It is very important that you set goals for the important things in your life. To do this, use the “Memory Law of Five” that I discuss in my book “Eliminate Your Competition” in the discussion about developing Bait for your Traps. You can easily remember five things. One for each finger on your hand. Studies have shown that the human mind is very adept at remembering and relating to five items.

5 Personal Goals

Because your well-being is so essential, set five goals for yourself that only involve yourself. Maybe it is to lose 10 pounds by next Christmas. Perhaps it is to read 1,000 words from the biographies of the US Presidents.

5 Family Goals

Now set five goals for you to achieve with your family. An example could be that you want to retire to Jacksonville FL by the time you turn 62. Perhaps you want to move into a four-bedroom home on at least 1/2 acre within four years. Maybe it is that you want to have your first child by the time you turn 29.

5 Professional Goals

Lastly, write down five professional goals. The most natural goal for a salesperson is that you want to sell $3,700,000 this fiscal year (if you don’t understand why you write out the number then read my earlier article). Another goal might be that you want to be certified to sell the new product that came out by the end of this fiscal year. Another goal could be that you want to finish the sales management training class by the end of March. In my opinion, a great goal would be that you read the entire book “Eliminate Your Competition” in the next 30 days.

Write down each of these goals but don’t stop there. Create a plan for each one and then communicate your written goal and plan to the appropriate person. Send that person regular updates on your progress.

Your personal goals should be shared with your best friend that can keep you honest and won’t hold back chastising you when you fail to make progress.

Send your family goals to a family member – maybe your significant other, sibling, parent, or trusted cousin. You can even send it to Aunt Emily. Choose anyone that you trust, as long as that person is looking out for you and will ask you for updates and question your progress updates.

Your professional goals can be sent to your manager or your professional mentor. Same as the above, this needs to be a person you trust but also someone that wants you to achieve your goals. Choose someone that will politely but firmly give you a hard time when you don’t follow up and don’t hit your goals.

You may purchase my book “Eliminate Your Competition” from your favorite book retailer. The ebook version is available at the most popular retailers such as Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble. The paperback version is also widely available at such retailers as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books A Million.

You will not be the best person that you can possibly be unless you set goals. In fact, goals are not sufficient; you must create a plan to achieve a goal. A goal without a plan is merely a wish.

Wishes are something that children do when they look at stars or when they throw a coin into a fountain. You are not a child. You are an adult. You are a professional. Set a goal and make a plan to achieve that goal.

The greatest source of wisdom is undoubtedly the Christian Bible. In 1 Corinthians 13:11

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

You do not need to be a Christian or religious to be a great salesperson, but great wisdom is great wisdom regardless of the source! You should put away childish things like merely hoping that things will get better. Instead, be an adult and make a plan to make it better.

Most people go through life without bothering to write down their goals. Very few people have specific and measurable goals, and even fewer have written these goals down.

An even smaller amount has also thought of a specific plan to make these goals a reality. That is your advantage in life over the average person (who is your competitor on the next deal you are pursuing).

A recent study showed that you are 58.3% more likely to achieve your goal if you write down your goal and communicate your achievement progress to a co-worker or friend. Why would you want to fail? Why wouldn’t you do everything in your power to succeed?

When you don’t have a plan, you don’t know how you will reach your destination.

What kind of goals should you set?

The first thing to do is to make the goals SMART. SMART is a popular acronym, and there are hundreds of articles written about how to write SMART goals.

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Timely

Now that you have a specific goal that will lead you to the success that you wish for in your life. These are no longer childish wishes; these are firm steps to propel you through your life. You must now create a plan to achieve that goal and you must work with someone you trust to have your progress monitored. This will dramatically increase your chances of achieving that goal.

In an upcoming post, I will discuss the types of goals that you should create.