weekly goals

YourGoalBook

Weekly Edition

Name: _______________________ Address: _______________________ _______________________ Phone: _______________________ Email: _______________________

yourgoalbook.com

PLAN. ACHIEVE. REPEAT.

yourg

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Lane 6 Publishing P.O. Box 8353

Victoria, BC V8W 3R9 [email protected] www.yourgoalbook.com

© 2008

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Welcome 3 PART ONE 4

1.1 Goal Setting 5 Exercise 1.1 5

1.2 Quantify 6 Exercise 1.2 6

1.3 Nitty Gritty 7 Exercise 1.3 7 PART TWO 11

2.1 Assessing Yourself 12 Exercise 2.1a 12 Exercise 2.1b 14

2.2 Strengths 16 Exercise 2.2a 16 Exercise 2.2b 20

2.3 Planning for Success 22 Exercise 2.3 22 PART THREE 33

3.1 Time Management 34 3.2 Staying Motivated 36 3.3 Confidence 38 3.4 Focus 39

Last Words 41 PART FOUR 42

The Agenda 44

Contents

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Welcome.

Congratulations on taking a major leap in the achievement of your goals and dreams. The purchase of this journal reflects a strong desire in you to achieve something significant. Take pride in the first steps of this amazing adventure. This book is not a cure-all. It’s not a philosophy, or a science, it’s a book designed to make you look deep within yourself and learn what you want and why you haven’t done it already. Done properly, you will outline your dreams, quantify them, and break them down into actionable steps with which you can commence today. You will learn your strengths, and how to apply them in relation to your goals. You will learn more about your weaknesses, and develop comprehensive strategies to counter them. This book demands attention. It requires a significant of several hours to complete all the exercises. The more fully the goal setting and planning exercises are completed, the better prepared you will be to achieve them. Take your time, enjoy the process of learning more about yourself and more importantly, building the tools which will be your arsenal along your journey. Victories and losses are decided long before the match ever takes place. The agenda requires your time, just a few minutes a day, to update your progress, revitalize your motivation and keep you on course. There is little doubt that with careful planning and periodic evaluation, the achievement of your dreams is not only possible, but certain. Our destinies lie in our hands. It’s about time you grasped yours. Let’s get started.

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Part One

There are costs and risks to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.

John F. Kennedy

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The first steps in any journey are knowing where you are going. Most of us spend our days slugging along with a hazy idea of what we’d maybe like to do one day. Goals get put off, dreams are buried, opportunities missed. Take several moments to reflect before completing the following exercise. What is it that you truly want to accomplish in your lifetime? What are the remarkable things that you know deep within yourself that you have the capacity to achieve? Even if these things aren’t immediately realistic, let them simmer in your mind without fear or restraint. These are your goals, no one else’s. We often catch ourselves so entangled in what other people think that we find we are not living our own lives. What are the main 3-5 things you want to achieve in the next few years? Financial independence? Love? List them. Don’t stop to rationalize or debate yourself whether or not they are achievable. Get them down.

EXERCISE 1.1

i.e. 1.

I want to be rich beyond my wildest dreams.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

These are your dreams; your beacons over the next year. In times of strife, and of struggle, come back here and visualize how good it would feel to fulfill your dream.

*

1.1 Goal Setting

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.

The next step is to quantify each of your dreams. It’s time to bring that lofty ambition out of the heavens and put a number on it. You crave to be wealthy? Pick a number. An exact number. You want a significant raise? How much? You dream of losing weight? How much? The second part of the exercise requires you to put a date on it. A concrete, non-negotiable date. It’s not enough to say that you want to lose ten pounds. Giving it a timeframe will make this goal immediate and should eliminate the unfortunate talent many of us have for procrastination. Remember to be as specific as possible with this exercise. Vagueness and open-ended terms such as “I want to be happy” are impossible to measure and invitations for passiveness.

EXERCISE 1.2

i.e. 1. 1.

I want to make ten million dollars before I turn 40.

2.

3. 4. 5.

With these specific goals you should now have a clear idea of exactly where and when you aim to end up.

*

1.2 Quantify

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Now, for each of these five dreams, you are going to break them down into 5-10 actionable steps. The final step must be something you can do today, tomorrow, this week. It must be an action that can be taken now. Again, be specific. Make every effort to quantify each of the steps. Vague terms are an invitation for failure. Start from where you are at today, and work up the list.

Take the time to fill in as many steps as possible. Give each of them a deadline in order to inspire action. If you can come up with more than ten steps, use a sheet of paper and continue. The more steps on your journey the better, for each step completed represents another confidence-building phase on your road to completing your goal.

EXERCISE 1.3

i.e. Dream: To run the NYC marathon in 2009. 1. Run 18 miles 30 days before the marathon. 2. Run a half marathon by March 31. 3. Run for two hours straight.

4. Run for one hour straight by Xmas. 5. Join a running club. 6. Buy a pair of running shoes by Tuesday.

Dream: _________________________________________________________

1. ______________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

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6. ______________________________________________________________

7. ______________________________________________________________

1.3 Nitty Gritty

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8. ______________________________________________________________

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Dream: _________________________________________________________

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Dream: _________________________________________________________

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2. ______________________________________________________________

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3. ______________________________________________________________

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Dream: _________________________________________________________

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10. ______________________________________________________________

Dream: _________________________________________________________

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2. ______________________________________________________________

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4. ______________________________________________________________

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With these actionable steps you have something with which you can act on today. Plot the remaining steps in subsequent sections of your Goal Book, giving yourself a realistic amount of time to reach the next rung.

*

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Part Two

We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse. Rudyard Kipling

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Before we jump to the process of working towards our goals, it’s important to perform a realistic assessment of yourself, of your past failures, of your strengths, and where you are likely to falter in the future.

Faltering is human nature. Despite our best intentions, life always finds ways to interject her influence on our best intentions. With some careful reflection, however, it is possible to strategize against your history of shortcomings and excuses.

While it is impossible to predict the future, we can make reasonable assumptions based on our previous behavior as to where we will be led astray. If we can identify those behaviors and tag them with strategies to deal with and overcome them, you can be best prepared when you feel the itch to employ one of the tactics that have so far kept you from achieving to your potential.

Why have you not achieved this goal already? Is it a specific lack of knowledge in a specific area? Not enough time? (Again, avoid the broad, sweeping terms. “Because I’m not smart enough.” That statement is an attitude problem, not an intelligence problem.)

While there are a variety of reasons for procrastination and failure, many of the self-imposed reasons generally fall into two categories: self-doubt and a lack of resources.

+ Lack of Resources

How many times have you put off getting a gym membership because you didn’t have enough money, or not enough time? Left unchecked, the mind tends to fall back on the comfortable excuse of not having enough.

Apathy and procrastination are skilled at arguing for inaction. It’s an argument that apathy has a strong chance at winning. After all, if you’ve gotten to this point, it’s because apathy has won a majority of the arguments. Winning the argument with apathy revolves around a small change of attitude that must take place in your mind. You must be prepared to take responsibility for your actions, as well as your inactions.

EXERCISE 2.1a

In the following exercise, you are going to come to terms with who is responsible

for your success. There is only one correct answer for all of the questions.

Who is responsible for my success? ______ Who is responsible for my failures? ______ Whose responsibility is it to set my goals? ______

2.1 Assessing Yourself

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Whose responsibility is it for me to act? ______

Whose responsibility is it for me to see through my goals? ______ Whose responsibility is it for me to perform the best I can in everything I

do? ______ Whose responsibility is it for me to complete my goals? ______ Whose responsibility is it for me to get motivated when I feel low? ______ Whose responsibility is it for me to not make excuses when it is easier to do so? ______ Whose responsibility is it for me to deal with failure? ______ Whose responsibility is it for me to complete these exercises? ______ Whose responsibility is it for me to keep my agenda up-to-date? ______ Whose responsibility is it for me to start today on achieving my goals? _____

+ Self-Doubt

Fear is the great paralysis of the modern man. We don’t act because we are scared to fail, scared of what we may achieve, scared, scared, scared. In the instances where we succeed we look back on the fear as being worse than going through the event itself. It’s a familiar image: the band-aid on a child’s arm, who squirms with angst at the prospect of having it removed. But once off, the child reflects notes: “That wasn’t so bad.” In life, it rarely is as well. We overestimate how defeats will crush us and allow past defeats, thoughts and inaction to poison our belief in ourselves. Once our fears are identified and out in the open, they suddenly don’t seem so threatening. In the following exercise, you are going to identify three sources of self-doubt. Pick 3-5 fears that have prevented you from achieving to your utmost. Be honest and candid with yourself. This is probably the singularly most important exercise in the entire book, for once you expose your fears for the fraudulent claims that they are, you will be able to open the floodgates of potential locked up within yourself.

Take responsibility for everything you do and don’t do. Act. Constantly be moving. It’s stunning how simple this point is: The opposite route to progress is standing still. We all know it, and yet, we sag our shoulders. Can’t afford a gym membership? Work out at home. Do what you can with what you have. The problem is not having it, it’s doing something with it. Act.

*

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EXERCISE 2.1b i.e.

Fear #1:

Experience:

I’m scared that I will fail.

The Result:

* Fear #1: __________________________________________________ Experience: The Result: Fear #2: __________________________________________________ Experience: The Result:

I could have pursued my swimming to a higher level, but instead I chose to be scared and didn’t give my best effort in order to have an excuse to fall back on.

False sense of comfort. A swimming career that was the shadow of what it could have been.

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Fear #3: __________________________________________________ Experience: The Result: Fear #4: __________________________________________________ Experience: The Result: Fear #5: __________________________________________________ Experience: The Result:

When you hid behind fear, or made excuses, how did the subsequent abandonment of your dreams make you feel? It’s important to associate these negative feelings with those negative acts. Why is it important? Associating pain with those decisions should be a stark reminder to not go down that path again.

*

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It’s been often repeated that it is wise to focus on your strengths while working on your weaknesses. Words of wisdom, to be sure. In our strengths we find our confidence, a source of comfort when life numbs us with things we don’t understand.

In the following exercise, outline 5 of your strengths. Afterwards, jot down two experiences where this strength came into play for you, and how it made you feel. Was it a dizzying sensation of empowerment?

EXERCISE 2.2a i.e.

Strength #1:

1.

I am able to focus when under pressure How it came into play:

2.

What were the feelings resulting from these achievements?

During a swimming competition I was the last person on the relay leg. We were behind by a half body length. Winning would win the meet for our team. I was able to catch the leader and out-touch her at the wall.

While working at a restaurant I was given six large tables at the same time. I was able to keep my cool and not get flustered.

-Like I was in control of the situation, like I was the master of my own destiny. -Gave me confidence in my ability to stay cool. -I was happy; I enjoyed being depended on.

2.2 Strengths

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Strength #1: ___________________________________________________________ How it came into play:

1.

2.


* Strength #2: ___________________________________________________________ How it came into play:

1.

2.

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1.

2.


* Strength #4: ___________________________________________________________

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How it came into play: 1.

2.



1.

2.

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EXERCISE 2.2b

The purpose of this exercise is to shine a spotlight on the most powerful tools in your arsenal in relation to your goals. How are these strengths going to come into play when you set out on your journey?

For each strength, outline how it is relevant to your goals. The goal here is to reinforce your strengths as pillars of power for you. They are bastions of empowerment.

i.e. Strength #1:

* Strength #1: Strength #2:

Having been in situations where I have been challenged and succeeded, I will remember those situations when I am running the race as a reminder of my ability to stay cool under pressure. Also, deadlines won’t be a problem, as I welcome time-sensitive challenges and succeed in them.

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Strength #3: Strength #4: Strength #5:

These measures of strength should bring you confidence in moments of difficulty, and complete resolve in moments of success.

*

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Life comes at us in unexpected ways. No matter how much we plan or anticipate something invariably derails our best laid plans. It is usually these “out of the blue” type of things that knock us off our path. Whether it’s the loss of a job, spousal problems, lapses in motivation, life is not always entirely predictable. However, with some extra planning and thought regarding to the steps towards your dream, these roadblocks can be anticipated and can be marginalized.

EXERCISE 2.3 PART 1 :

List the steps (from the bottom up. i.e. Step #1 is the step that you can act on immediately) of your goal and affixed to each step, attach two things that can go wrong. Try to anticipate. Knowing yourself, and keeping in mind the answers you drew up in the previous exercises, what sort of problems can you foresee? Lack of money? Declining motivation?

PART 2 : For each disruption, jot down two strategies for dealing with it. They can be simple, such as a reaffirming statement to yourself, or may require considerable leg-work. Array your strengths against your weaknesses.

Note: This exercise should be a progressive one. Complete the first 3-4 steps at a minimum, and come back to this exercise as you knock off steps.

i.e. GOAL 1: To run the NYC marathon in 2009

Step 1: Buy a pair of running shoes by Tuesday __ Distraction 1: Procrastination__________________________________ Strategy A: Book one hour of time to get them. __________ Strategy B: Read Runner magazine. Get motivated._____ Distraction 2: Not enough cash for the shoes____________________ Strategy A: Don’t go out on Friday night. __ Strategy B: Borrow cash off Dad. ___________________ Step 2: Join a running club _______ __ Distraction 1: Can’t find one.___________________________________ Strategy A: Start my own with friends.______________ Strategy B: Look online for running groups._________ Distraction 2: Too shy to join one._______________________________ Strategy A: Remind myself how vital this step is.____ Strategy B: Find a friend to bring. ___________________

and so on…

2.3 Planning for Success

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GOAL 1: ___________________________________________________________ Step 1: Distraction 1: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Distraction 2: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Step 2: Distraction 1: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Distraction 2: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Step 3: Distraction 1: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Distraction 2: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Step 4: Distraction 1: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Distraction 2: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Step 5: Distraction 1: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Distraction 2: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Step 6: Distraction 1: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Distraction 2: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________

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Step 7: Distraction 1: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Distraction 2: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Step 8: Distraction 1: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Distraction 2: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Step 9: Distraction 1: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Distraction 2: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Step 10: Distraction 1: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________ Distraction 2: __________________________________________________ Strategy A: __________________________________________ Strategy B: __________________________________________

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With these tools in hand you are better prepared for the unexpected, and you have mechanisms in place to deal with them.

*

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Part Three

People often say motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.

Zig Ziglar

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+ It’s All About Priorities

Assign priority to each segment of your schedule. Which of the day’s tasks is going to provide the most long-term benefit to you? Which task are you going to be most thankful six months from now that you accomplished? Sometimes the things we want to do the least are the ones with the biggest up-side down the road. Therefore it is impossible that these are precisely the things you do first. It’s almost fait accompli that there are times when you won’t be able to get everything done over the course of the day. Make sure that you get the right things done. + It’s True, Life is Short One of the sad truths in life is that truly meaningful maxims that are overly repeated tend to lose their value. “Life is short” is a prime example. How many times have you been told this? Probably enough that you shrug it off. Despite it’s numbing at the hands of mindless repetition, it is worth thinking about. We only have a certain amount of time here. How do you want to be remembered? And more importantly, how do you want to spend your time? Keeping this in the back of your mind will help you in eliminating extraneous appointments, meetings and acquaintances. + Sacrifices An easy way to determine the mettle of your conviction to achieve your goals is to find out what interfering habits and/or activities you would be willing to drop from your life in order to fulfill your hopes. It could be a bad habit, such as smoking, online shopping, or even a friend who is simply too much of a bad influence. What are you prepared to give up in the name of your goals? This isn’t an absolutist notion, nor does it imply that you must sacrifice something. But if there are parts of your life that contradict your goals, it’s time to re-examine them. In other words, if you desire to drink less, it shouldn’t mean that you can never go to a bar. But it does suggest that you should perhaps avoid situations where you are likely to waver. For example, if you are faced with the opportunity to go on a golfing weekend or stay home and finish the chapter in a novel you want to finish, the answer lies in where your priorities are. After all, is it truly a sacrifice if you are getting something better out of it? + Deadlines Ever notice that once you are given a deadline to achieve something your mind starts to work furiously? It becomes real, and more importantly, it becomes immediate. Nothing focuses the mind like knowing that time is finite. Give everything a realistic and impending time-frame that will compel you to act. + The Art of No

Learn and develop the mastery of “no.” It feels like life always is pulling at us from a hundred directions. People vying for our time, our attention, our money. Committing to people and projects for the sake of not wanting to disappoint someone else is waste of your time and a waste of theirs.

3.1 Time Management

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While other people’s time is precious, yours is more so. Don’t be ashamed if you can’t do something for someone. Remember, you are saying no to the project, or favor, not the person.

+ The Boob Tube

Television is a proverbial black hole of time. Drop it. You may not be up-to-speed on what happened on Lost last night, but you will be adding countless hours to the things that matter. + Never Wait. Ever. The very term “waiting” alludes to a complete cessation of living. What is waiting, exactly? It’s the mindless stretches of time in life where we are on someone else’s clock, hoping to get to the end so that we can resume our lives. Want to manage your time more effectively? Take this time back.

The next time you are stuck in traffic, or waiting for the dentist, or otherwise disengaged, pull out your cell phone. Doesn’t someone deserve some flowers? Or think about some of your favorite summer-time memories. Or take several moments to meditate. Or maybe even make a hypothetical list in your mind of places that you want to travel to. Or pull out a pen and jot a list of people you’d like to get back in touch with. Once you are doing these things all of a sudden you are not waiting anymore, you are acting. The time we spend in our lives waiting on people and things rivals only sleep and television. You may as well make those “in-between” moments count for something. Waiting on your boss to return with his notes on your report? Start on the next one. Waiting for your girlfriend to call you back? Start that book you’ve been putting off reading. Waiting for your friends to come over to watch the football game? Call your parents to tell them you love them. Wait for nothing, nobody, never.

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+ Evaluate

Taking stock of your progress not only reinforces the progress you’ve made, but almost as important, grants you the opportunity to see where you can be even better. It’s vital to keep track of what works and what doesn’t.

Consistently monitoring your progress revitalizes your desire to see your goals through. Be honest with your evaluations of yourself. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you err. It is more important to recognize why it happened. Some thoughts to keep in mind when you are evaluating--

:: Did I set goals that were unrealistic? :: Did I give myself enough time to realistically achieve them? :: If I failed to achieve an objective, what was the cause? Can this be avoided next time?

:: What did I learn about myself from my successes? :: Can I apply these lessons to the rest of my goals?

+ Reward Yourself Take the time to enjoy your victories. Bask in the afterglow of your own success. Use it as fuel to continue down your travels. + Variety Whether in fitness, education, becoming fiscally responsible or trying to learn a new language, attack it from as many different directions as possible. Monotony dries the soul and the mind and leads to laziness.

Discover new ways to get fit. Not only will this challenge you physically in manners your body can’t yet imagine, it will also keep the activity of getting fit from being a mindless endeavor. Learning a new language? Try the conventional audiotapes, than head down to the local cultural centre and try some conversation.

+ Flexibility Don’t punish yourself by giving up on your goals if you have difficulty achieving them. If they are your dreams, and they mean something considerable to you, it shouldn’t be easy. Allow yourself to be willing to adapt to new challenges. Not only will this provide new opportunities for you to test your mettle, but it should act as a buffer against disappointments. Think fluid, not rigid. + Are We Having Fun Yet? This process should be fun. The course you’ve embarked on should be a revelatory and enjoyable one. It goes without saying that a boring course of action leaves something to be desired. + A Word on Defeats

3.2 Staying Motivated

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It happens. Accept it. Then move on. Ask yourself why it happened. Were you over-worked? Too tired? Experiencing personal hardship? Question. Learn. Move on. Don’t allow hardships to dampen the enthusiasm you have for making your dreams come true. Nothing ever begins as a mistake—it only becomes one when things go contrary to expectations, and more importantly, when we don’t become better because of it.

Move on. + Use the Book

Lastly, refer back to your answers to the exercises in this book! The exercises were designed to give you the best chance of success as well as providing an enduring source of hope and confidence. In addition, at the bottom of each page are quotes, some designed to make you think, but most written in the hope to inspire.

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Self-confidence is one of those near mythical things. Either people seem to have it or not, and rarely do you see the process of someone gaining it. However, with some work, and careful thought regarding some of your attitudes and physiological habits, you too can exude the air of a supremely confidant and capable person. + Posture (again). The hunchback of Notre Dame didn’t inspire confidence, and neither does sagging shoulders and a crooked back. Stand up. Stand straight. When walking, keep your chin up. Don’t avoid eye contact with strangers. + Be Heard Talk loudly and clearly. Mumbling is a poor way to try and communicate your ideas. You have thoughts, and they deserve to be heard in the best format possible. Enunciate your words so that they are crisp, and speak at a volume that commands attention. + Do Everything with Purpose Whether it is walking, working out, or making food. Be in the moment with everything that you do, and you will quickly gain the aura of the driven person. + Take Pride in Not Complaining (or Bragging) How many successful people can you think of who complain of life’s moments of unfairness? Successful people don’t gripe when things don’t go their way. They accept things they can’t change, and challenge the things they can. It’s a familiar image: the newly well-to-do man who exercises his insecurities by talking endlessly about his luxury car. The fact is, you don’t need to brag. You let your achievements speak for themselves, and they speak much louder than the most hysterical braggart. Not only will this make you look like a bigger person to other people, it will make you look like the bigger person to the most important person of all—you. + Assume a Leadership Role The onus of burdening yourself with responsibility creates an aura of you that you are driven to accept challenges and succeed. Accept challenges as an opportunity to better yourself.

3.3 Confidence

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+ Lock Your Body Down Fidgeting, squirming and restless movements are a dead-give away for someone who is unfocused. Find a comfortable position and stick with it. Channel your energies through your mind instead of frivolous body movements. + Clear Your Mind It’s difficult to slow the cross-current of competing thoughts in our minds. Try picturing a dark night’s sky. Don’t try to block thoughts from coming into your mind, but don’t mentally chase them around. Let them flow by. + Listen Up Next time you are talking to someone, listen to every last syllable, pay attention to every body movement. Try to dial your attention only on them. Not only will you have more meaningful conversations with people, but you will also be practicing unwavering focus. + Straighten Up Common in many of these suggestions is posture and breathing. To settle your mind take a minute and focus unwaveringly on your breaths; in, and out. Keep your back straight, neck erect, eyes toward the horizon. Sample the cold air as it goes in, breathe out slowly. Repeat as necessary. + Keeping a Consistent Schedule Doing the same things at the same time every day burns a sort of itinerary in your mind. It is possible to form unconscious habits, and this is a prime example. After several days of doing the same things at the same time your mind and body anticipate what is coming next and both are prepared for it. For example, should you decide to work-out every-day between nine and ten a.m., quickly you’ll discover that your body will come to recognize that it is time to hit the gym on its own. + Order

Do you find that when you have many things to do at once you become flustered? Not all of us are natural multi-taskers. The brain loves order, and your schedule and tasks are no exception. Working on one thing at a time, and in a sequential order not only allows each activity its individual attention, but gives the brain the comfort of feeling in control. + Don’t Binge on Your Time Take breaks to walk around, clear your mind. The brain can only fully concentrate on something for so long before burn-out sets in. Beat mental exhaustion by breaking every 90 minutes or so.

3.4 Focus

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+ Put the iPhone Away In a shrinking world, distractions come in every imaginable form. Email, text messaging, television, web surfing—all are easily defensible excuses for a wandering mind. Turn off the phone, hide the remote, get off Facebook. Great focus comes in solitude. Shut down every distraction in the room before you proceed. Not only will more attention be channeled towards your ambition, but your mind will also become much more still and accommodating to inspiration. + Mind Your Fitness Even a short amount of physical activity can rejuvenate and cleanse the body and mind. The body accumulates energy over time that easily manifests into a mental adrift. Get the accumulated energy out of your system and you will find yourself mentally ready to start anew.

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Anything you would like to see in a future edition of the Goal Book? Let us know and if we use your suggestion the next edition is on us.

Share with us your successes. Keep us up-to-date with your progress. Email us anytime at [email protected]. We’d love to hear how you are progressing towards your dreams.

And yes, if you’re wondering, the authors of this book use it as well. Best wishes!

3.5 Discipli Last Words

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Part Four

Courage is the first of human qualities, because it is the quality that guarantees all others.

Winston Churchill

TASK STATUS DAY NOTES

TASK SUNDAY

4 Jan MONDAY

5 Jan TUESDAY

6 Jan WEDNESDAY

7 Jan THURSDAY

8 Jan FRIDAY

9 Jan SATURDAY

10 Jan

04 January + 10 January WEEK 01

pos+ neg-

All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure. Mark Twain


TASK SUNDAY

11 Jan MONDAY

12 Jan TUESDAY

13 Jan WEDNESDAY

14 Jan THURSDAY

15 Jan FRIDAY

16 Jan SATURDAY

17 Jan

11 January +17 January WEEK 02

pos+ neg-

A goal without a plan is just a wish. Antoine de Saint-Exupery


TASK SUNDAY

18 Jan MONDAY

19 Jan TUESDAY

20 Jan WEDNESDAY

21 Jan THURSDAY

22 Jan FRIDAY

23 Jan SATURDAY

24 Jan


pos+ neg-

In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. Dwight D. Eisenhower


TASK SUNDAY

25 Jan MONDAY

26 Jan TUESDAY

27 Jan WEDNESDAY

28 Jan THURSDAY

29 Jan FRIDAY

30 Jan SATURDAY

31 Jan


pos+ neg-

Success isn’t permanent, and failure isn’t fatal. Mike Ditka


TASK SUNDAY

1 Feb MONDAY

2 Feb TUESDAY

3 Feb WEDNESDAY

4 Feb THURSDAY

5 Feb FRIDAY

6 Feb SATURDAY

7 Feb

01 February + 07 February WEEK 05

pos+ neg-

Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes. Henry J. Kaiser


TASK SUNDAY

8 Feb MONDAY

9 Feb TUESDAY

10 Feb WEDNESDAY

11 Feb THURSDAY

12 Feb FRIDAY 13 Feb

SATURDAY 14 Feb


pos+ neg-

There is no security on this earth, there is only opportunity. General Douglas MacArthur


TASK SUNDAY

15 Feb MONDAY

16 Feb TUESDAY

17 Feb WEDNESDAY

18 Feb THURSDAY


SATURDAY 21 Feb


pos+ neg-

You always pass failure on the way to success. Mickey Rooney


TASK SUNDAY

22 Feb MONDAY

23 Feb TUESDAY

24 Feb WEDNESDAY

25 Feb THURSDAY


SATURDAY 28 Feb


pos+ neg-

Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.

Thomas Jefferson


TASK SUNDAY

1 Mar MONDAY

2 Mar TUESDAY

3 Mar WEDNESDAY

4 Mar THURSDAY

5 Mar FRIDAY

6 Mar SATURDAY

7 Mar

01 March + 07 March WEEK 09

pos+ neg-

Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to pt this plan into action.

Napoleon Hill


TASK SUNDAY

8 Mar MONDAY

9 Mar TUESDAY

10 Mar WEDNESDAY

11 Mar THURSDAY

12 Mar FRIDAY 13 Mar

SATURDAY 14 Mar


pos+ neg-

Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict. William E. Channing


TASK SUNDAY

15 Mar MONDAY

16 Mar TUESDAY

17 Mar WEDNESDAY

18 Mar THURSDAY


SATURDAY 21 Mar


pos+ neg-

By perseverance the snail reached the ark. Charles Haddon Spurgeon


TASK SUNDAY

22 Mar MONDAY

23 Mar TUESDAY

24 Mar WEDNESDAY

25 Mar THURSDAY


SATURDAY 28 Mar


pos+ neg-

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. Henry Ford


TASK SUNDAY

29 Mar MONDAY

30 Mar TUESDAY

31 Mar WEDNESDAY

1 Apr THURSDAY

2 Apr FRIDAY

3 Apr SATURDAY

4 Apr

29 March + 4 April WEEK 13

pos+ neg-

Fear is the little darkroom where negatives are developed. Michael Pritchard


TASK SUNDAY

5 Apr MONDAY

6 Apr TUESDAY

7 Apr WEDNESDAY

8 Apr THURSDAY

9 Apr FRIDAY 10 Apr

SATURDAY 11 Apr

5 April + 11 April WEEK 14

pos+ neg-

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby


TASK SUNDAY

12 Apr MONDAY

13 Apr TUESDAY

14 Apr WEDNESDAY

15 Apr THURSDAY

16 Apr FRIDAY 17 Apr

SATURDAY 18 Apr


pos+ neg-

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. Mark Twain


TASK SUNDAY

19 Apr MONDAY

20 Apr TUESDAY

21 Apr WEDNESDAY

22 Apr THURSDAY

23 Apr FRIDAY 24 Apr

SATURDAY 25 Apr


pos+ neg-

You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. Jack London


TASK SUNDAY

26 Apr MONDAY

27 Apr TUESDAY

28 Apr WEDNESDAY

29 Apr THURSDAY

30 Apr FRIDAY

1 Apr SATURDAY

2 Apr

26 April + 2 May WEEK 17

pos+ neg-

Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration. Thomas A. Edison


TASK SUNDAY

3 May MONDAY

4 May TUESDAY

5 May WEDNESDAY

6 May THURSDAY

7 May FRIDAY

8 May SATURDAY

9 May

3 May + 9 May WEEK 18

pos+ neg-

Seize opportunity by the beard, for it is bald behind. Bulgarian Proverb


TASK SUNDAY

10 May MONDAY

11 May TUESDAY

12 May WEDNESDAY

13 May THURSDAY

14 May FRIDAY 15 May

SATURDAY 16 May


pos+ neg-

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Thomas Jefferson


TASK SUNDAY

17 May MONDAY

18 May TUESDAY

19 May WEDNESDAY

20 May THURSDAY


SATURDAY 23 May


pos+ neg-

Never give in—never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

Sir Winston Churchill


TASK SUNDAY

24 May MONDAY

25 May TUESDAY

26 May WEDNESDAY

27 May THURSDAY


SATURDAY 30 May


pos+ neg-

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

George Bernard Shaw


TASK SUNDAY

31 May MONDAY

1 Jun TUESDAY

2 Jun WEDNESDAY

3 Jun THURSDAY

4 Jun FRIDAY

5 Jun SATURDAY

6 Jun

31 May + 6 June WEEK 22

pos+ neg-

Determine never to be idle…It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing. Thomas Jefferson


TASK SUNDAY

7 Jun MONDAY

8 Jun TUESDAY

9 Jun WEDNESDAY

10 Jun THURSDAY

11 Jun FRIDAY

12 Jun SATURDAY

13 Jun

7 June + 13 June WEEK 23

pos+ neg-

Always bear in mind that you own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing. Abraham Lincoln


TASK SUNDAY

14 Jun MONDAY

15 Jun TUESDAY

16 Jun WEDNESDAY

17 Jun THURSDAY

18 Jun FRIDAY

19 Jun SATURDAY

20 Jun


pos+ neg-

It is possible to fail in many ways…while to succeed is possible only in one way. Aristotle


TASK SUNDAY

21 Jun MONDAY

22 Jun TUESDAY

23 Jun WEDNESDAY

24 Jun THURSDAY

25 Jun FRIDAY

26 Jun SATURDAY

27 Jun


pos+ neg-

Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.

John F. Kennedy


TASK SUNDAY

28 Jun MONDAY

29 Jun TUESDAY

30 Jun WEDNESDAY

1 Jul THURSDAY

2 Jul FRIDAY

3 Jul SATURDAY

4 Jul

28 June + 04 July WEEK 26

pos+ neg-

Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.

John F. Kennedy


TASK SUNDAY

5 Jul MONDAY

6 Jul TUESDAY

7 Jul WEDNESDAY

8 Jul THURSDAY

9 Jul FRIDAY

10 Jul SATURDAY

11 Jul

5 July + 11 July WEEK 27

pos+ neg-

A timid person is frightened before a danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person afterward.

Jean Paul Richter


TASK SUNDAY

12 Jul MONDAY

13 Jul TUESDAY

14 Jul WEDNESDAY

15 Jul THURSDAY

16 Jul FRIDAY

17 Jul SATURDAY

18 Jul

12 July + 18 July WEEK 28

pos+ neg-

You must do the thing you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt


TASK SUNDAY

19 Jul MONDAY

20 Jul TUESDAY

21 Jul WEDNESDAY

22 Jul THURSDAY

23 Jul FRIDAY

24 Jul SATURDAY

25 Jul

19 July + 25 July WEEK29

pos+ neg-

The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along lines of excellence. John F. Kennedy


TASK SUNDAY

26 Jul MONDAY

27 Jul TUESDAY

28 Jul WEDNESDAY

29 Jul THURSDAY

30 Jul FRIDAY

31 Jul SATURDAY

1 Aug

26 July + 01 August WEEK 30

pos+ neg-

Men are born to succeed, not fail. Henry David Thoreau


TASK SUNDAY

2 Aug MONDAY

3 Aug TUESDAY

4 Aug WEDNESDAY

5 Aug THURSDAY

6 Aug FRIDAY

7 Aug SATURDAY

8 Aug

02 August + 08 August WEEK 31

pos+ neg-

Success is never wondering what if. Karrie Huffman


TASK SUNDAY

9 Aug MONDAY

10 Aug TUESDAY

11 Aug WEDNESDAY

12 Aug THURSDAY

13 Aug FRIDAY 14 Aug

SATURDAY 15 Aug


pos+ neg-

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. Oscar Wilde


TASK SUNDAY

16 Aug MONDAY

17 Aug TUESDAY

18 Aug WEDNESDAY

19 Aug THURSDAY


SATURDAY 22 Aug


pos+ neg-

I will prepare and someday my chance will come. Abraham Lincoln


TASK SUNDAY

23 Aug MONDAY

24 Aug TUESDAY

25 Aug WEDNESDAY

26 Aug THURSDAY


SATURDAY 29 Aug


pos+ neg-

What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.

Bob Dylan


TASK SUNDAY

30 Aug MONDAY

31 Aug TUESDAY

1 Sep WEDNESDAY

2 Sep THURSDAY

3 Sep FRIDAY

4 Sep SATURDAY

5 Sep

30 August + 05 September WEEK 35

pos+ neg-

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. Robert Collier


TASK SUNDAY

6 Sep MONDAY

7 Sep TUESDAY

8 Sep WEDNESDAY

9 Sep THURSDAY

10 Sep FRIDAY 11 Sep

SATURDAY 12 Sep

6 September + 12 September WEEK 36

pos+ neg-

Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can. Lowell Thomas


TASK SUNDAY

13 Sep MONDAY

14 Sep TUESDAY

15 Sep WEDNESDAY

16 Sep THURSDAY


SATURDAY 19 Sep


pos+ neg-

People seldom see the halting and painful steps by which the most insignificant success is achieved. Anne Sullivan


TASK SUNDAY

20 Sep MONDAY

21 Sep TUESDAY

22 Sep WEDNESDAY

23 Sep THURSDAY


SATURDAY 26 Sep


pos+ neg-

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. John Wooden


TASK SUNDAY

27 Sep MONDAY

28 Sep TUESDAY

29 Sep WEDNESDAY

30 Sep THURSDAY

1 Oct FRIDAY

2 Oct SATURDAY

3 Oct

27 September + 3 October WEEK 39

pos+ neg-

The gent who wakes up and finds himself a success hasn't been asleep. Wilson Mizner


TASK SUNDAY

4 Oct MONDAY

5 Oct TUESDAY

6 Oct WEDNESDAY

7 Oct THURSDAY

8 Oct FRIDAY

9 Oct SATURDAY

10 Oct

4 October + 10 October WEEK 40

pos+ neg-

Even the fear of death is nothing compared to the fear of not having lived authentically and fully. Frances Moore Lappe


TASK SUNDAY

11 Oct MONDAY

12 Oct TUESDAY

13 Oct WEDNESDAY

14 Oct THURSDAY

15 Oct FRIDAY 16 Oct

SATURDAY 17 Oct


pos+ neg-

Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.

Bertrand Russell


TASK SUNDAY

18 Oct MONDAY

19 Oct TUESDAY

20 Oct WEDNESDAY

21 Oct THURSDAY


SATURDAY 24 Oct


pos+ neg-

No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear. Edmund Burke


TASK SUNDAY

25 Oct MONDAY

26 Oct TUESDAY

27 Oct WEDNESDAY

28 Oct THURSDAY


SATURDAY 31 Oct


pos+ neg-

Whatever you are, be a good one. Abraham Lincoln


TASK SUNDAY

1 Nov MONDAY

2 Nov TUESDAY

3 Nov WEDNESDAY

4 Nov THURSDAY

5 Nov FRIDAY

6 Nov SATURDAY

7 Nov

1 November + 7 November WEEK 44

pos+ neg-

The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work. Mark Twain


TASK SUNDAY

8 Nov MONDAY

9 Nov TUESDAY

10 Nov WEDNESDAY

11 Nov THURSDAY

12 Nov FRIDAY 13 Nov

SATURDAY 14 Nov


pos+ neg-

Genius is born—not paid. Oscar Wilde


TASK SUNDAY

15 Nov MONDAY

16 Nov TUESDAY

17 Nov WEDNESDAY

18 Nov THURSDAY


SATURDAY 21 Nov


pos+ neg-

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. Abraham Lincoln


TASK SUNDAY

22 Nov MONDAY

23 Nov TUESDAY

24 Nov WEDNESDAY

25 Nov THURSDAY


SATURDAY 28 Nov


pos+ neg-

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. Albert Einstein


TASK SUNDAY

29 Nov MONDAY

30 Nov TUESDAY

1 Dec WEDNESDAY

2 Dec THURSDAY

3 Dec FRIDAY

4 Dec SATURDAY

5 Dec

29 November + 05 December WEEK 48

pos+ neg-



TASK SUNDAY

6 Dec MONDAY

7 Dec TUESDAY

8 Dec WEDNESDAY

9 Dec THURSDAY

10 Dec FRIDAY 11 Dec

SATURDAY 12 Dec

06 December + 12 December WEEK 49

pos+ neg-



TASK SUNDAY

13 Dec MONDAY

14 Dec TUESDAY

15 Dec WEDNESDAY

16 Dec THURSDAY


SATURDAY 19 Dec


pos+ neg-



TASK SUNDAY

20 Dec MONDAY

21 Dec TUESDAY

22 Dec WEDNESDAY

23 Dec THURSDAY


SATURDAY 26 Dec


pos+ neg-



TASK SUNDAY

27 Dec MONDAY

28 Dec TUESDAY

29 Dec WEDNESDAY

30 Dec THURSDAY

31 Dec FRIDAY

1 Jan SATURDAY

2 Jan

27 December + 02 January WEEK 52

pos+ neg-


weekly goals

Documents

following exercise

planning exercises

time management

careful planning

goal setting

actionable steps

things arent

remarkable things