only 3% write their goals - explain?

I'm going to explain that shortly but I wrote a 15 pages ebook on goal-setting (in french, sorry) so there is a lot to cover.

First, let me borrow a metaphore by Napoleon Hill, the father of self-development.
If you don't set goals, you will be exactly like a boat without a destination. The boat will invest energy in any given directions because it doesn't know where to go. The only thing that can happen then is that the boat will run low on gaz and will eventually stop there.

See, without a goal, you can never concentrate your energy and your decision towards a precise point, and that lowers your chances of attaining anything.

Goal = Precision. When you put a magnifying glass over a piece of paper on a sunny day, the rays of the sun get so concentrated that they can burn it. Remove the glass and the paper can rest there all day long and it won't burn.

Writing down your goals won't do anything else than establishing in your head that this is what you want. After that, you must pursue this goal every day. No magic here, just ABC logic.

If you have any other question, just ask.

Have the greatest day of your life,
JoeDRL

I set my goals and write them. Convenient way of storing this is into Evernote - I have a notebook aptly titled "Goals" and it's broken into 5 yr goals, 3 yr goals, 1 yr goals and then monthly goals.

You can run this little app on your iPhone, Android, Tablet, PC, Macbook etc. so anywhere I go I can easily open it up and remind myself of what my purpose and focus is.

I bet only 3-5% of people who write the goals only 1-2% are serious about keeping it up to date and tracking it.

I'll also bet that 1-2% are the ones hitting it outta the park.

You're welcome,
What I personally do is create kind of an affirmation out of it, presently mine is something like:
I want to make 5K$ before the 1st of June 2012 accumulated over 5 months by doing xyz...
I will then repeat this thing before going to bed and when I wake up.

Different reasons for this:
In the morning: Makes you focused about your tasks in the day.
At night: Makes your subconscious work on that goal while you sleep.

Hummm yeah I might translate it into english, I know a lot of Warriors here are interested in the mental field of Internet Marketing and I have quite a lot of knowledge in that area, we'll see...

Again, have the most wonderful day of your life,
~ JoeDRL

Goal setting is powerful and it's fascinating that more people don't write them down. I think part of the reason is if we don't write things down, we simply get distracted by everything else that comes our way. Part of achieving a goal is remaining focused and being able to accept or reject ideas, people, opportunities that come your way that are not in line with your goal.

That's the power of visualization as well. You're brain can't tell the difference on a very basic level between fantasy and reality. So if you write down your goals and visualize them you begin to think and act as if you have already accomplished those goals. In this way you make decisions accordingly. It's all fascinating.

JoeDRL, it would be very interesting to read your ebook if you get it translated!

Most people don't actually follow through on goals, even if they write them down. Partly that's because a goal is useless without an action plan to go with it.

If you've read anything about setting business goals, you've probably already heard that they should be S.M.A.R.T.:
- Specific
- Measureable
- Achievable (or Action-Oriented)
- Realistic (or Relevant)
- Timely

The definitions of each part vary a little depending on the context, but if you can start by breaking down your goal to match each of the SMART criteria, you're off to a good start.

Then you'll need to put together an action plan of tasks for achieving the goals, with deadlines (eg the long term, short term, monthly, weekly, daily etc.)

The hardest part? Just doing it. I like JoeDRL's idea of using the goal as an affirmation or motivation. It serves as a reminder of what all this work is for, as well as a reminder to go back to your action plan and make sure you're on track and completing the tasks you set for yourself.

I think that internet marketing is one of the most difficult fields for staying focused. There's such a plethora of great ideas and opportunities that you need something to keep you oriented - like goals and plans. I'm just as guilty as many others of getting distracted by shiny stuff and need to take my own advice. Luckily, it's time to make some New Year's resolutions anyway!

- Sharyn

3% of the American people write their goals? That number might be high. Many who are locked into their lives and their jobs feel they have no reason to write down their goals. Although everyone would benefit by writing goals, there are many who do not write down goals, even though reaching certain milestones would result in an immediate and tangible benefit. (Sales for instance) These people will readily admit that they need to write down their goals, but they have that very human disease; procrastination.

The 3% that is associated with goal setting comes from the very famous Yale class of '53 study. The 3% who wrote their goals outearned the other 97% of the class. It is a huge testament to goal setting, when one realizes that the other 97%, being Yale grads certainly did quite well for themselves, also.

The key to realizing your goals is action.

Do something everyday that brings you closer to achieving the goals you have written. Review each day to see if you really made use of every minute available to you.

If your goal is to write a book in 2012, then write at least one page a day; if your goal if to accumulate money, then starts to save at least a dollar daily.

You are right. That's because most people think goal setting does not work. It's not about just setting goals, but having the COURAGE to follow them. Most people set goals and stop, then wonder why goal setting does not work.

Large majority of people are not taught to set goals in general. That's why they do not do it.

Check this out: Motivating Yourself: The “Science Of Achievement” | Double Time Today Video Blog

Chris D.

Writing goals increases the amplitude of vibration which energize our goals.

SO when we wite it down , our sub-concious focus great volume of energy to acompalish it easily .

As Simple as that.

SHAZ

Once you have a S.M.A.R.T. goal written down, the next step is usually to create a Project Plan for achieving it and then review weekly when planning your week.

This falls in the skill set of Project Management, and I think Everyone in this forum could benefit from reading a "For Dummies" or overview book on the topic, as it seems to be the missing link between big goals and your weekly/daily plans and activities.

Hey everybody, a lot of great comments here!
If that much people are interested into goal-setting and the influence of the mind on your IM success, I might do a little video-series teaching you what I know about that.

Have the greatest day of your life,
~ JoeDRL

Maybe I'm the oddball here, but I rarely even think of goals. I've always been driven. It's probably genetic, but I'm highly motivated, even at my advanced age. If I do everything the the best of my ability today, then I know that the tomorrows will take care of themselves. Do I have short term plans? You bet. I even write down my planned daily activities, because I have a great 'forgetter' as well. To me, it's not about goals, it's about action.

Goals have taken on so many different meanings since the time Napoleon Hill and others were writing about them.

Just keep it simple and don't over analyze whether it's perfect or not.

What you always want is 3 things: 1) An OUTCOME
2) A purpose for that outcome
3) Action items to make that happen

I have written down goals before now, stuck them in a drawer and forgotten about them, only to find them a year or so later and realize that I actually did achieve some of them- maybe it's subconscious?
I think that sometimes people try to change too much at once, for instance in the New Year they may write a goal to change jobs, a goal to stop smoking, a goal to lose weight etc etc and soon become overwhelmed. In 2012 I am going to concentrate on one goal at a time.

Look this writing down goals being an indicator
of achievement is a myth rooted in the
psychology of behaviourism.

Recent studies suggest that behaviourism is only
appropriate to rewarding people for completing
mechanical tasks.

The idea itself is based on a Harvard Study
reported in Mark McCormack's brilliant book,
'What They Don't Teach you At The Harvard
Business School'. It should be titled, 'What
They Can't Teach You . . . ', but I digress.

There's no evidence that the study ever existed!

But even if it did, there's also no proof
that you writing your goals, because you read
about doing so in a book, will help you achieve
the things you desire out of life.

What such a study would prove is that there's a
correlation between someone being methodical
enough to write down their goals, and
achievement.

Of course it is possible to work on planning
your success using a pencil and paper, (best),
or some other means of writing, (such as a
smart-tablet).

But that's more than simply writing down goals,
indeed it's creating a scalable business plan.

This is my 1 yr goal -
2012 Is The Year I Will Make At Least One Million Australian Dollars In Gross Revenue.
I will need to earn at least $83,330 in gross revenue, per month by the end of Q4 (December 31, 2012)

Then I have lots of short-term steps to reach that goal. Not how I will do it, but an Example:
- Build 100 optimized Niche Sites by Q1 - aim for a target of $800 per month with each niche website
- Aim to build at least 100 links a day with the help of two full-time backlinkers
- By Q4 be earning $25-$30 per day with each niche site.

hi JamesBuk! I think you have to have the ability to act on what you wrote. It's nothing if you just wrote it in a piece of paper and do nothing. You need to do some actions for you to be able to achieve your goals in life.

"Think & Grow Rich" by napolean hill is completely free because it has passed it's copyright life. It seems that you're obviously interested, and very few books, to this day, will do a better job than that one to assist you. It's in english, thousands of people have cited it as a key to their success, and it's free. It's also completely free. You can just type it into google and then download it, for free. You see, napolean hill does not have an IM agenda. In fact, napolean hill does not know what IM is. Napolean hill is dead. But he wrote a book. And it's free.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, go download the book. For free.

Just writing down a goal and then setting it aside will accomplish nothing.
It's similar to the New Year's Resolutions that people make and the next
day they are forgotten.
There has to be a clear understanding of the whole goal setting process
and a means of working towards those goals.
Without the path, the goal will not be reached.

great share...thanks

Stephen, I agree 100% with what you say, I am conscious that reading a book won't help if you don't integrate the concepts and use them in an actionable way. Just as reading words while you can't read won't make a difference in the world for you.

My statement was that there are some studies that show that people who set goals are more likely to achieve them than people who don't set goals. I took your above statement, and it is probably my mistake, as saying there is no study showing the correlation between goals and success.

Again, a goal without action won't lead anywhere, it's just that a goal increases the odds of success compared to not event setting a goal. I think we can all agree on that.

In the end, I think everybody should experiment as no formula is good for 100% of the population.

Be happy, be successful,
~ JoeDRL

Yeah, the next step once you have written down a goal is to break it down into smaller and smaller targets. Then you can start working to achieve the first target. Then the second one etc.

I found a really good system (can't remember who wrote it) where you create a binder, basically, with all your goals, then break down each one into steps, then the steps into tasks, and work on your tasks daily with your big goals in mind. I loved it. I'm working on a system myself.

is that true? i will put picture my goal at desktop of my pc cause i often at front of my pc

Writing down your goals gives you great motivation. Every day check what you did, and read all your goals again.

Besides writing them down, you can, for example, put a car you want to buy, to your desktop background on your PC, etc.

Simply put, you must know where you going in order to get there. Stop hoping things will get better and actually write down the goals you want to accomplish, quickly make your plans to get there, and take action. Good post, thanks.