Never Give Up On Your Goals -- by Demond Jackson

What thoughts or emotions came over you as you read that? Never give up! Billionaire Philanthropist and Presidential Candidate H. Ross Perot said, “Most people stop digging three feet from the goldmine.” This is the wrong approach. There has to be certain aspects in place, such as goals, plans, visions, etc. However, for the most part, when these components are intact, success will come to you sooner or later.

Many people don't like the whole later possibility aspect, yet it can't be ignored. The important thing is that your dreams and goals will come to pass if you do not give up along the way. If you stop pursuit, you lose. Yet, if you adopt the attitude that I will not be denied, you really won’t be denied. I'm not an expert on this, but I believe obstacles show up to help us become more resilient.

Where you greatly desire to go, you can't be a wimp. You must be able to chew nails and breathe fire (figuratively speaking). Les Brown says it best. "You must trade in who you've been for who you must become." Wow! What a profound statement. Think about it. Look into the future and be brutally honest with yourself. What type of person must you be in the future in order to truly BE who you greatly desire to be?

What qualities and characteristics does that person possess that you do not currently possess? What do you particularly like about that person? Are they friendlier, healthier, more confident, a better leader? Thoroughly diagnose the ultimate you and the current you. When placed side by side, what changes must you make to become the ultimate you? Completing this exercise is very eye-opening.

One important thing that you will discover is the confident, resilient attitude that you really won’t be denied. You are that warrior that chews nails and breathes fire, and love’s every minute of it. Success requires a different mindset. A big part of that mindset is developing a never give up mentality. It is possible for you to complete each task you begin with that mentality. Giving up robs you of the joy that’s sure to come as you check off tasks that you’ve completed on route to your goal.

Remember the words of Jack Canfield: “You deserve to have your life exactly the way you want it.” I believe that quote with everything within me. The challenge is to believe the quote and realize that it may take a year, or two, or three for your life to be exactly as planned. The question is do you give up along the way? I have confidence in you that you will make it through to the end.
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Demond Jackson is the owner of Self Empowerment Network where visitors can get an accurate Personal Mission Statement. After the mission statement, please visit our Self Empowerment Goals section to develop your dream life.

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If You Had Only One Year to Live by Jill Koenig

I was reading a true story today about a 62 year old man from England who was told by his Doctors he had terminal pancreatic cancer and had only one year to live.

It got me thinking about a question I ask myself from time to time.

Whenever I am coaching someone through a time of struggle, I also ask them this same question.

Here is the question:

If I only had one year to live, I would _______________.

Think about what you would do.

Back to the gentleman from England who was told he had one year to live.

This is what he did.

He quit his job, sold his car, his clothes and spent his life savings on hotels, expensive restaurants and holidays. He said, "If you're on death row, enjoy it."

By the way, one year after his diagnosis, the Doctors revised the diagnosis. He did not have terminal pancreatis, he had pancreatitis, a nonfatal ailment. He's still alive.

(another reason to take responsibility for getting other opinions and research a variety of treatments - Doctors make mistakes too).

So what was the answer to your question?

If I had only one year to live, I would ______________

What would you do?

Would you give up?

Would you spend more time with your family? Immerse yourself in your friends? Write a book? Travel the world? Give your time and money to charity? Party like a rock star?

It's quite possible what you state for your answers to the question embody what you treasure most in life and what you should be doing right now, or at the very least working towards.

Would your answer change if you knew you had 6 months to live? Five years? Ten years?

It is important to think about this variety of time perspective when you think about your Goals.

None of us knows when our time will come.

But we can direct our destiny today. So don't wait until you have a doctor predicting your demise to pursue your passions or revel in your loved ones.

Don't wait until the end is near to go after your dreams, to live fully.

Make sure if you have a dream, that you are giving it your very best effort every day of your life.

You don't want to die with your dreams still inside you.

Savor each moment.

Treasure each day.

Tell your loved ones what they mean to you every day.

Love with all your might.

Seize the day...

Live Your Dreams
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Jill Koenig, the "Goal Guru" is America's Top Goal Strategist. A best selling Author, Coach and Motivational Speaker, she is an expert on the subjects of Goal Setting, Time Management andBusiness Success. Her Goal in life is to help you UNLEASH your untapped potential. Learn cutting edge Goal Strategies and get your FREE Goal Setting CD at GoalGuru.com.

P.S. Free Motivation Teleseminar!

Ten Steps Towards Improving Your Life by Dr. Rick Goodman

If I could give you the key to unlock the door to a more prosperous and healthy life would you be interested? Recently I was giving a seminar and I decided to ask the audience one of my favorite life questions. I looked at all the people in the room and asked:

What do you want to be when you grow up?

The response I received by the majority of the audience was the same one that I had received countless times previously.

I don’t know!

This answer has always perplexed me since it seemed that most people were waiting for life to happen to them as opposed to designing and creating their ideal life.

The common dilemma that most people face is they really have no idea about what they want. They also have no practical way for creating a plan and putting it into action to achieve their goals.

Since 1988 I have been using a simple method of goal setting that has worked for me and I know it will work for you. It is called the S.M.A.R.T. System of goal setting. The S.M.A.R.T. System is an acronym for:

* Specific
* Measurable
* Achievable / Attainable
* Realistic
* Time Specific

Each one of your goals must meet these criteria and have these basic components. In addition it is important that you break down your goals to cover five specific areas of your life:

Career / Financial
Developmental / Educational
Physical / Health
Family / Relational / Social
Spiritual / Value

Now that you have an understanding of the S.M.A.R.T. System and the areas that you should be covering lets brake down the system into ten easy steps that you can implement immediately and enjoy the benefits for the rest of your life.

Step I: Take a legal size pad of paper and write down everything that you want to Be, Do, and Have.

Step II: Make sure that your goals can meet the criteria of the S.M.A.R.T. System.

Step III: Create goals that will cover the five specific areas that we discussed.

Step IV: Put your written list of goals away for twenty-four hours before you review it.

Step V: Review your goals and put them to the test by asking yourself the following questions.

1. Is this goal something I really want?

2. Is this a fair goal that won’t affect anyone in a negative way?

3. Do my goals align with my ethical and moral standards?

Step VI: Eliminate any goals that do not meet these criteria. The remaining goals should be the ones you focus your attention on.

Step VII: Review your goals three times daily (When you wake up, During the day, and When you go to bed).

Step VIII: Each day plan action steps designed to move you closer to achieving your written goals.

Step IX: Consistently monitor and measure your progress in order to stay on track of your goals and make the appropriate adjustments.

Step X: Celebrate your achievements.

This goal setting method has worked for tens of thousands of individuals like you and I. Start today towards designing and realizing all your dreams.
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Dr. Rick Goodman is a professional speaker who works with organizations that want to develop great leaders. For more information on Rick’s speaking programs, Audio programs and learning programs contact (888) 267-6098 or Rick@drrickgoodman.com - www.DrRickGoodman.com.

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Goal Setting and Goal Achieving -- Do You Write Down Your Goals and Review Them Daily? by Connie Ragen Green

Fewer than 10% of all people set and review goals on a regular basis. Goal setting is like mapping out a blueprint for your future. If you do not know what you are working towards you may very well end up somewhere else.

Goal setting is best done when you are looking at your life for at least the next 12 months. You can look at where you want to be in a year and work backwards to make smaller, more workable goals. Next you set goals for a quarter and see what you want to have accomplished three months from now. Make sure your goals are written down on paper.

During this three month period you set goals for weekly efforts that must be made and review them each day to make sure you are on track. Modify any goals that need to be changed and make sure you are always thinking about what you need to do to achieve your goals for that week. When you take action of any kind ask yourself if that action will help move you closer to your goals.

Goal achieving is the second, often overlooked part of goal setting. Just setting goals is not enough to make sure that you follow through with what you planned to do and what you said you were going to do

If you find after a few weeks that you are not accomplishing the goals you are setting for yourself take a closer look at what may be happening. Are you trying to do too much during the week? Are you setting unrealistic goals for yourself that are impossible to complete? Break each task down into an easily definable set of actions that can be taken to finish that goal.

Take a good look at the areas in your life in which you are setting these goals. Make sure that you have goals in more than just one area, even though that one area will be your main focus during the week. Set goals for work, relationships, personal (such as health or weight loss), and spiritual. If you are focusing on only one area of your life on a regular basis you may find it more difficult to accomplish anything fully.

Goal setting and goal achieving is done regularly by the most highly accomplished and successful people throughout the world. By writing down exactly where you are now and where you want to be at a later point in time you are extremely more likely to achieve your goals.
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Connie Ragen Green is a motivational speaker and writer. To find out how you can make positive changes in your life visit ReinventYourLifeWithPassion.com.

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Gain Without Pain by Andrea Hess

At one point or another, we have all sacrificed our immediate quality of life for the sake of a future goal. We tell ourselves that, when we finally get the raise, the promotion, the college degree, the new home, it will all have been worth it.

When the kids are older, when the business turns profitable, then we will slow down and enjoy life, we promise ourselves. We will make time for friends and hobbies and spiritual growth. We will start exercising and eating better. We will go on vacation and travel the world. But first, there are goals to be accomplished. “No pain, no gain,” we tell ourselves.

Energetically, it’s not a good strategy. The Law of Attraction is always at work, consistently handing us more of what we are already creating. If we create stress, we will attract more stress.

If we do not put our own needs first, we will attract more situations in which our needs are not met. Eventually, we attain our goal, only to find that our quality of life stays the same. And along the way, we lose sight of what we were actually hoping to create in our life.

A goal is, after all, never about the goal itself. The goal is merely a representation of something you would like more of in your life. Would you like to start your own business? What does that business represent to you? The empowerment of being your own boss? The freedom to manage your time? Let’s say your perceived first step would be to finance your start-up costs. You go into debt. You stay at your day job, because of all the debt you’ve incurred. You’re working every minute of every day. You end up sacrificing both empowerment and freedom to reach your goal. And, not surprisingly, when your business starts turning a profit, you still feel as if something is missing.

Take another look at your goals. Each goal represents something you would like more of in your life. Can you distill this representation down to a word or short phrase? What is the essence of your goal? Now take a look at your present life circumstances. What next steps can you take that would capture this essence?

By creating the energy of what we desire in our life right now, we are harnessing the Law of Attraction to draw our goal towards us. And, because we are receiving the essence of our goal even as we move towards it, the journey itself brings us fulfillment. We become less attached to our goals, less dependent on their achievement. Our life becomes more about being here than getting there. Satisfaction and joy do not live in the future. They can only be created in the here and now.
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Andrea Hess is an Intuitive Consultant who works with spiritual seekers on discovering their soul's path and purpose for this lifetime. Visit her website at AndreaHess.com for a free sample reading.