Setting goals should be the start of any endeavor but how many people take the time and trouble to sit down and methodically write down the steps they are going to take to achieve their goals. Little wonder so many people fail to realize their dreams.

Goals should be set for even the small things. In fact start with small goals because success here will encourage you for the bigger endeavors to come. It is a fact that small and regular success stimulates progress in life and the game of life is the first place to set your goals. Here the plan is the big picture and starts from the point you are currently at in life.

Maybe you are in your fifties and thinking towards retirement. Perhaps you are early twenties and looking forward to marriage, family and the first home. Whatever your situation put the steps to your goal down on paper. In effect these are your life goals. Then within this bigger picture each step may require its own set of goals.

Setting goals can be stimulating and hugely rewarding when they are achieved. As in everything in life there are things that seem utterly impossible. However, if you break them down into smaller steps it is amazing how easily you progress to your ultimate goal. Like the old joke that asks, how do you eat an elephant? The answer is, eat one mouthful at a time.

Some of the more important goals you will set can be summarized as achieving a healthy, happy lifestyle and this can include building wealth, having happy personal relationships and planning towards retirement.

The two main areas for many people are financial goals and personal happiness goals and in many ways these interlink. Although having money will not necessarily make you happy and being happy and content may not lead to having enough money to live on when you retire.

Goals make it clear to you what it is that you desire long term. Ideas change over time and goals can be upgraded and extended but generally the original themes remain constant. We all want enough money and we all want to be happy.

Without goals we can drift and allow ourselves to be led down life’s blind alleys where it can be difficult to regain your original momentum. You can vegetate in a low grade job only to wake up and find you are sixty years of age and stuck in that job until you retire, while younger colleagues are progressing to better positions.

Drifting in life is being unjustifiably content with second best and having no drive and desire to improve. It is a form of paralysis that drains life ambition from you. Goals are the footholds that allow you to rise from this apathetic state and attain the lofty heights of your earlier ambition. Setting goals are imperative to success in life and in business. Dream your dreams and set your goals. Now is a good time to start.

Throughout the past couple of decades, many studies have been done regarding the physiological and psychological effects of motivation. Medical professionals and scientists that focus on the areas of neurology, biology, and similar branches of sciences have conducted these studies in an effort to assist individuals who suffer from the effects of low self-esteem, severe depression, and even extreme levels of anxiety. Throughout this article, we will explore the physiological and psychological effects of motivation.

The following was taken from an online report acquired from the ever-popular Psychology Online:

“Although our society is largely extrinsically-motivated by external rewards such as money, fame and power, research has indicated those who are intrinsically-motivated by inner desires for creativity, fulfillment and inner satisfaction are psychologically healthier and happier.”

This indicates, based on a number of studies, that we are not entirely driven by the motivation that is considered to be based on external achievements. In most situations, society drives individuals to seek the gratification of these particular types of rewards. Making more money, purchasing a new vehicle, owning a large home, and even achieving a high level of fame does not constitute happiness at all. Individuals who base their happiness in these types of external motivators often find themselves struggling with their self-confidence, and their general perception of life and their place in it.

Individuals who are driven by internal motivators, such as their basic level of creativity and the ability to develop themselves into the absolute best that they can be, are often more content with themselves, and their life in general. Psychologically, these individuals experience a higher level of self-esteem, and a lower level of depression, anxiety, and other types of mental complications. It has also been established by the conclusive studies that individuals who are content on a psychological level are healthier on a physiological level. Psychology experts consistently strive to prove the correlation between our physical health and our mental health. The study of motivation has led these professionals to believe that if someone does have motivation, not only will they be successful in life, but they can also combat stress, mental illness, and even physical illness.

The Power of Motivation

Motivation is a powerful, moving force that we all have to some degree. We put motivation to work for us on a daily basis. It is a key essential to basic survival – psychologically and physiologically. Motivation is the impulse, obsession, or pure desire to achieve specific goals in our life. In order for motivation to be effective in our lives, the energy that each of us has must work together in an effort to put the power behind the motivation. Motivation moves us…it strengthens us…it puts us exactly where we want and need to be in life. If the motivation that we experience is positive, we are able to optimize our physical and mental health in general.

Individuals who lack enough or the right type of motivation often experience a number of complications in their life. These may complications may include negative emotions, lack of self-worth, frustration, discontentment with life, and even depression. In addition to this, physical symptoms and issues such as an elevation in blood pressure stress on the body, and even ulcers may be effects that linger around the unmotivated individual. If you want to optimize your health, it is important to understand the role of motivation when it comes to physiological and psychological aspects of who we are.

If you look around you and the world that you are part of, you will quickly discover that many individuals engage in activities and display behaviors that are quite questionable. Many of these individuals display these behaviors and engage in activities that are considered to be questionable in order to accumulate riches and succeed in life. While it is true that many of these individuals achieve the success that they are after, they lack the integrity and honor of having character. If you are looking to achieve success in your life, and you want to do it in a morally upright manner, you must start by evaluating your character. Here, you will learn the importance of character.

If you attempt to succeed in a morally unjust manner, you may acquire a generous amount of wealth, but you are likely to remain unhappy, and experience an inner feeling of emptiness. This is because of the fact that you did what you did with a lack of character and regard for the character of others. When you display a morally upright character, you also display integrity. That is basically what character is – having a high sense of integrity. Integrity, ultimately, means “quality” when it relates to the character of an individual. Integrity goes so much deeper than just a standard “quality” in character.

Individuals who study philosophy have come to the conclusion that there are essential fundamentals when it comes to this term as it relates to human life. First, integrity is the standard that a person has towards themselves that is highly ethical, professional, and “formal”. The second fundamental is when an individual displays behaviors, and takes actions that are considered to be morally upright when faced with decisions, jobs, and social interactions in life. Integrity can be considered a moral, and it can also be considered a virtue when it comes to character.

There is one particular rule that has been passed down from one generation to another all throughout history that truly defines what is expected when it comes to proper character. That is the ever-popular “Golden Rule”. This rule, which originated in The Holy Bible in Luke 6:31 states: “Do to others as you would have them do to you”. While there are a number of translations and expression of this particular rule, the meaning is simple. If we keep this rule in mind as we progress through life, not only will we exhibit a morally upright character, but we are quite likely to experience the success that we have set out to achieve.

There are certain characteristics that make a person successful. First the individual that is destined for success will have a strong belief in themselves, as well as that which they want to accomplish. This type of individual will also have a determination to do what it takes, and to do it in a virtuous manner. Work is not an issue for these individuals, and neither is failure. Failure is nothing more than a way of letting that person know that they must attempt to do whatever it is that they are trying to do in a more creative way. Failures are true learning experiences that the individual with character and integrity actually look forward to, and the lessons experienced. If you can have this character, you will go far in life.

Do you feel you have reached a plateau in working towards your goal. Don’t get too discouraged, plateaus are normal. In fact, why not give yourself a pat on the back for how far you have actually come. When you first started moving towards your goals, you probably made some big strides and you got really excited about your progress. You probably thought you would achieve your goals in no time at all. Then you find your progress slows and you reach a plateau where there seems to be no progress at all. You are not alone.

Everyone reaches periods in which they plateau before moving forward again. It is just natural. You start out with a steep learning curve whenever you begin a new project. However, once you have got the basics down you may well begin to ask yourself “what am I supposed to do next?” or “I know what I should do, but just can’t seem to manage it.”

All growth happens in stages. From the time we are conceived our growth is exponential. Yet, from the moment our cells divide and multiply till our birth it will still take nine months. It will still be another year before we can confidently walk and then another fifteen years before we begin to drive. Do you realize that if a human being continues to grow at the same rate they did in the womb, they would be many times larger than that car!

Dieting is a good example of how this works. You can lose a lot of pounds quickly, and so you continue to expect the same amount of weight loss every week. Unfortunately, this is not the way your body works. Over time you do not lose weight as quickly as at the beginning of your diet. The main thing is that you continue to lose weight and that you do not regain it. It is far better to aim for a healthy lifestyle change than to simply target weight loss.

Most of us have heard kids say they can’t wait till they grow up. We can probably remembering saying it ourselves when we were kids. The thing is, growing up seems to take such a long time, but everyone grows up in the end. Sometimes growth seems to plateau but it is still happening, just a lot slower than you want.

Just relax and stop worrying. Have some fun, take the time to get an education, learn from people who already have the success you want and enjoy where you are at right now. Sometimes we are moving forward when we feel like we are standing still. This is because we may not see any external signs of progress. However, there can be plenty of changes occurring on the inside which will eventually help us to achieve our goals. If you try to rush things, you can actually get in your own way. If you destroy a cocoon, you will destroy the butterfly. The incubation stage is also very important.

Top athletes and performers use their imagination to break through genuine performance plateaus. By visualizing the perfect accomplishment of their goals with clarity and strong emotion, they can achieve things they never thought possible. So can you. You can develop a daily visualization ritual and practice it until you achieve your goal in real life. This is a powerful practice that can break your plateau quickly.

The main thing to remember is to keep going and not give up. Keep practicing. Remember the old saying “perfect practice makes perfect” and persist until you get it right. Sometimes the breakthrough comes when we least expect it and surprise ourselves. Plan to celebrate and enjoy the moment you break through your plateau.

Don’t be surprised when you hit the next plateau. You can expect to reach another one sooner or later. Perhaps you can use your plateaus as natural rest stops. By being disciplined and focused you can move from one plateau to the next. You may need to be a bit creative and willing to experiment to move from one plateau to the next. This is often how athletes break records. Above all, act with integrity. Achieving your goals is not about winning at all costs, it is about becoming the best you can be.

Your thoughts are driven by the way you feel about yourself and the level of your self-esteem, and it’s these thoughts which turn into actions or deeds. The key factors of getting what you want out of life are the actions that you take. Therefore, if you are not reaching your goals and ambitions, take some time to carry out an assessment of how you actually feel about yourself.

Sometimes in order to reach your goals you have to take repeated action and continue doing so without giving in. The determination and drive you need to achieve success can be found in your high self-esteem and personal power.

On the other hand, if you are always criticizing yourself your self-worth will be low and this will make it difficult for you to take the correct actions enabling you to reach your ambitions. This connection between thoughts and actions is what stops you from getting going and is often the cause of surrender.

So what can be done about your self doubt and how can you energize your actions? Positive thinking is a good place to start so give yourself a pat on the back for your lifetime achievements so far.

We have all excelled at something so make a list of your accomplishments and how they came about. What did you do to make them happen? What obstacles did you have to overcome to reach that particular goal? Acknowledging your success to date is a great way to boost your self-confidence. You can then use your list of wins as the foundation to build your success for the future.

Don’t let it slip your mind that there is a distinct connection between what you think and what you do. It’s in your hands to take control of what you are thinking and at times of doubt, get that list out and have another look.

The greatest killer of dreams is thoughts of a negative nature. If you constantly tell yourself you cannot do something, you will reduce your effectiveness and lower your self-esteem to the degree that you will never reach your goals. This is where your list of wins can make you feel positive when such unconstructive thoughts come into your mind.

Try telling yourself that you can do anything if you really want to. Positive thoughts like this will fill you with confidence, make you optimistic and you will then concentrate on the job in hand and make a success of it. Plant positive seeds in your mind and the high esteem you feel will impel you to succeed by getting rid of any doubts or negative thoughts which are preventing you from reaching your goals.