We all want to achieve in our lives, some of course more than others but at the end of the day we have a burning desire deep down inside to be the very best we can for ourselves and for the people around us. Now I’m sure we all have heard the saying that if you fail to plan you plan to fail, I personally have heard this for years and I’ve also been guilty of saying it to myself time and time again.

What I find really interesting however is that even though we all want to be the best we can be the majority of us still fail to implement goal setting and planning when it matters most, when? In their own lives of course.

The truth is there are a lot of people who nail the concept of personal planning, more that can plan but don’t in their own lives and even more who don’t know how to. Which one are you? I believe that most people are in the middle, you know how to set goals and plan however it’s usually because you’re receiving a pay check and when it comes to your own life you just take it as it comes and don’t think far enough ahead (I’m sure  a lot of you have a grin on your face and yes that’s the realisation that there is room for improvement washing over you).

There is a really easy way to work out if you’re guilty of failing to plan in your own life, want to know the secret? Ask yourself if you have ever said ‘I wish I had that’, I can’t afford that’, ‘I want more of’, I don’t know how I could ever achieve… and better yet when jealousy rains down on you and you started dreaming about having or getting something that someone else has. And what did you do after these situations popped up? Nothing of course or worse yet you just started coming up with excuses or you said ‘one day’.

I like to say that I have a ‘to do list’ and it covers everything from business, travel, wealth, family, friends, my partner, health and of course everything that I would have put in to my now redundant ‘wish list’. Why don’t I have a wish list any more? Because I no longer wish for things they become goals and I plan to achieve them.

Here are some tips that have helped me achieve my goals and hopefully you they can help you on the right path to achieving yours.

1. Have a purpose

Ask yourself now what your purpose is, is your mind is blank? The first step to achieving your goals is knowing who you are, what your purpose is and why it’s important to you. Start  by saying ‘My purpose is….” and fill in the blanks. Here is mine as an example:

My purpose is to help everyone around me achieve their goals so that they in turn I can achieve mine which are to live a free and healthy life where learn and enjoy travel, business, wealth and culture with my partner, friends and family.

2. Understand yourself and make changes

Now that you know your purpose you need to look at yourself and understand what type of person you need to be to live your life that you want. I bullet point these and I’ve provided mine as another example.

• 100% all the time, no excuses.
• Learn from my mistakes
• Give more than I take
• Don’t be afraid of failure
• Surround myself with motivated and ambitious people
• Never stop learning
• Teach others what I have learnt

3. Set S.M.A.R.T goals

The next step is setting your goals and ensuring that they are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Framed). These will be different for everyone however look to include your education, travel, wealth and so on and remember the most important part is the date that you will achieve your goals by.

4. Celebrate your wins

It’s great that you have set yourself goals but never forget to celebrate your wins. Celebrating can be something as small as treating yourself to some chocolate or to going out with friends,  remember when you win everyone around you wins so get people involved in the celebration and have some fun!

Here is the template that I use and that everyone at Crucial uses when developing their goals.

Purpose:

The purpose of my life is….

Key to my success will include:

• Never stop learning…

Personal Growth Milestones:

• Run a marathon by XX date

Education

• Complete X Degree by XX date

Personal Wealth and Financial Freedom

• Purchase first property by XX Date

Business Milestones (if applicable)

• Gain 1000 additional customers by XX date

Travel Milestones:

• Travel to Egypt by XX

While I was writing this article I was lucky enough to be sent a short video from my better half. The video was a short interview with Jim Rohn and I’ve watched it 6 times in the last 24 hours simply because there are so many powerful messages which I need to give the proper time to really sink in. There is one message however which is at the forefront of my mind and I think it speaks truth to everyone and it is:

“To have more than you’ve got now you have to become more than you are today” 

Wouldn’t you agree that setting your goals and planning on paper would a great way to start getting everything you want in life?