Why Write It Down?

My twenty five year old son, Nick, is working in a sales position with a large company that has a reputation for developing young professionals. He recently participated in a goal setting exercise. At the end of the exercise they mentioned a study conducted by Yale University on the power of setting goals.

“Three percent of a graduating class of Yale University responded ‘yes to a survey asking them if they had written goals. Twenty years later, the net worth of these three percent, who had written goals, was greater than the combined net worth of the other 97 percent of the their graduating class.”

Can merely writing down goals make that much of a difference? First of all, studies say that only 3% of the American population sets goals consistently and are among the wealthiest in the country.

Nick added, “take it a step further and write down the “why” behind the goal. Once you write down the why and force yourself to recognize the motivation behind achieving this goal, it brings the goal to life and requires you to take action. It gives your goal purpose”.

Remember, a dream becomes a goal when you add an action plan and a deadline.

Another study I reviewed showed an increased level of success when the group not only wrote down their goals with an action plan but took it one step further. They told a friend and gave that person weekly updates. This accountability allowed them to achieve 76% of their goals.

Are you setting goals for 2011? If you haven’t, now is the time to start. Dan Miller stated in his book “48 Days to the Work You Love” that you should set goals and make positive deposits regularly in seven areas of your life:

1. Financial
2. Physical
3. Personal Development
4. Family
5. Spiritual
6. Social
7. Career/Business

Let’s make 2011 the best ever.

Pierce