According to studies, 92% of people don’t reach their goals. But at the same time, there are many examples of people who managed to become successful and we hear about them often. The secret of their success is in their ability to set clear goals. It’s the correct and clear goals that are the first step to success. In fact, it’s not difficult to do it. There are special methods that any of us, who want to be successful, should know about.





The lack of strong willpower and the ability to accept it.





Adam Alter, a teacher from NYU, points out that thinking all successful people have strong willpower is wrong. We are all similar and successful people know that they are not perfect. Instead of fighting their curiosity and looking through all the notifications on their phone, they simply turn off the sound in order to not get distracted.





SMART goals

The method of setting goals called SMART helps make your goals more clear, helps you find the right words for them, and helps you make them specific, understandable, and achievable. This technique has 5 criteria: ● Specific

Your goal should be specific, otherwise, how do you understand which actions you should take to reach it? Instead of ’start doing sports’ specify it by saying ’ start jogging in the mornings’ or ’join a gym.’



● Measurable

To be able to measure your success, quantify your goal as ’lose 5 lbs’ instead of simply ’lose weight.’



● Achievable

There is nothing wrong with dreaming big, but we set goals to achieve them, don’t we? That’s why instead of ’earn 5 times more’ change your goal to something more realistic like ’get a promotion at work and double my income.’



● Relevant

Your goal should match your plans and expectations. Let’s say that you want to meet a woman or a man who has the same interests as you do. How can you achieve this? There are actually many options. You can start by taking culinary courses, attending dance classes or going to the gym. If you set your priorities incorrectly, there is a high chance that you won’t reach your goal.



● Time-bound

Your goals should have clear time limits. If you don’t set the goal to learn English through the B1 level, there is a high chance you’ll end up learning it randomly without reaching the desired result.







The system of Brian Tracy

This Canadian-American motivational coach teaches people to reach their goals with 12 steps. Following are his secrets to success: 1. Get a burning desire to reach the goal. It will become your motivation on the way to your success.



2. Convince yourself that the goal is achievable. If you don’t do this, you might simply give up when things seem hard.



3. Write your goal down. Otherwise, it will just remain a dream.



4. Write down the pros. You should make a list of benefits that you’ll receive after achieving your goal and re-read it regularly.



5. Find the countdown point. You should have a clear picture of where you are starting and where the finish line is.



6. Set a deadline. Define the exact time you would like to reach your goal.



7. Make a list of possible obstacles. You should keep in mind all difficulties you might encounter on the way to success.



8. Find out whether you need additional information. If yes, then find out where you can go to get it.



9. Find people who can help you. It’s perfect when there are people you can rely on, isn’t it?



10. Make a to-do list. It should be as detailed as possible.



11. Visualize the result. It’s another tool that helps sustain high levels of motivation.



12. Make a decision not to give up until you reach your goal.

The last point is the most important in any situation.

Goal setting

This method is used by psychologists to help their patients make difficult decisions. It’s also perfect for setting your own goals. The algorithm is simple — just answer 5 questions: 1. What do I want to get?



2. How am I going to get it?



3. When am I going to get it?



4. What can help me get it?



5. What will happen when I reach the goal?





Let’s look at a specific example.







Example: