The Will to Win in Every Part of Life

There are many benefits of goal setting. It has been found that the ability to effectively set goals throughout life is one of the most important skills that any of us can have. Based on recent studies conducting by professionals in mental health and behavioral science, it has been estimated that over 90% of the total population in the United States alone fails to effectively set goals and act upon them. This is actually a sad statistic considering that goals affect every part of who we are as individuals. The areas of our lives that are most affected by goals include our professional work, our finances, our relationships, our health, our time management, and more! Here, I will expound on some of the many benefits of goal setting.

We have all, at one time or another sat back and paid careful consideration to our lives. We all have aspirations, and intentions. We know that we can improve ourselves and the quality of our lives in one way or another. While many of us know that something has to be done, most of us do not know where to start. The very first step in optimizing who you are as a person and improving your life is to make a commitment to step goals. Naturally, the second step is to stay committed to the goals that you elect to set for yourself and your life in general.

The New Year is now upon us. The parties and celebrations are now over, and we are left to the list of resolutions that we have made. When we make resolutions for each year that we see, we are doing nothing more than setting goals for ourselves. While this is a step in the right direction, most individuals are not successful in experiencing the success that they would like to achieve because they are unable to follow through on the plans that they have set. Despite our knowing that there are many benefits to goal setting, most of us still have a tremendous issue in making sure that we do what is necessary to be successful in our goals.

The individual that is successful in setting goals experiences many different benefits. The following indicates the many advantages that may be experienced if you become successful in creating goals, and sticking to them:

1. It has been found that individuals who learn the secrets of goal setting and committing to those goals throughout completion will typically achieve more of the things that they want to, and perhaps some unexpected things in their lives making life more "full" in general.

2. People who successfully implement goals and work strategically to ensure that they meet their goals often experience more success in their performances throughout life.

3. Goals can be beneficial in creating a great deal of motivation in a person.

4. Those who set goals and are successful in meeting those goals are often the ones that are more satisfied with their work, and have higher levels of self-confidence.

5. Effective goal setting is beneficial in many because it creates a general "can do" attitude and results in higher levels of happiness throughout life.

If you know that you can do more with your life, but struggle with the means of acquisition, consider your goal setting skills. By learning to effectively set goals, you are taking the first step to a happy, more productive life that is fulfilling. Once you learn how to set goals, moving into the ability to commit to those goals and seeing them through to completion will enable you to experience the many benefits of goal setting, and the general success that you want!

Many people don't set goals because they don't see the point. They don't understand how goals work and may even see goal setting as a waste of time and energy. Goals can be a very useful tool that can actually save you a lot of time and energy. Just like any other tool, you need to understand how goal setting works in order to use it to your advantage. By learning how to set realistic goals for yourself you can achieve many things that you otherwise might not have.

It might be helpful to think of your current situation and your desires as being on the same map. Goals allow you to make a straight line from where you are to where you want to be. Nobody is perfect and your line won't be perfectly straight. Every mistake you make creates a small detour on your straight line. If you don't have goals, your line will not be straight at all. You might curve to one direction and then to another, and likely you will never even reach your final destination.

Although learning how to set goals and following through with them can be hard work, setting and achieving goals can be an enjoyable, rewarding experience. Many people set goals to push themselves out of their comfort zones and to create new challenges which motivate them to succeed. If you are a swimmer, for instance, and everyday you swim 5x100 freestyle and then stop, you will probably get bored very quickly. Not only will you become bored mentally, but your body also gets bored of doing the same routine and stops responding. It's important to try new things and goals help you do that. To change your routine you could set goals to improve your time and speed. Or you could try going a longer distance or adding a new stroke. Any of these things could be done in the form of a goal.

It's important to understand that goals can be applied to almost every aspect of your life. By setting goals you not only maintain control over your life but you show other people that you are in control. You can set athletic goals or health and nutrition goals. When people write a business plan they are setting out a series of goals for their business. By showing this business plan to potential investors they are showing that they are in control of how their business will be operated and the steps they have set out so the business is successful.

Successful people are usually not successful by just being lucky. It's true; luck usually does play a role in success. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Michael Phelps did not become the athletes they are today on luck alone. They are all superior athletes because of hard work, dedication and, most likely, because they have mastered the art of setting goals for themselves. Being successful is about having a plan and sticking with it. Goals are the building blocks to whatever plan you create for yourself. If you are constantly assessing and revising your goals then you can feel confident knowing you are working to create the future you have always envisioned for yourself.

Everyone wants to be successful. But to be successful, there is an important thing you must have and that is motivation. Here are four reasons why motivation is important for success:

1. Motivation helps you get started.

Have you noticed the difference between working on something you like and working on something you don't like? I'm sure you can feel the difference. When you're motivated about something, you can work on it effortlessly. Nobody needs to force you to work. Nobody needs to tell you to move. In fact, you are waiting for the opportunity to work. Since getting started is perhaps the most difficult part of getting things done, being motivated is tremendously helpful for you.

2. Motivation helps you keep moving.

Getting started is one thing but keep moving is another thing. Whatever you do, there are always obstacles along the way that can hinder you from achieving success. If you don't have motivation, it's easy to get discouraged when you meet such obstacles. That's why motivation often makes the difference between winners and losers. Winners are those who can go through challenges and difficulties thanks to their motivation. Losers, on the other hand, are those who can't go through challenges and difficulties since they lack the necessary motivation.

3. Motivation makes you do more than necessary.

If you are motivated about something you will voluntarily do more about it than what is required from you. You will naturally go further and dig deeper than other people since you love to do it. While other people will only do what is necessary, you do more than that. In such situation, there is a good chance that you will be more successful than others.

4. Motivation makes the journey fun.

People who don't have motivation will think that the journey to success is long and difficult. Those who are motivated look at it differently. The journey is still long, but it's an enjoyable journey. Not only can they endure it, they actually have fun along the way. Of course, there are always times when things aren't good, but motivation enables you to endure such difficult times.

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As you can see, motivation helps you in many different ways. It helps you get started, it helps you keep moving, it helps you do more than others, and it makes the journey fun. No wonder motivation plays an important role in your journey to success.

Learning to stay motivated and on track can make the difference between your success and failure when you are pursuing a goal or dream. When you are highly motivated you find yourself doing whatever it takes to get the job done, despite any discomfort you may encounter. When your motivation is not so high you are apt to make excuses to yourself and others explaining why you can't succeed.

Your job is to discover ways to keep yourself motivated. You may find yourself motivated to take action toward your dreams by a dynamic public speaker or a well-written book, but that motivation is frequently short-lived. Without repeated exposure to the book or the speaker, your reasons for being motivated begin to fade into the background noise of your everyday life. You simply return to your comfort zone.

This is what many people do. They get a big burst of motivation and take some action, but they don't renew that motivation and it starts to slide and diminish. As the motivating factors become less and less important to you, you are less and less willing to put up with any discomfort or challenges. It becomes easier for you to give up.

When your motivation levels go up and down like this you will find it difficult to make consistent progress toward your dreams.

The only true, dependable form of motivation is motivation that comes from within - self motivation. You have to motivate yourself. You have to decide that your goal or dream is more important than whatever challenge or discomfort you are facing. You learn to act in spite of the challenges.

Here are a few tips to help you maintain that level of motivation.

• Have a powerful why - Motivating yourself to take action is easy when you have a strong enough reason for reaching a goal. A burning desire to achieve something will cause you to take much different action than a wish or a hope will.
• Keep you dream in sight - If you focus too intently on the steps between you and your dream you will find yourself getting sidetracked by perceived problems and challenges. Try to keep your eyes on the result that you want to create. This will make it easier for you to stay focused on the important things.
• Focus on your dream throughout your day - tape reminders or pictures of your goal on your bathroom mirror or on your refrigerator. Carry a card with your goals written on it with you at all times. Get creative!

Keeping yourself motivated becomes easier the more you practice it and the more strongly you are attached to succeeding. You can learn to create change in any area of your life once you understand and apply these success strategies.