The Twelve Step Goal System

The 12-step system you are about to learn is perhaps the most effective goal-achieving process ever developed.
It has been used by hundreds of thousands of men and women all over the world to revolutionize their lives.
It is simple, but it is so astonishingly effective that it continues to amaze even the most skeptical people.

Step 1: Develop desire -- intense, burning desire.

This is the motivational force that enables you to overcome the fear and inertia that holds most people back.
The single greatest obstacle to setting and achieving goals is fear of all kinds. Fear is the reason you sell yourself short and settle for far less than you are capable of.

The Law of Concentration states that whatever you dwell upon, grows.
If you dwell upon your desires, if you think about them and write them out and make plans to accomplish them continually, your desires eventually become so strong that they override and push aside your fears.
An intense, burning desire for a specific goal enables you to rise above your fears and move forward over any obstacles.

Desire is personal.
You can only want something for yourself, not because you feel someone else wants it for you.
In setting your goals, and especially your major definite purpose, you must be perfectly selfish.
It must be your own goal.
You must be absolutely clear about what it is that you want to be, have, or do.
Deciding what you really want is the starting point of great achievement.

Step 2: Develop belief.

In order to activate your subconscious mind, you must absolutely believe that it is possible for you to achieve your goal.
You must nurture your faith and belief until they deepen into an absolute conviction that your goal is attainable.

Because belief is the catalyst that activates your mental powers, it is important that your goals be realistic -- especially at first.
If your goal is too far beyond anything you've accomplished in the past, setting it too high actually makes it a demotivator.
Because it is so distant, you seem to be making little or no progress toward it. You become discouraged more easily and you soon stop believing that it is possible for you.

Completely unrealistic goals are a form of self-delusion, and you cannot delude yourself into goal attainment. It requires hard, practical, systematic effort -- working in harmony with the principles we have been discussing.
Develop the habit of setting and achieving goals, not necessarily the ability to set big goals. If you develop the habit of setting and achieving small goals, you will eventually move on to medium-sized goals, and then to goals of any size.

Before you can achieve big goals, major efforts are necessary. Sometimes you will require weeks, months, and even years of hard work and preparation before you will be ready to achieve really big things.
You must pay your dues in advance.
Unless you are extraordinarily brilliant or talented, you must be honest with yourself and accept that -- if the goal is worth achieving -- it is worth working for patiently and persistently.

Many people set goals that are far beyond their capacity to achieve, work on them for a little while, and then quit.
They become discouraged and conclude that goal setting doesn't work, at least for them.
The primary reason this happens is that they have tried to do too much, too fast.

Your responsibility is to create and maintain a positive mental attitude by confidently expecting and believing that if you continue to take action towards achieving your goal, you will eventually achieve it.

Step 3: Write it down.

Goals that are not in writing are not goals at all. They are merely wishes or fantasies.
When you write a goal down, you crystallize it. You make it something concrete and tangible. You make it something that you can pick up and look at and hold and touch and feel.
You have taken it out of your imagination and put it into a form that you can do something with.

One of the most powerful of all methods for implanting a goal into your subconscious mind is to write it out clearly, vividly, in detail, exactly as you would like to see it in reality.
Make the description of your goal perfect and ideal in every respect.

Decide what's right for you before you decide what's possible. Don't worry, for the moment, about how the goal is going to be achieved.
Your main job in the beginning is to be absolutely certain about exactly what it is that you desire, and not to worry about the process of achieving it.

...This is just one of a hundred stories that I could tell you that flow from the act of writing down your goals clearly and then thinking about them all the time.
The most important reason for writing them down, aside from clarifying them in your mind, is that the very act of writing them down intensifies your desire and deepens your belief that they are achievable.

Too many people do not write their goals down on paper because, deep in their hearts, they don't think that their goals are achievable. They don't think writing them down will do any good.
They attempt to protect themselves from disappointment. And in doing so, they only assure themselves disappointment and underachievement.

But when you discipline yourself to write your goals down, that very act overrides your failure mechanism and turns your success mechanism on to full power.

Step 4: Make a list of all the ways that you will benefit from achieving your goal.

Your reasons will propel you.
Your reasons why are the forces that intensify your desire and drive you forward.
You can only motivate yourself to accomplish great things if you have a big exciting dream of some kind.
Your reasons why must be uplifting and inspiring.
They must be big enough to drive you onward.
It is when you have big enough reasons for achieving your major goal that you develop the intensity of purpose that makes you unstoppable.

One of your jobs is to keep your desire burning brightly by continually thinking of all the benefits, satisfactions, and rewards you will enjoy as a result of achieving your goal.
Make a list of all the benefits -- tangible and intangible -- that you can possibly enjoy as a result of achieving your goal. You will find that, the longer the list, the more motivated and determined you will become.

If your reasons are big enough, your belief solid enough, and your desire intense enough, nothing can stop you.

Step 5: Analyze your position, your starting point.

If you decide to lose weight, the very first thing you do is weigh yourself.
If you want to achieve a certain net worth, the first thing you do is sit down and create a personal financial statement to find out how much you are worth today.
Determining your starting point also gives you a baseline from which you can measure your progress.

I cannot emphasize too strongly that the clearer you are about where you are coming from and where you are going, the more likely it is that you will end up where you want to be.

Step 6: Set a deadline.

Set deadlines on all tangible, measurable goals -- such as increases in income or net worth, or losing a certain number of pounds, or running a certain number of miles.
When you set a deadline for a tangible goal, you program it into your mind and activate your subconscious "forcing system", which ensures that you accomplish your goal by that date, at the latest.

Often people resist setting deadlines for fear that they will not achieve their goals by the time they've set for themselves.
They do everything possible to avoid the feelings of discouragement that might occur, including leaving deadlines vague.

What do you do if you set a goal and a deadline and you don't achieve it by your deadline? Simple. You set another deadline.
It just means you're not ready yet. Or you guessed wrong. Or you were too optimistic.
And if you don't achieve your goal by your new deadline, you set still another deadline -- until you finally do achieve it.
But in 80% of cases, if your goals are sufficiently realistic and your plans are sufficiently detailed, and you work your plans faithfully, you will achieve your goal by your deadline.

If your goal has a two-, three-, or five-year deadline, your next step is to break your goal down into 90-day sub-goals.
Then break the 90-day goals down into 30-day goals.
With your long-term goal as your Mount Olympus, you can more readily set realistic short- and medium-term goals that enable you to make steady progress day by day.

In your thinking, start from a visualization of your goal as already accomplished and work back to the present.
Project yourself forward in your mind to your completed goal, and then look back to where you are today.
Imagine the steps that you would have taken to get from where you are now to where you want to be in the future.

This process of planning backward from the actual achievement of your goal gives you a special perspective on what you will have to do to achieve it.
"Project forward, look backward" is a powerful technique that enables you to see possibilities and pitfalls that you might otherwise miss.
It sharpens your perceptions and gives you insights you can get in no other way.

Step 7: Make a list of all the obstacles that stand between you and the accomplishment of your goal.

Wherever great success is possible, great obstacles exist.
If there are no obstacles between you and your goal, it is probably not a goal at all, merely an activity.
When you have listed every obstacle you can think of, organize the list in order of importance.
What is your single biggest obstacle that stands between you and your goal?
This is your "rock".

On your pathway to the accomplishment of anything worthwhile, you will experience a series of obstacles, detours, and roadblocks.
But almost invariably, there is one big rock or major obstacle that lies across your path and blocks your progress.
It is this rock that you must focus on removing before you get sidetracked dealing with smaller obstacles and problems.

Your main obstacle, or "rock", may be internal or external. It may be within yourself or within the situation.
If it is internal, it may be that you lack a particular skill, ability, or attribute that you must have to achieve your goal.
You must be completely honest with yourself and ask, "Is there anything about myself that I will have to change, or any ability that I will have to develop in order to achieve my goal?"

Your major obstacle may be external.
You may be in the wrong job, or with the wrong company, or in the wrong relationship.
You may find that you need to start over, doing something else, somewhere else, if your goal is to be achieved.
What is your personal "rock"?

The second question you must ask yourself in identifying what might be holding you back is, "What is my limiting step?"
What part of the process of moving from where you are now to the achievement of your goal determines the speed at which you reach it?

In almost every case, there is a limiting step.
This bottleneck determines how rapidly you move toward your goal.
Your job is to identify your limiting step and then do everything possible to relieve it.
Sometimes the alleviation of one chokepoint, if it's the right one, can do more to move you forward than any other single thing you could do.

Step 8: Identify the additional information you will need to achieve your goal.

One of your responsibilities is to learn what you need to know, so you can accomplish what you want to accomplish.
Make a list of all the information, talents, skills, abilities, and experience that you will need, and then make a plan to learn, buy, rent, or borrow this information as quickly as you can.

Determine the most important information that you lack.
What is the most important information or ability that you will require to achieve your goal?
If you do not have the knowledge or information yourself, where can you get it?
Is it a core skill or ability that you need to develop yourself through study and practice?
Can you hire someone else with this knowledge? Who else has achieved success in this field, and could you go to them for advice?

Step 9: Make a list of all the people whose help and cooperation you will require.

To accomplish anything worthwhile, you will need the help and cooperation of many people.
Take this list and organize it in order of priority.
Whose help or cooperation is the most important?
Whose help is the second most important?

The Law of Compensation states that other people will help you achieve your goals only if they feel that they will be compensated for their efforts in some way. No one works for nothing.
Everyone has his or her own personal motivation.
This should be your starting point in gaining the cooperation of others.
Ask yourself, "What am I going to do for them to get them to help me?"

You must continually tune in to each person's favorite radio station, WIIFM -- What's In It For Me?
The Law of Reciprocity states that people are internally driven to be even -- to reciprocate for everything done either to them or for them.
They will be willing to help you achieve your goals only when you have demonstrated a willingness to help them achieve their goals.

The most successful people in our society are those who have helped the greatest number of other people to get the things they want.
They build up a reservoir of good will and create a propensity in others to help them, to reciprocate for having been helped in the past.

The Law of Overcompensation is triggered by the habit of always doing more than you are paid for.
Successful people and successful businesses are those that always exceed expectations -- who always do more than is expected of them.
And the only part of the equation of compensation and reciprocity that you can control is the amount you put in.
The amount you get out is determined by yourself.

Because this is part of the Law of Sowing and Reaping, if you take every opportunity that you can to help others, others will eventually give you all the help you need.
Your returns in life come back to you as a result of your contributions to others. If you contribute hard work, helpfulness, and honesty, you will get back riches, rewards, and the respect of other people.

If you want to increase the quantity and quality of your returns and rewards, you need to increase the quantity and quality of your service.
By always doing more than you're paid for, you'll eventually be paid more than you're getting now.
By putting more in, you'll get more out.
By "overcontributing", you'll end up being "overcompensated".

The principle of organized effort -- working together in harmony with other people toward mutually agreed upon goals -- is the basis for all great accomplishment.
Your willingness and ability to cooperate effectively with others -- to help them achieve their goals so that they will help you achieve yours -- is indispensable to your future success.

Step 10: Make a plan.

Write out -- in detail -- what you want, when you want it, why you want it, and where you are starting from.
Make a list of the obstacles you must overcome, the information you will require, and the people whose help you will need.
With the answers to Steps 1-9, you have all the ingredients of a complete master plan for the achievement of any goal.

A plan is a list of activities organized by time and priority.
A list organized by sequence starts with the first thing you have to do, and goes in order through to the last task that must be completed before your goal is achieved.
Many activities can be worked on simultaneously.
Other tasks have to be done in sequence, one after the other.
Certain activities have to be done continuously from the beginning of the process through until the end.

A plan organized by priority lists activities in order of importance.
What is the most important thing you have to do?
What is the second most important thing?
Keep asking this question until you have listed every activity based on its value to the completed goal.

...It was not easy. There was a tremendous amount of effort and ability involved in sales, service, parts, promotion, people, financing, and administration.
But the starting point was a detailed list of what needed to be done from beginning through to completion.

A good plan give you a track to run on and dramatically increases the likelihood of you achieving your goal.
It is the essence of all personal planning and individual effectiveness.
And all it takes to start is a pad of paper, a pen, and you.

Improve the plan as you go.
Once you have a detailed plan of action, get started.
Accept that your plan will have flaws in it.
It will not be perfect the first time out.
Don't worry about it.
Avoid the temptation of "perfectionitis".
If every possible obstacle must first be overcome, nothing will ever get done.

One of the characteristics of superior men and women is that they can make course corrections.
Keep working on your plan until you have all the bugs out.
Every time you hit a roadblock or an obstacle, go back and review your plan and make the necessary changes.
Eventually you will have a plan that will work for you like a well-oiled machine.

Inc. magazine recently reported on interviews with the presidents of more than 50 companies. They found that there was a direct relationship between the amount of detail that had gone into preparing their business plans and the level of success the business had achieved.
But in every case, the business that developed was different from the original plan. It was the process of planning, of thinking through every single detail in advance, that led to ultimate success.
It was having a well-designed plan to which modifications could be made as they got feedback, that ensured success.

The development of a detailed, constantly revised, and finely honed personal plan is essential to the achievement of your major goals.
The more detailed and the better organized  your plans, the more likely you are to achieve your goals -- on schedule, and exactly as you have defined them.

Step 11: Use visualization.

Create a clear mental picture of your goal as it would appear if it were already achieved.
Replay this picture over and over again on the screen of your mind.
Each time you visualize your goal as accomplished, you increase your desire and intensify your belief that the goal is achievable for you.

Your subconscious mind is activated by pictures.
All your goal setting and planning up to this point has given you the details of an absolutely clear picture that you can feed repeatedly into your subconscious mind. These clear mental pictures concentrate your mental powers and activate the Law of Attraction.
You immediately begin attracting to you -- like iron filings to a magnet -- the people, ideas, and opportunities you need to attain your objectives.

Step 12: Make the decision in advance that you will never, ever give up.

Back your goals with plans and persistence and determination.
Never consider the possibility of failure.
Never think about quitting.
Decide to hold on, no matter what happens.
Develop the ability to persevere in the face of the inevitable obstacles and difficulties you will face.

Sometimes, your ability to persist is what it takes to overcome the most difficult obstacles.
Goal setting begins with desire and comes full circle to persistence.
The longer you persist, the more convinced and determined you become.
You finally reach the point where nothing can stop you.
And nothing will.

The Continuous Action Technique

Once you have clearly established your goals and plans, begin to use the continuous action technique to maintain your momentum toward your objectives.
The continuous action technique is based on Isaac Newton's physical principles of inertia and momentum.
These principles state that a body in motion tends to remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.
They also state that while it may take a large amount of energy to get a body from a resting position to a state of forward motion, it takes a smaller amount of energy to keep it in motion at the same speed.
This is one of the most important of all principles underlying great success.

The principle of momentum also has emotional and spiritual dimensions.
Many people launch themselves toward a goal and then allow themselves to slow and stop. Once they stop, they often find that getting themselves going again is so difficult that they can't do it.
Don't let this happen to you.
The maintenance of momentum, once you've begun, is essential to great success and achievement.

You maintain your forward momentum by taking continuous action toward goal achievement. You keep up the pressure. You define your goals in terms of the activities necessary to achieve them, and then you discipline yourself to perform the activities.
You do something every day to move you toward the achievement of your major goals.

You must develop the success habit by doing something every single day to move you toward your goals.
Review them every morning and think about them every day.
Always be looking for something you can do to contribute to their achievement. It may be major or minor, but for you to maintain momentum and keep yourself positive and motivated, you must be continually taking actions consistent with what you hope to achieve.

Use the continuous action technique every day until you become a perpetual-motion, goal-setting, and goal-achieving individual.
Make sure that you mark each day with an accomplishment of some kind -- the earlier in the day, the better.
And remember -- fast tempo is essential to success.
The more things you do and try -- and the faster you try them -- the more energy and enthusiasm you will have, and the more you will achieve.