Goal Setting - My Disappointing Discovery

Goal setting has become almost an industry in itself with countless books and techniques available online and in published form promising to help you achieve your most cherished desires. I have read many articles and looked at many products in the course of keeping up-to-date in my profession.

In much of the material, authors refer to a study conducted at Yale in 1953 in which the graduating class were asked if they had clear, written goals. 3% of the students said they had written goals, 13% had goals they had not written down and 84% had no clear goals.

At the class reunion 20 years later, further investigation discovered that the 3% with written goals were worth more than the other 97% put together!

A striking story indeed, and one which is commonly used to illustrate the power and necessity of writing down goals. I was planning to use it on my website and decided that I needed to know more about this fascinating study. It was a disappointment, therefore, that on looking into it more closely, a simple search on Google brought up many claims that the so-called research never in fact took place and that the source of the statistics cannot be found!

So that has blown my fabulous introduction to goal setting for my coaching and courses! It does not, however, affect my responsibility to my clients to ascertain before they embark on coaching that their goals are realistic and achievable at the same time as being challenging and exciting.

Andy Britnell is an executive coach who works with businesspeople in both the private and public sectors who wish to achieve better results. See my website at http://executive-coaching-for -business-growth/goal-setting.html for some useful goal setting strategies.

Sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter Grow and Learn at http://andybritnell.co.uk/ for short and incisive tips on better understanding yourself and others.

Previous newsletters can be found at http://www.andybritnell.co.uk/resources/in dex.html

---

Achieve Your Goals: Embodying Your Intentions to Inspire Manifestation

Bringing life to your ideas is what helps them to... Read More

The Process of Developing Meaningful Goals

DEVELOPING A GOAL-SETTING CHECKPOINT: The process of developing meaningful goals... Read More

Focus = Clarity

Photographs are clearer when they are in focus. When they... Read More

Achieve Your Goals By Doing Something About Them

The title of this article sounds simplistic but it is... Read More

How To Score Your Own Goals With Sarah

Do you know where your company is going? Do you... Read More

Focus

To have a goal is like having a road map.... Read More

Where Will You Be July 1st, 2006?

So, a New Year has snuck up on you again... Read More

Setting Financial Goals - Part 2

In my earlier article "Setting Financial Goals ? Part 1"... Read More

New Years Resolutions? Dont Be So Hard On Yourself

Have you set resolutions for yourself to accomplish in 2005?... Read More

Set SMART Goals to Achieve More

Are you having trouble achieving your goals, or getting through... Read More

Setting Goals ? Things to Think About

We hear a lot about the steps we should take... Read More

Creating the Best Year of Your Life

At the end of each year, and on their birthdays,... Read More

What Do You Really, Really, Really Want?

If the 90s British pop sensation 'the Spice Girls' ever... Read More

Why Do Many Smart, Motivated People Never Achieve Their Goals?

In his multimedia "Unleash Your Greatness Success System" Mike Litman... Read More

Competition, Jealousy And Goals

Naturally some of us are more competitive than others, but... Read More

Priorities

Last month's edition of Footprints and Monuments was about living... Read More

If I Won the Lottery, I Wouldnt Have to Job Search!

IF I WON THE LOTTERY, IWOULDN'T NEED TO JOB SEARCH!Let's... Read More

Great Goals Make You Stretch!

I began enhancing my personal energy level three months shy... Read More

Money, a Session With Joseth on Abundance and Money (Channelled)

(Channelled) (This communication with Joseth happened more than a year... Read More

The Top 10 Steps to Set and Achieve Your Goals - Every Time!

It's been said that everyone has goals, whether we know... Read More

Climb and Summit Mt. Goals

Are you trying to reach a goal that feels like... Read More

How to Set Effective Goals That Guarantee Your Success

In this article, I will be sharing with you the... Read More

Personal Goal Setting and Management - Planning for the Year Ahead

The start of a New Year is a great time... Read More

Goals - If You Don?t Know What You Want, Then How Are You Going to Get It?

Recently, I spoke with a client who wanted me to... Read More

Turn The Escape Key Now

"I think I know how bank robbers feel as they... Read More

Discovering Your Values

In the last newsletter we talked about 'Your Reason Why',... Read More

Goal Setting and Interviewing

Before you go on an interview process or even start... Read More

Do you Have the Burning Desire to Lose Weight or Reach any Goal?

NOTE: This article is one of the component parts of... Read More

Idiots Guide to Goal Setting: 5 Steps to Success

Weve all read about personal goal setting. Weve all tried... Read More

Are You Stuck? Consider Changing Your Focus!

If you sometimes feel as though you're caught in life's... Read More

Reaching Your Goals: A Ridiculous Way to Succeed

If you've ever had any sales training, you've probably been... Read More

Breaking Goals Down To The Basics

One of the primary reasons why people fail to execute... Read More

Why Success With Goal Setting Is A Myth! Heres What You Really Need...

Every person who succeeded at a high level, in any... Read More