ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS ISN’T SOMETHING THAT JUST HAPPENS

In a study done at Harvard University more than 40 years ago, researchers polled the graduating class of 1953 to find out how many students actually had clearly-written,  specific goals and a plan for achieving them. Since this was a class of highly intelligent people at one of the world’s most prestigious universities, you’d expect the answer to be  ….. most of them … right?

Not even close. In fact, only 3 percent of the class had taken the time to write down their goals.

Now here comes the really interesting part. Some 20 years later, researchers polled this same group of graduates to see how they had fared in life. It turned out that the 3 percent who had written down their goals had accumulated more wealth than the other 97 percent of their class combined!  Wow – what an incredible finding. But there was more to the study – researchers also reported that the people who had faired best, also seemed healthier and happier than their classmates.

When I first heard about this study, and I wondered if achieving your goals could really be that easy. “Put in writing what you want and focus on it daily”? Well, it may not be easy, but over the years I definitely have seen it work.

The message is simple – sit down today and make a list of your goals.  List Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, Long Term and in the Far Future. Then check in and remind yourself of those goals every single day. Visualize your agenda and where you want to be and actively work toward it.

It’s the key to achieving what you want in life. But apart from achieving your goals you’re also likely to be happier and a better-balanced person. Makes a lot of sense really, if you have your eye on the road and know exactly where the rod is taking you.

Author J Chambers & J Roberts