the jim rohn - life success international · web viewgoals: setting and achieving them on schedule...

WEEK NINE

Welcome to Week Nine of your Life Success Plan.

This week we will discuss Part Four of Goal-Setting - Accountability. Below, Jim shares the key components to making accountability a valuable tool and asset for your success. Chris reviews CD 6 of the Jim Rohn New Millennium program, and we have some very important exercises in the workbook to assist you in this final piece of the goal-setting process, including a tools section to help you achieve your goals and an accountability contract. (We would appreciate you sending us your copy of this - details are in the contract.)

As we close out Essential Number Two, we hope you are experiencing a new level of faith, belief and confidence in the person you are refining and becoming! As so many of you have stated - this is exciting!

Have a victorious week!

Donna

Copyright Victory Management, Inc. with JRI 2004 193

“When Andrew Carnegie died, they discovered a sheet of paper upon which he had written one of the major goals of his life: to spend the first half of his life accumulating money and to spend the last half of his life giving it all away. And he did!”

-– Jim Rohn

GOAL-SETTINGGOAL-SETTING

The Second Essential for Life Success: Goal-Setting, Part Four – AccountabilityHi, Jim Rohn here. Before we dive into Part Four – Accountability, here is a review of what we have been covering this month.

1. Evaluation and Reflection. The only way we can reasonably decide what we want in the future and how we will get there, is to first know where we are right now and secondly, what our level of satisfaction is for where we are in life. As we focus this month on goal-setting, our first order of business and our topic three weeks ago was evaluation and reflection.

2. Dreams and Goals. What are your dreams and goals? Not related to the past or what you think you can get, but what you want. Have you ever really sat down and thought through your life values and decided what you really want? This isn’t something that someone else says you should have or what culture tells us successful people do or have. These are the dreams and goals that are born out of your own heart and mind. These are the goals that are unique to you and come from who you were created to be and gifted to become. Two weeks ago we showed you exactly how to find out what you want from life.

3. S.M.A.R.T. Goals. S.M.A.R.T. means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-sensitive.

Specific: Don’t be vague. Exactly what do you want?

Measurable: Quantify your goal. How will you know if you’ve achieved it or not?

Attainable: Be honest with yourself about what you can reasonably accomplish at this point in your life - along with taking into consideration your current responsibilities.

Realistic: It’s got to be do-able, real and practical.

Time: Associate a timeframe with each goal. When should you complete the goal?

In Part Three of Goal-Setting, we spent time looking at how to apply the S.M.A.R.T. test to your goals to make sure they are as powerful as they can be!

4. Accountability. Think of the word “accountable.” It means to “give an account.” When someone knows what your goals are, they help hold you accountable. Whether it is someone else going through this program with you (have you thought about inviting a friend to join you on this one-year journey?) or just someone you can give the basic idea


to, having a person who can hold you accountable will give you another added boost to getting your goals! This week we will show you how to set up an accountability partner.

Accountability (a contract with yourself or someone else) is a vital key in the goal-setting process. In those early days Mr. Shoaff held me accountable for my progress on the goals I had set. He asked those hard questions that helped motivate me to continuously work on achieving my dreams. Accountability puts some teeth into the process. If a goal is set and only one person knows it, does it really have any

power? Many times it doesn't. At the very least, it isn’t as powerful as if you have one or more people who can hold you accountable to your goal.

Think of the word “accountable.” Webster defines it as, "liable to being called to account; answerable." In other words, it means to give an account of your actions to yourself or another person. Accountability is a very broad word, yet accountability is essentially follow-up. When someone knows what your goals are, they follow up and hold you accountable by asking you to “give an account” of where you are in the process of achieving that goal. Human nature is such that when we know someone else is going to ask us about it, we are much more motivated to get it done. If for no other reason we don’t want to look lazy and uncommitted to those we are accountable to! This is why having an accountability partner is so important. Whether it is someone else going through this program with you, (have you thought about inviting a friend to join you on this one-year journey?) or just someone who you can give the basic idea to; having a place of accountability will give you another added boost to achieving your goals!

In the basic sense, there are two kinds of accountability: internal and external. Internal accountability is essentially the level of integrity you maintain not only throughout the evaluation process but also in life. It means that when you look at yourself, you judge yourself with honesty. This is where you hold yourself accountable to doing what you said you would do. If you've messed up, say, "I've messed up", but if you've done well then you can celebrate your progress. Let the internal accountability prod you and spur you on to greater action in pursuit of your achievements.

So first and foremost, it is our responsibility to hold ourselves accountable. We answer to ourselves. We take charge of ourselves. How do we do that? Here are a few ideas on how to hold yourself accountable:

1. Write down your goals so they become “objective.” You can’t go back and say, “That wasn’t really my goal.”

2. Be ruthlessly honest with yourself when you assess whether or not you have met the goal (of course, if you were specific in your S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting, you won’t have much wiggle room here anyway).


3. If you fall short of your goal, or if you are falling short while on the way, knuckle down and hold yourself accountable to do what it takes to make up the ground so that you can hit that goal!

4. Set a time frame in which you will evaluate your progress and hold yourself accountable.

The second aspect of accountability is that it is external. Find someone else or a group of others to hold you accountable. When we commit to giving an account to someone else for our actions and goals, we take it to the next level. Now let me say that the external part of accountability will not work without the internal aspect. If you are not honest with yourself, then you will probably not be honest with others. Asking someone to hold you accountable and then knowing you won’t be completely honest with them will never work. In fact, Howard Hendricks used to have a series of accountability questions that went something like this: Have you done “A”? Have you done “B”? Have you done “C”? Now, have you told the truth on the first three questions? That is a good series of questions to ask!

Having an accountability partner or an outside source of accountability is a powerful force if done right. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you set up an accountability partner:

1. Choose someone who cares about you, but can be tough and honest with you. This person needs to have both of these characteristics. They need to care about you (and you have to know and feel that care) because you become vulnerable by making yourself accountable to them. They need to be tough and honest though, because you don’t want to have them shy away from telling you to get on the ball when you are slacking, getting behind or not doing the job. I think the expression, "tough love" would fit appropriately here. In essence, they love us enough to be honest with us about our progress.

2. Tell them specifically what your goals are.

3. Commit to being honest with them.

4. Give them permission to speak both words of encouragement, as well as words of challenge when the situation calls for it.

5. Agree on a reasonable time frame in which you will allow them to evaluate your progress and hold you accountable.

6. Follow up on their words when they challenge you or call you to action.


Accountability can be a tremendous thing. There is an old proverb that says one can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight. When we have someone holding us accountable, we bring others onto our team who will make us stronger, who will make us soar higher, and who will cause our lives to be much richer because of their involvement.

Take a moment and really consider who you will make yourself accountable to in the pursuit of your goals. Now, go back through the words above and begin to work this process out in your own life. You will be extraordinarily glad you did!

Until next week, let's do something remarkable!

Jim Rohn


“If you want to reach a goal, you must ‘see the reaching’ in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.”

-- Zig Ziglar

Hi there, Chris Widener here. Hope you have taken time to go through the material, reflect upon what you have learned and how you can apply it to your life with specific action to improve yourself.

Here is a recap of the material on CD Six from The Jim Rohn Weekend Event - Excelling in the New Millennium:

How to affect others with words:

Words and ideas live on. They start and then move on from person to person. That is what makes them so powerful.

Words almost have the power of God.

God’s words create life – human words come close.

Words can give the light of sight and insight.

Words help people “see.”

Words can help people see themselves better than they are.

Words can make a difference: The ancient prophet said that words are a lamp for the feet and a light to our path.

Four steps to achieve good communication:

1. Have something good to say – be prepared – make positive verbal deposits before the time you say something.

Tips to preparation: Keep a keen interest in people. Get “from” the day, not “through” it. Attend everything. Be fascinated with life. How does it work? Don’t be frustrated. Give yourself a chance. Be sensitive to others. Walk in their shoes. Be diplomatic. Get working knowledge.

2. Say it well.

Tips to saying it well: Repeat it until you can say it well. Say it sincerely.


Say it briefly. If you are unique, you probably don’t have to say much. Say it with style. Say it with a good vocabulary. Practice saying it.

3. Read your audience.

Read what you see. Read what you hear. Read what you feel.

4. Be intense. Use the power of your emotion.

Communication is a combination of intellect, language and emotion.

Tips to being intense:

Use enough emotion to fit the situation. Understand that emotion drives the language. Use measured emotions with well-selected words.

Tools of Last Resort:

Your temper. A direct attack. Scolding.

The more you care, the stronger you can be!

The Four “Ifs”:

1. Life is worthwhile IF you learn. Learn from your experience and from others' experience. Learn from what you see, hear, and read.

2. Life is worthwhile IF you try: Try, then try again. Try what others won’t.

3. Life is worthwhile IF you stay. We need to stay around. Finish it out.

4. Life is worthwhile IF you care. If you care at all, you will get some results. If you care enough, you will get incredible results!

Additional Thoughts from Chris on CD Six:

What I considered to be the most powerful aspects of Jim’s teaching on CD Six were three of his main points on effective communication. I was challenged by his words on having something to say, saying it well, and the power of emotion.


On having something to say, I was particularly struck by the notion that we are to have a keen interest in people and to be fascinated by life itself. If we have those characteristics about us, we will be in such a mode of learning that we will be building up storehouses of knowledge, and knowledge that, when seasoned with experience, will become wisdom – and then when we have something to say, watch out because it will be powerful!

Secondly, I was struck by the concept of saying it well, particularly saying it with sincerity and saying it briefly. I am coming to recognize more and more, and Jim confirmed it for me once again, that sincerity is so powerful. It is a bridge to the listener. Style is important, but sincerity is paramount, especially in this day and age. And brevity – wow – that is so true. How many times have you listened to someone go on and on, starting with good points or information and then losing the listener because they couldn’t get the idea across soon enough? If their eyes have rolled back in their heads, you have gone too long! More and more I am learning the value of being sincere and succinct!

Lastly, I was struck by the idea that we are to use the power of emotion. So often today you hear people say, “Don’t get emotional about it,” but there is a difference between “getting emotional” and having emotion! People want to see that we are passionate about what we are speaking about. Passion is what tells people that we feel strongly about something, and when they see that we feel strongly and not just “think strongly” about something, that is when they are moved and persuaded by what we have to say.

So, have something to say, say it well, and say it with emotion!

See you next week,

Chris Widener


“Goals are incredibly important.... or impotent. You decide.” -– Doug Firebaugh

Questions for Reflection:Questions for Reflection:

Q. Have you written down your goals so they can be made “objective”? Write comments here.

Q. Do you hold yourself accountable? Are you ruthlessly honest with yourself?

Q. Do you have a person or a group of people in your life who can hold you accountable? Who are they? Are you willing to not only give them the authority to speak into your life but also then listen to them?

Q. Do you have a regularly scheduled time frame in which you will be accountable to yourself or another person? Write that time here.

Q. Are you making your life worthwhile? How well do you live the four “Ifs”?


Q. How are you learning? In what area can you learn more?

Q. Are you staying? How so? In what area do you need help “staying”?

Q. Are you trying? How so? In what area can you try harder?

Q. Are you caring? How so? In what area of your life do you care best? In what area do you need to work on caring?


Action Steps This Week:Action Steps This Week:

1. Write down your goals so they are “objectively” set.

2. Ask someone who cares about you, but who can be tough and honest with you to hold you accountable to working on and achieving your goals.

3. Make a commitment to be ruthlessly honest with yourself and with your accountability partner.

4. Set the time frames in which you will hold yourself accountable or your accountability partner will hold you accountable.

A Look Forward: A Look Forward:

This week is an "off" week for audio listening, which will allow you time to catch up if necessary on the conference calls, downloadable

files and/or any uncompleted workbook exercises.


Goals 2004 Workbook (Part 4)

Tools to Help You Achieve Your Goals

Quiet Time/Contemplation

Setting goals for your life is largely an introspective process. A regular period of quiet time or contemplation will help you set meaningful goals that will enable you to achieve your dreams. Take time to think about what you really want in your life—without all the noise and influence of the outside world.

When is the best time for you to focus on your goals? Is there a particular time of day or location that is most conducive to reflecting on your goals and dreams? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Study Other Successful Goal Achievers

Motivational speakers and goal achievers like Bob Proctor, Jim Rohn, and Brian Tracy aren’t shy about telling you how they learned to set and achieve their far-reaching goals. Read their books, listen to their seminars on tape or CD, or better yet—attend a seminar firsthand—to get you fired up and maintain a high level of enthusiasm about goal setting and achievement. Other books like The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Setting Goals are also valuable resources that help reinforce tips and techniques that can help you reach your goals.

Affirmations

Restate your goals in positive, present tense terms “as if” you are already achieving the goals you set. Write them down in those terms and include a statement about how you will feel when you reach each goal.

For example, if my goal is: “To walk one mile each day between now and Christmas,” a positive affirmation of that goal might read like this: “I am walking a mile every day and enjoying my newfound feelings of health and energy!”

Every day, read your affirmative goals/affirmations aloud to yourself. You may even wish to tape a copy of them on your computer monitor, bathroom mirror, or the dashboard in your car—any place where you will see them throughout the day and re-read them. Reading your goals reworded as statements on a regular basis suggests to


your subconscious mind that the goals have already been achieved. Your affirmations frequently become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Some people find it helpful to record their affirmations (on a tape recorder or CD) and then play the affirmations back so they can hear them repeatedly, letting the affirmations seep into their subconscious while they are driving to work or performing other tasks.

Affirmations can really work for you! They help keep you focused on your goal, your dream, and what it will feel like to achieve those goals and dreams—because you read them as if you’ve already achieved them. They can help you maintain a positive attitude and reaffirm your commitment to doing what it takes to make them become reality.

Positive Self-Talk

Similar to affirmations, positive self-talk involves speaking aloud to yourself—and talking to yourself within your mind—in a positive, uplifting, encouraging way. Telling yourself that you can and will achieve your goals boosts your self-confidence and increases your level of self-motivation—the two driving forces that will propel you forward and lead you to complete the actions necessary to achieve your goals.

Say “I Will”

There is no greater commitment than those two little words: I will. There is no room for questioning or doubt. Instead of saying, “I plan to” or “I want to” or “I think I can,” say “I will” whenever you refer to your goals. Reaffirm it regularly and watch it happen.

Enlist the Help of an Accountability Partner

Ideally, an accountability partner is another person who, like you, is set on making some changes in his or her life and is setting goals to do it. It might even be someone involved in this course. While your goals need not be similar at all, the fact that you are both committed to setting and achieving your own goals is the common factor that binds you together. It is often helpful to share your goals and action steps with your accountability partner and set up a schedule to report on your progress and discuss any unforeseen obstacles and how you can address them. Ideally, you will do this for each other on a scheduled, regular basis and literally hold each other accountable for following through on the action steps and goals each has committed to. An accountability partner is also a great source of support and encouragement when you get discouraged.

Do you know any people you might approach to become your accountability partner? If so, jot their names down here and contact them when you complete this workbook.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


A Coach or Mentor

While accountability partners are mutually accountable to each other, a coach or mentor is your own private guide and support system. A good coach or mentor will help you think outside the box, challenge your thinking, require you to stretch yourself so you will grow, and hold you accountable for taking the actions to complete the goals you set for yourself. If you can afford a personal coach or have the opportunity to work with a mentor, jump at the opportunity for this kind of undivided attention, guidance, and direction.

If a friend or acquaintance recommends a good coach, jot their name and contact information down here. You may wish to contact him or her to talk about your goals and see how he or she could help you after your complete this course.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Post Pictures

Pictures are an important way to maintain your focus and your commitment and to stay positive. Whether they come from a camera, a magazine, a catalog, or clip art, it really doesn’t matter. Cut them out or print them out, and put them up where you can see them throughout the day and be reminded of what you’re working toward.

If your dream is to own a specific car, for example, find a photo or magazine of that specific car—right down to the year, model, make, and color—and tape it to the dash of your car where you’ll see it often. Then when you’re driving around in your old beater, imagine yourself driving your new vehicle!

Create a Visual

Whenever possible, create something visual that will stimulate your desire to achieve your goals and realize your dreams. Help to “picture” your dreams fulfilled.

Want to vacation on a cruise ship? Get some of those travel brochures, cut out the cruise ship, cut out a photo of yourself from your last vacation, and paste it on the deck of the ship! If you can scan photos and manipulate them with your computer, go all out and put yourself in the action.

Trying to get down to a size 10? Buy a pair of size 10 jeans and hang them on the wall of your exercise room where you’ll see them every time you work out.

Dreaming of writing a book? Create a mock-up of the potential cover and post it by your computer where you can see it while you work. It will make the whole thing seem more “real” to you and help you stay motivated!


Actor Jim Carey used this technique when he was a struggling actor in the early 1990’s. He wrote himself a check for $10 million for "services rendered" and dated it November 1995. Just days before that actual date, he signed a $10 million contract for the movie, “The Mask Part II.”

Experience It If it’s possible, experience a taste of success. Instead of just imagining it, give yourself a peek at the life you’re working toward.

Do you dream of being wealthy and successful and buying all your clothes on Rodeo Drive? Go window shopping! Heck, stop in and try on an outfit and ask a friend to snap a photo of you in an Armani suit. Tape that to your desk at work!

Test drive a Ferrari and then ask the salesman to take a photo of you sitting in it. Tell him your goal is to buy one. He’ll be thrilled and encourage you to come back and buy it from him when you’re ready!

Want to buy a house but don’t have the down payment yet? Go house hunting anyway! When you find the perfect one, your drive to do whatever it takes to get it will skyrocket.

Calendar

Your calendar is a key component in your goal-setting system. When you set goal target dates and create checkpoints to complete action steps toward completing those goals, be sure to mark them on your calendar. Treat those goals and checkpoints like real deadlines and work hard to meet them. This is one of the single best ways to ensure steady, continuous progress toward your goals. (Some people like to use electronic calendars that provide audible beeps or reminders of appointments or other activities throughout the day. Don’t forget to program the calendar to remind you when you should be doing something to work toward your goals, too.)

Journal/Diary

If you have the time, recording your goals and action steps—and your daily progress toward your goals, along with your feelings, insecurities, the obstacles you encounter and how you overcome them, and your successes—in a journal or diary can prove invaluable. It’s a great reminder of how far you’ve come and an inspiration. When you feel discouraged, you can go back and read about all the things you’ve already accomplished and be encouraged that you can do this, too.


Create a Photo Album/Photo Log

Chart your progress with your camera! Take photos of your progress toward your goals along the way—at regular intervals or after major action steps are completed. This is a great motivator for goals like building a new home, losing weight, or sewing a quilt—anything you can see being created.

Flow Charts/Graphs

Some people benefit from visual aids that can show them at a glance how they are progressing toward their goals. If visual reminders are helpful to you, you might want to use a large piece of tag board to create a flow chart detailing the steps to be completed toward the achievement of your goals and then mark off your progress with a highlighter or colored marker as you complete the steps. Or, you could create a graph that shows your goal and your steady progress toward the achievement of that goal. Post your flow chart or graph on the wall in your office or somewhere else where you will see it on a daily basis.

Sign a Contract

Some goal setters create and sign a contract with themselves outlining their goals, a date by which the goals must be completed, and may even include positive or negative consequences that will occur if the contract is “met” or “broken.” A signed contract—with yourself or someone else—will help you take your goals more seriously and stay focused.

A sample contract is included as Appendix B in this workbook. Feel free to photocopy the contract as needed. Right now, make one copy of the contract and complete it for one or more of the goals you set previously in this workbook. Sign it, date it, and fax it to the facilitator for this class.

Weekly or Monthly Goal Sheets

Many people find it helpful to summarize a list of the action steps required to be completed for a given timeframe on a handy list that they can keep in front of them. Rather than worrying about what they need to do next week or next month, it enables them to focus exclusively on what they should accomplish this week or this month. It helps keep you from getting overwhelmed and is a very effective tool. (See the sample goal sheets in Appendix C and D and photocopy them for your own use.)

Use a copy of Appendix C to create a list of what you’ll need to focus on in the coming week in order to achieve your goals. Be sure to put your name on it, and fax this to the course facilitator, as well.


Master Goal List or Lifetime Goals

Some people find it helpful to create one huge master goal list—or a list of all the goals they hope to achieve in their lifetime, both large and small. This is one long, ongoing list they can add to as needed. By keeping the one list, they are assured they will not forget any of the goals or aspirations that are important to them. You might also wish to create a similar dream list. List every dream or goal you can possibly think of—things you want, skills you’d like to acquire, places you want to visit, books you want to read, classes you want to take, people you want to meet, etc.

While you would not work from this master list on a regular basis, you can draw from this list periodically when you review your dreams and goals and decide to set specific new goals.


"You got to be careful if you don't knowwhere you're going, because you

might not get there."- Yogi Berra

More Information You Need to Know About Setting and Achieving Goals

Fitting Goals Into Your Busy Life

Setting and working toward your goals takes hard work. But you’re probably already working hard. How do you fit yet another important thing into an already busy life?

The fact is, somehow you will make the time for anything that is truly important to you.

But here are some practical suggestions other people use to make working on their goals a priority:

Get up early; Stay up late; Use your lunch break; Make a trade off for something less important to you (i.e., quit watching

TV to focus on your goals instead); Identify your other responsibilities—which are flexible and could be taken

care of at a later date? Which are not? OR Keep track of how you spend your time and assess your real availability

(or refer back to the exercise when you did this previously).

Find what works best for you and work with it. Whatever you do, don’t just try to cram setting and achieving new goals into an already overbooked life. It won’t work, and your goals will be doomed to failure before you even begin. Life is about choices and trade-offs. Whether it is sleep, lunch with your co-workers, television time, or something else, if creating the life of your dreams is important to you, you’ll make the time to work toward your goals.

Dreams and Goals Evolve and Change

The dreams you have for your life today—and the corresponding goals you set to reach them—are not the same dreams you had 10 years ago, and it’s likely that 10 years from now, your dreams will have changed again. Life is a process of growth and development—and change. It’s natural that your dreams and goals should also change.

Your Motivation Level to Achieve Your Goals—and to Complete the Action Steps Necessary to Achieve Them Will Wax and Wane

Though your motivation after this course is finished will likely be very high, daily life quickly takes over, and it’s easy to go back to doing things the same way we’ve always done them. Continuing to focus on your goals and strive for them will be one of your first big challenges. Knowing this in advance, it’s important to build in little rewards for your continued progress toward your goals along the way. There’s no need to wait until the goal has been achieved to reward yourself. Pick little intervals along the way—


particularly at points where you know you’re likely to procrastinate or put things off—and then schedule a reward for reaching that checkpoint. It might be something simple like treating yourself to a round of golf or ordering pizza for dinner instead of cooking. The important thing is to reward yourself regularly for progress and reinforce your new behaviors.

Set Goals For Yourself; Measure Them Against Yourself

Setting and achieving any goal should be something you want to do. Likewise, measure your progress toward your goals against the criteria established initially. Don’t compare yourself or your progress to someone else or their goals. Self-improvement is a continual process, not a competition.

All Goals Have Consequences

When you set a goal, you should realize there will be consequences as a result—whether you meet the goal or miss it by a mile. Some consequences are positive and others may be negative. Some are the natural result of meeting or missing the goal, while others may be self-imposed. Natural consequences might include a fine from the IRS if you’re late filing your income taxes (negative) or losing weight if you begin an exercise regime (positive). Self-imposed consequences are those that you set as a reward or “punishment” for achieving or not achieving your goal. Perhaps you will donate a specific amount to a charity if you fail to meet your goal (a negative consequence for you, though it’s a positive consequence for the charity) or buy yourself a new sweater (positive) if you walk a mile every day for a week.

What If You “Fail” or Do Not Achieve Your Goal?

What is a failure really? If you do not achieve your goal—but you tried and you learned something from the experience—then it really isn’t a failure at all. You can choose to regroup and set a new, more realistic goal. Or you can decide the goal wasn’t as important as you thought it was at this point in your life and select another goal to work toward. The only real failure is if you fail to try. As long as you’re trying and giving it your best shot, you can’t fail. It’s called living and learning!

Be Grateful for the Experience and Learn From It

Every experience is an opportunity to learn something about yourself. As long as you’re learning, you’re growing. And as long as you’re growing, you’re living and enjoying life. So live in the moment and experience life to its fullest!

Reaching the Goal Isn’t the End

For people like you who are focused on growth and personal development, the achievement of any one goal—or even a long series of huge goals—is never the end. The


process begins all over again. That is as it should be. If you’re not growing, you’re dying. So keep on growing! Set new and exciting goals for yourself at every stage of your life and give yourself something to look forward to as long as you are on this earth.

Pass It On

Share what you know with someone who is just starting out. Teach someone else how to set and achieve goals. Invite them to dream, grow, and develop themselves! Become a mentor and share your wisdom. Pass it on.


"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;

an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

- Sir Winston Churchill

All Goals Are Not Created Equal

Short-Term Goals

Short-term goals are those that can and should be completed in less than a year. (Although some sources classify short-term goals as those that should be completed in 30-90 days.) Short-term goals may be daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly goals, as an example—goals you want to complete within that given timeframe. The completion of short-term goals should directly relate to the achievement of your mid-term and long-term goals.

The best way to measure the success of short-term goals—and therefore, the best way to quantify short-term goals—is by output. Output measures what you’ve actually done—what actions you’ve taken—all things within your control. Completion of your short-term goals indicates you are steadily working toward your goals.

Examples of short-term goals might include filing for one hour each day until you are caught up or writing one personal letter each week to a distant relative between now and Christmas.

Mid-Term Goals

Mid-term goals may take you three to five years to realize. (Although some sources classify mid-term goals as those that take one to three years.) Mid-term goals will take longer than short-term goals to achieve, and the completion of short-term goals should contribute to the achievement of mid-term goals.

An example of a mid-term goal might be to pay off your car loan within 36 months or to finish your studies and obtain your associate degree in accounting by June 2005.

Long-Term Goals

Long-term goals will typically take 10 years or more to realize. (Although some sources list long-term goals as taking five years.) Long-term goals cannot be completed in a short time. They are the culmination of the achievement of many smaller goals that lead, step by step, to the completion of the long-term goal.

Long-term goals are best measured by results. One example might be a writer’s goal to write and publish a series of romance novels. Smaller, short-term goals will help build to the achievement of this goal.

Dream Goals & Reality GoalsDream Goals & Reality Goals


In a perfect world, we could cast our responsibilities aside and focus solely on our dreams. In the real world, it doesn’t work that way. You may want to become a famous composer, but your family could starve if you quit your day job and retreated to the conservatory for weeks at a time.

While this course has covered goals that help you achieve your dreams for the most part, it is important to realize that some of your goals need to be firmly based on reality, as you know it today. They may not be the most fun goals, but through the achievement of these “reality goals,” it becomes possible to work toward your “dream goals.”

For example, if you are not independently wealthy, you probably need to keep your current job until your dream life begins to materialize to the point where it may begin to support you and your family financially. One of your “reality goals” might be to increase your income at your current job from $20,000 to $25,000 per year by the end of the next calendar year. You might not even really like that job—working in the mailroom of a large insurance company. If you had your way entirely, you’d quit that job and focus on composing music. But the fact is, you need the income and the more, the better, to enable you to pursue that dream.

In this case, a good rule of thumb is to spend 75% of your time focusing on the reality-based goals that enable you to work toward your dreams, and spend the remaining 25% of your time focusing on your dream goals.

Balance Your GoalsBalance Your Goals

It’s important to prioritize and balance your dreams and goals. One way is to prioritize your dreams and goals in the order you wish to achieve them according to which are the most important to you. Another way is to first group them by the time they will require to complete, then organize them in a logical order or progression so that they build upon each other, and finally according to personal preferences/desires.

You may wish to work toward some dreams and goals simultaneously, while others will clearly need to precede or follow another.

You should have a good balance of short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals. Be sure you are not trying to accomplish too much in too short a time (as is often the case if you have too many short-term goals) or not just procrastinating and essentially avoiding starting work on your goals (as is usually the case if you have a lot of long-term goals and few short-term goals).

Remember: The Setting and Achievement of EveryGoal Should Take You Another Step Closer To Your Dreams


Every goal you set should advance you—at least in some small way—closer to the realization of your dreams. That’s what this program—and creating a life plan for yourself—is all about.

Appendix A

Dream Starters or Goal Triggers

How can you improve the quality of your life? In what areas of your life are you least efficient? Least effective? What areas of your life bring you joy? Sorrow? Are you angry about anything? With anyone? Are you pleased with your physical appearance? When is the last time you exercised? What did you do? What kinds of activities do you enjoy doing with family and friends? How do you spend your solitary time? When is the last time you had a physical? What is the name of the last book you read? How do you spend your Friday nights? What hobbies do you have? When is the last time you participated in any of

them? Who are your five closest friends? When is the last time you spent time with them? What did you do? Where do you want to go that you haven’t gone? What do you want to see that you haven’t seen? What do you want to experience that you haven’t experienced? What do you want to do that you haven’t done? What do you want to try that you haven’t tried? How much time do you spend on/with the people in your organization? Are you more focused on results, people, or productivity? Do you enjoy your job? List any activities you recently completed for your own

self-improvement/personal growth. How well do you manage your time? At work? At home? Socially? Do you regularly take time off? When is the last time you had a vacation? Where did you go? List everything you’re responsible for—at work, at home, etc. (Include people,

processes, results, etc.) How can you improve your communication skills? (Speaking, writing, and

listening) How much time do you spend with your family? Do you really believe quality time is more important than quantity? How can you become more organized? When is the last time you made a new friend? Where did you meet him/her?


What is the name of the last new restaurant you ate at? Have you visited every one of the 50 states? Where did you honeymoon? If you could have any occupation in the world, what would it be and why? What is the last musical or sporting event you attended? What is the name of the last class you took? When was that? How often have you changed jobs in the last 10 years? How much money do you have in savings/investments? How much do you weigh? What is the last new thing you learned? What is your household net worth? When is the last time you “played?” What trade publications do you subscribe to? What magazines or newspapers do you subscribe to? Do you read them? What organizations or clubs do you belong to? Why did you join?


Appendix B

Goals Contract

I, ________________________________________ (insert your name here), shall: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(outline goal specifics here) on or before ______________________________________ (date by which goal must be completed).

Upon completion of this/these goal(s), I shall:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(outline the reward for achieving this goal here–include something that will be a personal motivator for you).

In the event that I do not complete my goals as outlined by the date set forth, I shall:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(include any negative consequences you wish to include here).

Dated: ______________________ ____________________________________(Signature)

* Please give a copy of this contract to your accountability partner as well as forwarding a copy to us here at the Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan, either by fax (817-442-1390) or by email ([email protected]).


Appendix C

Weekly Goal SheetMy Weekly Goals

For the Week Beginning ____________ and Ending _____________

Sunday Monday1. 1.2. 2.3. 3.4. 4.5. 5.6. 6.7. 7.

Tuesday Wednesday1. 1.2. 2.3. 3.4. 4.5. 5.6. 6.7. 7.

Thursday Friday1. 1.2. 2.3. 3.4. 4.5. 5.6. 6.7. 7.


Saturday1.2.3.4.5.6.7.


Appendix D

Monthly Goal SheetMy Goals

For the Month of ____________, 2______

1. ____________________________________________________________________2. ____________________________________________________________________3. ____________________________________________________________________4. ____________________________________________________________________5. ____________________________________________________________________6. ____________________________________________________________________7. ____________________________________________________________________8. ____________________________________________________________________9. ____________________________________________________________________10. ____________________________________________________________________11. ____________________________________________________________________12. ____________________________________________________________________13. ____________________________________________________________________14. ____________________________________________________________________15. ____________________________________________________________________16. ____________________________________________________________________17. ____________________________________________________________________18. ____________________________________________________________________19. ____________________________________________________________________20. ____________________________________________________________________21. ____________________________________________________________________22. ____________________________________________________________________23. ____________________________________________________________________24. ____________________________________________________________________25. ____________________________________________________________________26. ____________________________________________________________________27. ____________________________________________________________________28. ____________________________________________________________________29. ____________________________________________________________________30. ____________________________________________________________________


Appendix E

Other Resources Focusing on Goals, Achievement,And Creating the Life You Want!

Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell As A Man Thinketh by James Allen Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental,

Emotional, Physical, and Financial Destiny by Anthony Robbins Create Your Own Future: How to Master the 12 Critical Factors of Unlimited

Success by Brian Tracy Failing Forward: How to Make the Most of Your Mistakes by John C. Maxwell Goals: Setting and Achieving Them on Schedule by Zig Ziglar How to Be a Winner by Zig Ziglar How to Get What You Really, Really, Really, Really Want by Deepak Chopra and

Dr. Wayne Dyer How to Get What You Want by Zig Ziglar Message to Garcia by Elbert Hubbard Pulling Your Own Strings by Dr. Wayne Dyer Real Magic by Dr. Wayne Dyer The Challenge to Succeed by Jim Rohn The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason The Science of Getting Rich or Financial Success Through Creative Thought by

Wallace D. Wattles The Science of Personal Achievement by Napoleon Hill Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Your Erroneous Zones by Dr. Wayne Dyer


(This worksheet may be photocopied as desired.)

Making A Dream Into RealityWorksheet

Look back at the dreams you detailed in earlier exercises and select one that is particularly important to you. Ideally, you should start with a dream you can reasonably hope to realize in one year or less. Seeing results quickly will encourage you to keep going and setting goals to make your bigger dreams into reality, too!

Write out your dream here:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why is this dream important to you?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Visualize yourself living this dream. Identify the pros and cons of realizing this dream.

Pros Cons

Can you tweak any of the cons/negatives to make this dream more attractive? Can you modify it in any way to be more ideally suited to you?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How bad do you want to see this dream become reality in your life?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On a scale of 1 to 10, how hard are you willing to work to achieve this dream? (1 being “Just forget about it. I guess I don’t really want it if I have to work for it.” And 10 being “I’ll do absolutely whatever it takes to achieve this!”) ___________

How can you realize this dream? Identify the goals that, when accomplished, will lead you to the realization of this dream. (You may wish to refer to the earlier exercises you completed relating to this dream or the goals brainstorming exercise.) Put each of these goals in writing. List your goals on the numbered lines below. (Use additional paper if you identify more than 10 goals.) Use positive language and make sure they meet SMART FOR ME criteria.


GOALS TO HELP BRING ME CLOSER TO THIS DREAM

1. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Action Steps: 1a. __________________________________________________1b. __________________________________________________1c. __________________________________________________1d. __________________________________________________1e. __________________________________________________1f. __________________________________________________1g. __________________________________________________1h. __________________________________________________1i. __________________________________________________1j. __________________________________________________1k. __________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Action Steps: 2a. __________________________________________________

2b. __________________________________________________2c. __________________________________________________2d. __________________________________________________2e. __________________________________________________2f. __________________________________________________2g. __________________________________________________2h. __________________________________________________2i. __________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Action Steps: 3a. __________________________________________________

3b. __________________________________________________3c. __________________________________________________3d. __________________________________________________3e. __________________________________________________3f. __________________________________________________3g. __________________________________________________3h. __________________________________________________3i. __________________________________________________


4. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Action Steps: 4a. __________________________________________________

4b. __________________________________________________4c. __________________________________________________4d. __________________________________________________4e. __________________________________________________4f. __________________________________________________4g. __________________________________________________4h. __________________________________________________4i. __________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Action Steps: 5a. __________________________________________________

5b. __________________________________________________5c. __________________________________________________5d. __________________________________________________5e. __________________________________________________5f. __________________________________________________5g. __________________________________________________5h. __________________________________________________5i. __________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Action Steps: 6a. __________________________________________________

6b. __________________________________________________6c. __________________________________________________6d. __________________________________________________6e. __________________________________________________6f. __________________________________________________6g. __________________________________________________6h. __________________________________________________6i. __________________________________________________


7. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Action Steps: 7a. __________________________________________________

7b. __________________________________________________7c. __________________________________________________7d. __________________________________________________7e. __________________________________________________7f. __________________________________________________7g. __________________________________________________7h. __________________________________________________7i. __________________________________________________

8. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Action Steps: 8a. __________________________________________________

8b. __________________________________________________8c. __________________________________________________8d. __________________________________________________8e. __________________________________________________8f. __________________________________________________8g. __________________________________________________8h. __________________________________________________8i. __________________________________________________

9. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Action Steps: 9a. __________________________________________________

9b. __________________________________________________9c. __________________________________________________9d. __________________________________________________9e. __________________________________________________9f. __________________________________________________9g. __________________________________________________9h. __________________________________________________9i. __________________________________________________


10. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Action Steps: 10a. _________________________________________________

10b. _________________________________________________10c. _________________________________________________10d. _________________________________________________10e. _________________________________________________10f. _________________________________________________10g. _________________________________________________10h. _________________________________________________10i. _________________________________________________

What action steps will you need to complete to achieve each goal? (List all the steps you can think of—large and small—under each goal.)

Can any of the goals/action steps be completed simultaneously, or must they be completed in a particular sequence?

Do you have the skills, talents, resources, and/or knowledge to complete the goals identified? If not, be sure that developing the skills, finding the resources, or obtaining that knowledge are included in your action steps.

How will you personally benefit from accomplishing these goals?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What strengths do you possess that will contribute to your ability to achieve these goals and realize this dream?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What weaknesses will you need to compensate for to achieve these goals?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Who can help you achieve these goals? (And how?)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Identify any known or potential obstacles (internal or external) that could interfere with your achieving these goals.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How will you deal with them? (Identify possible solutions now so that detours on your journey don’t totally throw you off course. Sooner or later, you will encounter obstacles.)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Re-evaluate the target dates for each of your goals. Working backward, from the date you want to complete the goal, pencil in checkpoint dates—dates by which you will need to complete each action step in the sequence in order to meet the target date for the goal—in the right hand margin next to each step. Build in a little flexibility in case one of your action steps takes longer than you anticipated to complete, but don’t allow too much flexibility or you won’t have the sense of urgency required to complete the task.


What will be your reward for achieving each goal? (Schedule interim rewards for each goal accomplished—don’t make yourself wait until they’re all completed for reinforcement!)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Will there be any negative consequences (either natural or self-imposed) if you do not reach these goals? Elaborate.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How will you motivate yourself to take the action steps necessary when your enthusiasm wanes?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How will you hold yourself accountable for completing your goals?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How will the achievement of these particular goals contribute to fulfilling my life purpose/my mission statement?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Do these goals correspond to my values and priorities (as identified in an earlier exercise)? Why or why not?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Identify the first date you will review your progress toward these goals: _____________________ (Don’t forget to mark it on your calendar!)

You may wish to log your progress and journal about your checkpoints below:

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