Planning for success can be a great motivator. Just the thought of buying the new car, building your dream house, going on a well deserved vacation or sending the children to private school can instantly put a smile on your face. Then, reality sets in and you stare at your newly written goal asking, “Where do I begin?”

When working with coaching clients, one of my first pieces of advice is: “Break your goals into bite-sized manageable pieces.”

Success begins one positive bite-sized piece at a time. One thought, one hope, one goal and one action step at a time. It’s easy to become overwhelmed when looking at the whole “big picture.” It is much more empowering to break a goal into smaller more manageable tasks, projects and chores.

Your ability to consistently manage your mindset of success is vital to achieving success. Tapping into the ability to go forward step-by-step and day-by-day is a huge part of achieving your goals.

Here are a few tips for going positively forward:

1. Be very clear about what you want.
It sounds simple enough but often we set goals that are too general. A well-written goal gives you the ability to take your goal and break it down into smaller doable pieces. A goal that is too general can seem overwhelming and the steps needed to achieve it, can seem unclear.

2. Keep the important things, important.
It is easy to get caught up in day-to-day life. A vital key to achieving success is knowing what is important to achieving your goal and what’s not. Here’s a rule of thumb: An important task is one that will take you at least one positive step closer toward your goal.

3. Stay focused on what you are working toward.
The past is the past. Achieving success is about going forward in positive and productive ways. You can’t go forward if you’re stuck in the “what-ifs” of the past. Focus on the rewards of achieving success.

4. Regularly carve out quality time to work on your goal.
Time management is a huge element of achieving success. Life happens and it is easy to become distracted by things that have nothing to do with going forward. Carving out quality time to keep the most important things important means planning and setting aside time to work on success. Get out that calendar and schedule quiet quality uninterrupted goal achieving time.

5. Keep your goal alive in your mind.
Personally, I’m a visual and I want to see my goal in front of me. I have a vision board, pictures of my goals on shelves around my office, my screen saver on my computer is my goal – I surround myself with my powerful inner motivators. Remind yourself of your motivating “why” for achieving success. It’s been said before, the bigger your “why” the more powerful your inner motivators.

Success begins one bite-sized piece at a time – go for your goals one positive step at a time.

Copyright © 2010 Sharon Michaels – All Rights Reserved

For over twenty years Sharon Michaels has been writing, speaking and empowering women to achieve greater personal and professional success. Sharon mentors/coaches women entrepreneurs about learning to recognize the things they’re doing that may be keeping them from the things they want.

Sign up for Sharon’s free weekly Ezine Unlimited Success For Women and have professional success strategies and personal development how-to’s sent directly to your email inbox.

If you’re ready to recognize what may be holding you back and to seriously build on your strengths and talents, you’re ready to coach with Sharon Michaels. “I believe you have the answers to your success inside of you right now, it is my job to ask the right questions. I ask great questions!” Here are details about Sharon’s coaching programs: http://www.sharonismymentor.com

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• Your “WHY” is the reason you’ve set a goal and are willing to spend time, effort and even money to achieve it. 
• Your “WHY” is the motivation that keeps you going toward success, even if / when the going gets tough. 
• Your “WHY” is the powerful and emotionally charged desire and motivation that wants to make your goal a reality! 

Coaching clients ask if there is a way to predict whether their “WHY” is big and strong enough to ensure that they will achieve their goal. I’ve come up with a checklist you can use to see if your “WHY” is powerful enough to take you all the way to making a goal reality.

1. Can you vividly picture your goal in your mind’s eye?

If you can see, feel, hear, smell and taste your goal, you’ll have a better chance of achieving your goal. As soon as a goal has a prominent place in your conscious mind and you’ve given it real-world attributes, the chances become better for making it reality. 

Your mind will work very hard to make your most dominant thoughts reality – the more vivid and real the thoughts, the harder your mind works.   

2. What is it about your goal that motivates you to succeed and will keep you going if the going gets tough?

In order for your goal to become unstoppable, it must be powerfully motivating to your unconscious and conscious mind. Your “WHY” is the motivation that insulates your goal from negative situations, dream stealers and naysayers.

Can you fill up a page of why and how achieving your goal will improve your life for the better? How will this goal improve your life emotionally, spiritually, personally, professionally and financially? The more powerful the motivation, the less likely you’ll give up on achieving this goal. 

3. What about this goal is so important to you?

In question #2 you answered what motivates to you to achieve this goal, now write one sentence based on answer #2 to explain why this goal is important to you. 

You’re writing one powerful sentence. This sentence will become an affirmation for achieving this goal.  I am achieving __________________ because _____________________.

4. List all the ways you, your family, friends and /or community will benefit when you achieve this goal?

Let’s add more motivation to your “WHY.” How will others benefit once you’ve achieved your goal. You are now explaining to yourself how your goal will not only improve your life but the lives of others as well. 

Expanding the scope of your goal gives it even more emotional power and purpose. 

5. Are there any negatives you may encounter? How will you overcome them?

You’ve heard the old saying, forewarned is forearmed – that’s what you’re doing when you anticipate negativity before it strikes. Realistically there will be periods of negativity and the good news is, you don’t have to buy into it! 

6. How will achieving this goal change your life for the positive?

This is different from the question #3. In one simple sentence, how will making this goal a reality change your life for the better? You’ll want to carry the answer to this question in your wallet and look at it when your self-confidence or determination becomes a little unsteady.

7. Are you willing to spend days, months or even years working toward achieving this goal?

Are you willing to make an emotional, physical, spiritual and may be even a financial commitment to making this goal reality? A “yes” means your why is strong. A “no” means this may not be the right goal at the right time for you. 

What do you think, is your “WHY” big enough to become reality?

Copyright © 2010 Sharon Michaels – All Rights Reserved

For over twenty years Sharon Michaels has been writing, speaking and empowering women to achieve greater personal and professional success. Sharon mentors/coaches women entrepreneurs about learning to recognize the things they’re doing that may be keeping them from the things they want.

Sign up for Sharon’s free weekly Ezine Unlimited Success For Women and have professional success strategies and personal development how-to’s sent directly to your email inbox.

If you’re ready to recognize what may be holding you back and to seriously build on your strengths and talents, you’re ready to coach with Sharon Michaels. “I believe you have the answers to your success inside of you right now, it is my job to ask the right questions. I ask great questions!” Here are details about Sharon’s coaching programs: http://www.sharonismymentor.com

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