The Finer Points of Writing Goals

This post is part three in the Goal Setting Success series.

The difference between a wish and a goal is that a goal is specific, actionable, and measurable.

Wanting to “make lots of money” is a wish. Committing to making $10,000, by a specific date, doing a specific set of actions is a goal. It’s:

• Specific – make $10,000
• Actionable – a specific set of actions
• Measurable – by a specific date

View the Full Diagram

It’s All In the Details

The more specific a goal is, the more likely you’ll achieve it. Writing out your goals does a few things:

• Focuses your mind on the results.
• Clarifies what you want.
• States to the Universe (or God, or your Higher Self, or whatever) that this is what you want.
• Identifies actions to take.
• Gives you a way to know when you’ve reached it.

Your Master Goals act as a template, which is derived from your Key Elements. Then you state in precise terms what the result will be.

Now you have a specific target to aim at. You have a direction, and can see detailed steps to take to get you there.

That is, on paper.

In the real world, things behave differently than on paper. And in my experience, things work out better.

Once to have a focused direction, opportunities and people start appearing to help you reach your goals.

This is what happens when you put your goals out in the wild, and we’ll cover that in part four.

The Goal Setting Success Series

• Intro: Setting Goals So You Actually Accomplish Them
• Part 1: The Key Elements of an Ideal Life
• Part 2: Master Your Master Goals
• Part 3: The Finer Points of Writing Goals
• Part 4: In the Wild with Synchronicity, Opportunity, and Attracting Success