Everything Counts: 52 Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence and Drive Results

Chapter 12. Goal Setting Counts

"If you want to get better outcomes, you must prioritize every action and activity you undertake."

There is no purer form of success, no more exact and demanding test of what you are capable of, than to achieve a desirable outcome. A quality life is an example of what can be accomplished when thoughtful attention, goal setting, and purposeful action come together without compromise.

Goal setting is both exciting and important because of the results it achieves. But the ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them, for you'll soon find that what you become is so much more important than the goal itself.

Although the definition of success varies for each individual, the fundamentals for achieving a goal are always the same. It is a process that begins with decisiveness, proceeds to focus, advances to action, then carries on with persistence and follow-through before ending in victory. There is no other way.

Goal setting takes your life and gives it direction as it helps you to determine:

• What you specifically want to achieve

• Why this achievement is so important

• Who will help you to achieve this goal

• Where you stand in relation to this goal

• How you plan on accomplishing this goal

• When, on what date will you achieve your goal

These are questions that only one person can answer: you!

If time is money, then goal setting is invaluable. Goals keep you focused, on time, and on schedule. You are responsible for your own ...