Throughout my life I have trained under, and worked with, many great minds. Some are extremely disciplined with amazing work ethics while others, it seems, fly by the seat of their pants into adventure and success. However, one common thing I have noticed about all of them is that they always seem to know where they are going. Because they all take the time to sit down and write out their goals.

My instructor Terry L. Bryan was a multimillionaire, martial arts master, Vietnam Special Forces veteran, and the head coach for the U.S. Martial Arts Team. I trained with him for over 12 years in many different areas including; Karate, Business, and coaching. He set an example that, not only has made me successful in many endeavors, but continues to train me every day and has allowed me to train many students the same way.

It is through my success and my student’s success that I know these nine principles work when planning your goals.

1) Is it something you really want?

I have found that when most people are setting their goals, they don’t actually want the goal they have set. We often times say we want to lose weight, but what we really want is respect or to feel beautiful. If you are not true with your goals you will never attain what you really want in life. (It’s not wrong to want to lose weight, just know what you really want first.)

2) Is it believable or realistic?

Another major pitfall in goal setting is creating unrealistic goals that almost no one could actually live up to. For example, if you create a goal to climb Mount Everest this year, but have never climbed any other mountains – prepare for disappointment. I know this is extreme, but ask yourself if you could actually, not theoretically, accomplish your goal.

3) Is it written down in a clear and specific language?

80% of people will talk about goals, think about goals, even teach about goals and never write them down to remember what they are working toward. This is like going on a trip without a map of your destination. If your goal is to wander, then don’t write it down. But, if it’s to accomplish something, be sure to write it down in a language that is specific and concise to your values and abilities.

4) Will you personally benefit from achieving this goal?

How do your goals benefit you? Human beings are inherently pretty selfish, although we like to hide this behind disguises. Come to terms with this. You will lose steam pretty fast if your goals don’t give you something in return. Ask yourself if the effort you put into your goal is truly worth it.

5) Have you set a deadline for your goals?

Besides writing down your goal, most people won’t give themselves a deadline. My Sensei used to say that people overestimate what they can do in one year, but highly underestimate what they can do in five. Create a realistic timeline for your goal and then double it.

6) Have you set interim deadlines?

Once you have set out and made your big picture map with timelines, be sure to go back through and start breaking them into smaller pieces, with more specific goals and timelines. The bigger the goal, the more you have to do this. (Most New Year’s goals are pretty big goals and that’s why most people will fail)

7) Have you identified obstacles between you and your goal?

Writing a list of obstacles that you might have to overcome will help you in creating your timeline of events and will also help you see what kind of effort it is going to take. Sun Tzu says in the art of war to “know your enemy” and in this case, that’s your individual goals.

8) Have you looked for or identified additional information to help in achieving your goals?

We live in an information age and yet people tend to feel like they are alone. When I start off on a new goal the first thing I do is find out what the top 10 books in that field are. In fact my Sensei told me that if you read 15 – 30 min a day you will, in a period of a few years, be in the top 3% of your industry. This also includes getting the proper coaches to help cut down the learning curves. (This helps a TON!)

9) Have you listed people whose help and cooperation you will need?

This goes back to finding a specific coach willing and able to help you accomplish your goals. I prefer to find someone like-minded, but ahead of me in their success regarding that particular topic. But this also goes into partnering with the right people and keeping the correct influences in your life. Remember the “Rule of the Sum of 5”; we are the sum of the 5 people we spend the most time around.

I have found that the number one thing that dictates success in your goal is not discipline, but rather the influences around you that shape your life. This can be, as mentioned above, the people in your life or a multitude of other areas such as; the books you read, the movies and music you consume, the culture in your area, or the thoughts running in your head.

It’s much easier to say no the cookies if they aren’t even in your house. Proper planning prevents poor performance. Think ahead and have success!

For more information on setting Goals for success contact Sensei Eric Davis at (719)358-6627 or email us at 3tigers@3tcolorado.com