Often I find myself being sidetracked from what I set out to become! Why is it that when I set my goals, and begin to work on my goals, there is always something to side track me.

A good friend and business associate of mine once told me that a goal without a date is just a wish! How true! I know that to become truly successful in my endeavors, I need to keep my eyes on my goals.

Can we really define success? Success is an entirely subjective concept. What I mean by that is that to some people success is equaled to money and material possessions.  To others, it can mean a fulfilling family life and personal relationships. I’ve even seen where people measured their goals by accomplishments of the heart, mind, body or spirit! Your long term goals may be different than your short term goals.

When I find myself having trouble focusing on my goals, I do a self-evaluation.  Below are six questions that I usually ask myself — soul searching questions.

1)  Have I programmed myself for success or failure?

2)  Does the mental image of myself — my thoughts, attitudes, and interpretations — describe me in positive or negative terms?

3)  Do anxiety and stress prevent me from making the effort to reprogram myself in a positive way?

4)  Do I hold back from setting my goals for myself, or are my goals limited by discouraging feelings about my abilities?

5)  Does negative feedback — regardless of the source — stop me from pursuing my goals instead of letting the feedback guide me toward correcting my course?

6)  Do I feel that such negative feedback has led to an inhibition of my personality?

If I answer yes to any of these questions, I realize that I need to get a better self-image to become the person I want to be — achieve the goals I want to achieve. The thing is, whether we like it or not, we always act, feel and behave in a way that is consistent with our self-image — regardless of the reality of that image.

There are a few simple techniques that one can use — these are ones I use — that will empower you to set and achieve your goals.

1)Set aside a time every day— for some it is in the morning and for some it is in the evening, it really doesn’t matter when. What is important is that you do it. Set aside at least 15 minutes where you will not be interrupted. Let those around you know that this is important to you and your [and there] success.

2)In your quiet time, learn to completely relax [we'll cover more on that later] and visualize your goals. This won’t always come easy at first, but habits are developed over a 6 week period. Do this consistently for 6 weeks, and you will begin to see a difference.

One of the five things that leaders do , in fact I’ve found it is pretty well number one in all leaders — first thing every morning and last thing every night they take that time un-interrupted and visualize their goals.

Change comes about through awareness of a negative self-image, by challenging the bad habits that support this image, and by creating a new, positive self-image that allows you to set and achieve worthwhile goals.