Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life: How to Unlock Your Full Potential for Success and Achievement

HOW TO ACHIEVE ANY GOAL
There is a seven-step method for goal setting and achievement
that you can use, over and over, in any situation, to accomplish
anything you could ever want for yourself. These seven steps con-
stitute a powerful, proven formula that you can use to change your
life immediately.
■
STEP ONE: DECIDE EXACTLY 
WHAT YOU WANT
A real goal is clear, specific, measurable, and time bounded. A non-
goal—a wish or a hope—is fuzzy and unclear. It is a fantasy that
floats in the air. People with clear, specific goals, who know exactly
Dream Big Dreams
➤
45
ccc_tracy_3_40-51.qxd  6/23/03  2:47 PM  Page 45

---

what they want, are very different from people who are going
through life hoping for the best.Your ability to decide 
exactly
what it
is you want in each area of your life is one of the most important re-
sponsibilities of adult life.
People often approach me at my seminars and ask what 
their goals should be. I reply that only they can decide. It is amaz-
ing how many of them tell me how hard it is to set goals, and I
agree with them. It is hard, but it is also essential. With clear
goals, you can do almost anything. Without them, you can do vir-
tually nothing.
One of the major reasons that people fail in life is because they
waste so much of their time doing things of low value or no value at
all. And the reason they waste so much time is because they have no
real idea of what they really want. Once you have clear goals, your
ability to manage your time improves dramatically.
■