This is an excerpt from my book~ How to Master Your Muck. If you are in the process of setting goals for your life, this chapter might help make the process a bit easier.

Think and Speak Specifics

Create a mission statement for your goal. Effective mission statements should include components such as values, vision and purpose. One of my clients created this mission, ”My mission is to help others to grow personally, professionally, emotionally, and spiritually by using my compassion, my unique perspective and my belief in others’ inherent goodness and enormous potential.” Create your own. Learn to say it aloud to yourself and others. Be specific and keep it simple. How many new clients or how much revenue do you wish to make in what period of time? Think about your goals in the way that comes naturally to you. Some think short term, some think long.

Although I’m not an avatar, sometimes I see a goal and it magically manifests without all of the baby steps in between. It can be done! I would wager that, if you were to seriously consider the accomplishments in your life, you have also done this a few times yourself. The key is to keep it so simple, clear and real in your mind that you never forget what it is that you are aiming for. You also need to state it clearly and frequently to yourself and others and see it ”as so” on a daily basis. Enough metaphysical science for now . . . 

Write the Path to Your Goal

Lay out your vision step-by-step in your mind and write all that you see on a piece of paper. When you write down the path to your goal, keep it simple but add as many details as you see.

If you are one of those people who don’t bother writing their goals because they always fail, realize this: those people who do write their goals on paper will actually accomplish some, if not all of them. I have a friend from South Africa who always has a list of 10 goals in writing at any given time. This is what he wrote to me about his life: 

“When I was young, I figured out my life somehow played out in cycles of  seven years. I decided then to create a plan to include 10 definitive objectives that would manifest into tangible goals that I could achieve within each  seven-year period. If I didn’t reach some goals, it was okay because they rolled over into the next period. So, in essence, I had this ferris wheel of hope and desire that always seemed full of ideas. The tools to accomplish this was the key… I had immediate and weekly goals that served my monthly goals, which in turn made my  seven-year plan reachable. ‘Start small but visualize big’ is my motto I suppose.”

A few of the goals Kevin has accomplished to date includes getting his green card without an attorney and, against all odds, after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, taking a camping holiday through Europe, hiking the Grand Canyon (which he has now done three times) and meeting his childhood hero, Mohammed Ali, in person by simply knocking on his door.

It helps to surround yourself with visionaries. Their ability to reach their own lofty goals affirms that you can do the same.

Everyone visualizes the progress towards an end result differently. The analytical businessperson might plot their progress in percentages towards the goal. Artistic creative types might find the most rewarding tracking method is a graph that allows them to see their progression to the final outcome.

There is no perfect single method for accomplishing your goals. Your chosen path simply needs to motivate you and allow you to see and feel clearly defined results every step along the way. This visible progress will keep you motivated and enthusiastic as you move towards your goal.

Keeping goals simple and definable means that they are organizable. As Epictetus said: ‘First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” I would add a side note to this statement. Being organized and having the path clearly defined as you proceed towards your goal is invaluable. This way, if something does go awry, you can shift and still move toward your goal, even if from a different direction, because it has become crystal clear in your thoughts. You might need to tack away from the wind, but your course will still remain true.

Click here to read more and find out how to purchase How To Master Your  Muck ~ Get Organized.  Add Space To Your Life.  Live Your Purpose!