]
- Writer
