Setting Goals For 2008

Are you wondering what New Year's Resolutions people are setting this year?

In a release this week over the Businesswire, FranklinCovey (NYSE:FC), a global leader in effectiveness training, productivity tools, and assessment services, today released the results of its third annual New Year's Resolutions Survey, which polled 15,031 customers. The survey found that respondents' top three New Year's resolutions or goals for 2008 are to (1) get out of debt or save money, (2) lose weight, and (3) develop a healthy habit like exercise or healthy eating.

The Top 10 New Year's resolutions or goals were ranked as follows:

TOP 10 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2008
1. Get out of debt or save money
2. Lose weight
3. Develop a healthy habit (e.g., exercise or healthy eating)
4. Get organized
5. Develop a new skill or talent
6. Spend more time with family and friends
7. Other
8. Work less, play more
9. Break an unhealthy habit (e.g., smoking, alcohol, overeating)
10. Change employment

The survey also found that 35 percent of respondents break their New Year's resolutions by the end of January and only 23 percent of those surveyed don't ever break them. Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed attribute breaking their resolutions to having too many other things to do, while 33 percent say they are not committed to the resolutions they set.

Interesting survey, don't you think? If only 2/3 of people are truly interested in their resolutions, and of those only 23 % follow-through, then people are obviously closely following the Pareto principle, where 20% of people do and 80% of people either watch them or just try to do, without action succeeding. Notice that commitment is a mental promise to our own self. Making or breaking, on the other hand, is an ACTION word. So, to me, the first key to success with your resolution or goal is to have the proper mindset. Then, take the right action to achieve the goal. If you have the right mindset, finding the choices and making the right actions are far easier.

When it comes to recommendations, I expect myself to achieve over 80% of my goals. However, if you set too many goals, you'll struggle to achieve them all. So, set a simple goal, get the right mindset, and then keep the goal in mind until you achieve your vision.

I suggest you keep one primary goal in mind. In order to succeed, you must set the right mental thinking around your goal. You must first associate pain with NOT achieving your goal.

The first goal from the survey is to get out of debt and save money. With the skyrocketing credit problem in America and other countries, clearly debt is a huge problem for many, many people. So, say your primary goal is to get out of debt.

First, make a list of all the negatives, in terms of events, charges, cost, stress-level, fun-factor, and influence on all areas of your life that this debt is having on you. I know - debt can be a bummer! Now, before you get too frustrated and give up, make a NEW LIST.

The second list will include of all the BENEFITS - both in fact and emotion - that you will receive from saving money and getting yourself in the black. These may include ability to go out, buy what you want, do what you want, launch that company you've dreamed of, and also impact your weight, friendships, dating/relationship, and more. After all, dating with no dough isn't easy! It's also hard to have as much fun without money. So, getting out of debt might FREE you to do so much MORE with your life!

You want to make sure you use EMOTIONAL words when you associate the benefit. Here's an example of how I would set a goal to get out of debt and get financially free to save and get my money working for me:

Eliminate Debt: I will eliminate struggle with finances, earn more than I make, and pay off all of my debt. I will resolve, negotiate, and clear my name of all debts and get my credit clean. The feeling I get from my debt is burden, negative, and restraining me from doing all I need to with my friends, love, family, and business. It also impacts my ability to grow and do what I want. This makes me feel more stressed-out and causes mental worry that distracts me from my purpose.

SHIFT TO NEW THOUGHT:

My finances are healthy and in order. I pay my bills ahead of time. I earn more money than I spend each month. I am able to save through my 401K, IRA, savings accounts, and put money away for my future needs. I am able to do what I want, when I want, because I have the financial wealth that supports me. I attract riches and earnings in abundant ways that are both pleasantly surprising and timely. People are drawn to give money to me and contribute towards my goals and objectives. I feel so alive with my financial health! My financial future excites me, and I can see and feel the difference in how I can contribute to make a difference in the world with my financial resources that I accumulate. I experience joy through abundance. Waves of money come to me and give me freedom and flexibility to save, spend, or use my money wisely. I love the way I feel when I save money and have all the money in the bank I need to support my dreams, life, and goals.

Do not put your focus on the first list. Many people make this mistake and therefore miss out on their potential to manifest the law of attraction.

After you write both of these, I strongly suggest you BURN the first list, and keep ONLY the SECOND LIST. This is how you shift your thinking, eliminate the old, and move to focus only upon what you want.

Now, to achieve and put the focus of this second thought statement's benefits into reality, read this list EVERY DAY for 40 days. Tape it to your mirror where you get ready in the morning. Read it after you shave or put on facial lotion. Read it out loud, while looking yourself in the eye (goals tend to manifest better when we connect with our own soul physically).

After 40 days, see how much progress you're making. Evaluate, refocus, and continue to grow in realizing your goal!

Here are some related books from Amazon to help you set your goals:

The 10 Keys to Personal Power 64mins VHS Brian Tracy
Amazon Price: $28.00 List Price: $70.00

View from the Top
Amazon Price: $4.70 List Price: $14.99

Deepak Chopra: The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire
Amazon Price: $39.99 List Price: $43.98
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Contact Franklin-Covey for more information about their survey at: 801-244-4474 debra.lund@franklincovey.com. Survey Source: Business wire. Copyright 2008, no infringement intended. The remainder of this article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. To get more articles like this, Subscribe to the A-Blog.