Successful people have two things in common:  they are persistent and they know how to prioritize.  You have to be a pit bull with your goals.

If you've ever been on a long trip, you know that one of the most important tools you take with you is a map to keep you from getting lost.  It's the same with your goals.  The goal is your destination.  Now you just need a road map to get you there!

Now that you've developed your Life List, pick 2 or 3 that you want to accomplish this year.  Once you've decided on your top 3, you need to come up with a plan to achieve them.  In 1953, Yale University conducted a test with very telling results.  The study revealed that the top 3% of the graduating class had set goals for themselves and committed them to writing.  Guess what?  Thirty years later that same 3% were not only still writing down their goals, they were worth more financially than the other 97% combined.

What's the difference between goal setters and goal getters?  Four things set them apart from each other:  According to ActionTracs, GOAL GETTERS:

1.  Write their goals down

2.  Are specific

3.  State them positively

4.  Put their goals in time frames

Get a pen and a piece of paper.  You have one year to accomplish the first 3 items on your Life List.  Let's develop an action plan.

1.  Name your goal (I want to learn how to knit)

2.  Contact my local adult school, community center, Sr. center, community

     college, etc. to find a class. 

3.  Enroll in class

4.  Practice-Practice-Practice

5.  Knit my daughter a scarf for Christmas

Hotel tycoon, Conrad Hilton (Yes, Paris' grandfather) wasn't always rich.  At one time, he was so poor, he had to borrow money from a bell boy during the depression just to eat.  But that didn't stop him from reaching a goal on his Life List.  Hilton dreamed on owning the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.  He wrote his goal down in a very specific way.  He took a picture of the Waldorf  and slipped it under his glass desktop where he studied it daily.  Eighteen years later, the many who had to borrow money to eat, would own the Waldorf.

Fuzzy goals keep people from reaching them.  It's the difference between dreams and delusions.  I hope to have...someday.  A life without goals is like a race without a finish line.  Can you imagine running in the Boston marathon without a finish line?  Remember, a goal is a destination point.  Once you reach it, it's time to pick another one from your Life List.

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