The Success Principles: #7- chapter review

I'm reading the latest book from best-selling author Jack Canfield, titled The Success Principles, which comprise 64 different lessons that Canfield has learned during the past three decades as as a highly-successful entrepreneur, instructor, best-selling author and keynote speaker.

My goal is to write a summary review for each chapter, until I'm finished with the book. You can access the most recent past summary here: The Success Principle #6 - Become an Inverse Paranoid

Chapter 7: Unleash the Power of Goal-Setting

Thus far in the book, the author has helped the reader articulate a life purpose, a clear vision as well as true needs and desires. The next criterion for success requires the development of specific, actionable goals and objectives. Canfield goes on to cite research that suggests the brain is a "goal-seeking organism" that leverages the untapped sub-conscious aspects of thought - night and day - to work toward the achievement of its goals.

To be useful, goals must meet two criteria in that they must have a measurable "quantity" aspect as well as a definitive time line or deadline for completion. The author offers an example of a bad goal as, "I want to lose weight" while a good specific goal would be "I will weight 185 pounds by 5pm January 1, 2006."

He goes on to say that not only is it important to write down goals to help clarify them, it's critically important to write down big goals that help stretch you as a person. Canfield writes,

"It pays to have goals that will require you to grow to achieve them. It's a good thing to have some goals that make you a little uncomfortable...Because the ultimate goal, in addition to your material goals, is to become a master at life."

Canfield states that one of the critical factors of goal completion is engagement of all creative centers of the brain. One of the best ways to do this is to create a "Goal Book" using a standard three-ring binder with a page dedicated to each objective.

The specific, actionable, measurable goal is then written across the top of the page and the goal is illustrated with photos, images or words on the rest of the page. He says that it's important to review the goal book three times every day to embed these images and ideals within your subconscious level of thought.

If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes."

~ Andrew Carnegie, Industrialist and richest man in American in early 1900s

Canfield closes the chapter by encouraging the reader to start setting goals now. He uses the illustration of a map, that once you know where you want to end up - even if you only take five steps toward it every day, you'll eventually get there.

Question: What goal do you need to set for yourself? What is holding you back?