PDF Summary:Goals!, by Brian Tracy

Author Brian Tracy has traveled around the world to give thousands of seminars and talks about achieving goals—and he’s living proof that his principles work. His compelling rags-to-riches story shows just how much you can accomplish when you have a strategy for going after what you want. In Goals!, Tracy outlines the goal-setting method that worked for him, which consists of changing your mindset, being clear about what you want, using the power of visualization, and keeping track of your progress.

This guide explores Tracy’s method and how to apply it to your career, finances, relationships, and health. It also expands on his ideas with commentary exploring supplementary or alternative goal-setting strategies, as well as research on the science and psychology of goal-setting.

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Step 2: Believe You Can Achieve It

If you were honest about what you want in Step 1, you might now have a list of goals that seem unattainable, from the amount of money you want to earn to the kind of relationship you want to have. Instead of doubting your ability to achieve your goals or being intimidated by the time and effort required, have a strong conviction that you can do, have, or be anything that you want.

To foster this sense of confidence, Tracy recommends avoiding goals that are outrageously ambitious, because you’ll only feel discouraged or defeated if you don’t hit these goals right away. Instead, set one small goal after another. This strengthens your goal-setting muscle, giving you the confidence to set bigger goals.

For example, if you want to increase your income, first think of a figure that is attainable within a realistic time period given your situation, resources, and skills. Instead of aiming to increase your income by 100% right away, aim for a 30% increase within a year.

(Shortform note: Tracy advises starting with small goals with the objective of working your way up to big ones as a confidence-boosting exercise. But studies show that having big, long-term goals at all may actually lead to disappointment and unhappiness because they take so long to achieve. To have a healthier approach to your major life goals, view them with some detachment: Your goals aren’t prerequisites to happiness, but they give you direction as you navigate your way through life. If your circumstances change, allow yourself to let go of big goals that no longer align with the direction you’re going. This will help you to retain the confidence that Tracy states you need to move forward.)

Step 3: Write It Down

Once you have a strong conviction that you can achieve whatever you set out to do, it’s time to commit your goals to paper. Tracy says that the simple act of writing down your goals is transformative, and he cites a Harvard study to back up his claim: In the study, Harvard MBA graduates who had written down their goals after graduation were later found to be earning 10 times more than those who hadn’t written down their goals. (Shortform note: The Harvard study that Tracy mentions here is widely cited in books and articles. However, there is no record that this study ever took place. Still, other studies have shown that writing down goals increases your chances of success.)

Tracy recommends that you spend five minutes a day listing 10 to 15 goals. Refine the list as the days go by until your goals become clearer and eventually become second nature to you. This daily act of writing not only helps you keep track of your progress but also forges a stronger connection between your conscious and subconscious mind, orienting you toward goal-attaining actions. Tracy says it’s okay to be skeptical about this connection, but you should have the discipline to keep doing the exercise anyway.

Why You Should Strengthen Your Conscious-Subconscious Connection

Tracy says that regularly writing down your goals reinforces the connection between your conscious and subconscious, but he doesn’t go into detail about how this connection can help you. Author Maxwell Maltz explains that strengthening this connection is important to prevent yourself from sabotaging your efforts. In Psycho-Cybernetics, he writes that consciously deciding to achieve goals isn’t enough to actually help you achieve them—these conscious goals should also be aligned with your subconscious goals, otherwise you’ll engage in self-sabotaging behaviors. For example, your conscious goal might be to have an intimate relationship, but your subconscious goals might lead you to push people away.

To address this incongruence, Maltz says that you should work on your self-image, which is the “operator” of your subconscious. Having a positive self-image ensures that your subconscious leads you toward productive, rather than destructive, behaviors.

Step 4: Assess Your Starting Point

Once you’re clear about your destination, the next step is to determine your starting point. Tracy says that you should be brutally honest about your current circumstances and how you got there. Reflect on the people or behaviors that have led to your current situation and that may continue to hinder your progress and prevent you from reaching your goals. Not having to deal with these barriers will save you plenty of time and effort in the long run, so think about how you can be free of them.

For example, if your goal is to make a million dollars, your starting point is how much money you currently have. List all your assets and subtract your liabilities from them to determine your net worth. Then, reflect on the behaviors that led to your situation and that may keep you from reaching your goal—for example, not tracking your expenses, using retail therapy to cope with stress, and paying for a gym membership you don’t use.

(Shortform note: You might avoid assessing your starting point because confronting your bad habits and relationships can be painful. Plus, even if you are willing to put yourself through the pain of self-assessment, you may lack the self-awareness to determine all the factors that can hinder you from progress. To increase your self-awareness, ask people close to you to point out patterns in your behavior. The opinions of objective outsiders can help you see your blind spots.)

Step 5: Find Your “Why”

Once you’ve figured out what goals to pursue and where to start on them, turn your attention to why you want to achieve them. The road to your goals can be long and arduous, so reminding yourself of the reasons you want to achieve them can keep you going despite the obstacles. To this end, Tracy says to list all the reasons you have to pursue each of the goals on your list. Write as many reasons as you can think of—having more reasons increases your motivation, persistence, and determination.

For example, if your goal is to lose 30 pounds, one of your reasons might be “to feel comfortable in a swimsuit next summer.” However, you might delay taking action if the summer is still months away. Having other reasons such as “to have more energy,” “to stop taking medication,” and “to improve my sex life” can increase your motivation and get you moving.

(Shortform note: Tracy emphasizes the importance of finding reasons to pursue goals to keep you motivated to achieve them. However, some argue that motivation can only get you so far when it comes to chasing success. To keep going even when you’ve lost your drive, design an environment that helps you reach your goals with less effort. You can do this by automating decision-making, incorporating good habits into your daily routine, and taking away negative influences.)

Step 6: Determine the “When”

After writing down your reasons for wanting to achieve the goals you’ve chosen, turn your attention to setting deadlines for each of them. It’s okay if your progress isn’t perfectly aligned with your predicted timeline—Tracy says you might achieve some goals earlier and others later than planned. What matters is that you have a target timeline to aim for.

(Shortform note: Tracy doesn’t mention why deadlines are so important to goal-setting. Deadlines are necessary because they give you a sense of urgency, force you to think about how to move forward, and help you manage your priorities. Without deadlines, you procrastinate or spend too much time on easier tasks that are only vaguely related to your goal.)

Tracy notes that some deadlines might be five or 10 years into the future, so you might get overwhelmed by the long road ahead. He recommends that to better approach intimidating long-term goals, you break down your deadlines into more manageable sub-deadlines or short-term goals, such as tasks you can accomplish each week or month. For example, if your goal is to make a million dollars in 10 years, your short-term goal might be to invest a specific amount each month. Meeting your short-term goals not only keeps you moving but also makes you feel accomplished, which in turn boosts your confidence and motivation.

How to Transform Big Goals into Actionable Steps

Breaking down deadlines into sub-deadlines, as Tracy recommends, makes daunting goals seem more doable. In 12 Rules For Life, author Jordan Peterson gives practical tips for turning big goals into more approachable tasks:

• Think about one thing you can do today that will make your life a little better at the end of the day than it was in the morning.

• Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself the way you want an ideal boss to treat you—you wouldn’t want a boss who never thinks your work is good enough.

• Reward yourself for small wins.

Step 7: Identify Challenges

Now that you have a comprehensive view of your goals and when you want to achieve them, the next step is to identify potential challenges. According to Tracy, challenges are inevitable and failure is part of the process of pursuing your goals. He writes that successful people understand that the only real failure is giving up. (Shortform note: Remove the stigma of failure by learning to see it as something positive: When you fail, remind yourself that it’s only a temporary setback and that the experience holds a valuable lesson. Then, reflect on how you can use the lesson to move forward.)

When you know the challenges and potential problems ahead of you, you can be better prepared to face them. Tracy offers these two tips for preparing for the challenges ahead:

1) Find the root cause. Write down every possible roadblock and look at each problem from every angle, digging deeper until you find its root cause. Tracy says it’s important to identify the root cause of your problems so that you can determine the right course of action. (Shortform note: To encourage deeper thinking as you reflect on your problems, revisit the “five whys” technique you used while clarifying your values: Look at each problem and keep asking why it’s happening until you arrive at the root cause.)

If you’re having trouble determining the root cause, ask someone close to you to give their perspective. There’s a big chance that the root cause might be you—Tracy writes that 80 percent of your obstacles stem from your own weaknesses, fear, and doubt. (Shortform note: These weaknesses vary from person to person. Some of the internal forces that might sabotage your progress are a lack of discipline or focus, perfectionism, and the need to be liked.)

2) Find solutions, not excuses. Instead of dwelling on your problems and how they make you feel, Tracy says to stay solution-oriented. (Shortform note: One way to do this is to ask solution-oriented questions. For example, instead of asking, “Why am I not getting promoted?” ask, “What three things should I accomplish this quarter to improve my performance?”)

Step 8: Keep Learning

Once you identify your challenges, you’ll have a clearer idea of the skills required for you to overcome them and reach your goals. Tracy argues that if you don’t have the necessary skills or if you’re weak in some areas, commit to learning and strengthening those skills. Learning new things will not only help you reach your goals but will also increase your self-esteem and give you more courage and confidence to pursue what you want. (Shortform note: Additionally, research suggests that continuous learning offers advantages outside of goal achievement, such as keeping you agile and adaptable to change, helping you make new friends, broadening your perspective, and enriching your life.)

Career Progress Comes From Learning

Tracy says that learning new skills is especially important for your career goals because your skills are directly related to your earning ability—he writes that the more skilled you are, the higher your potential income. (Shortform note: Tracy associates career success with a higher income, so to him, the end goal of upgrading your skills is to make more money. However, some argue that career success is not just about accomplishments, but a combination of financial stability and personal fulfillment. Clarifying values in the pre-goal-setting stage can help you come up with your own definition of career success.)

Tracy gives four tips to help you determine the skills you need:

1) Identify the Key Result Areas for Your Specific Field

Tracy explains that key result areas (KRAs) are the skills you need to do your job. In management, for example, the KRAs are planning, organizing, staffing, delegating, supervising, measuring, and reporting. Once you’ve identified your specific KRAs, rate yourself in each area on a scale of one to 10. (Shortform note: To identify and assess your KRAs, go back to your job description and look at job postings in your field, evaluate both your hard and soft skills, and review your performance evaluations.)

2) Ask Others to Rate You

Next, Tracy recommends asking your boss, customers, and co-workers to rate you from one to 10 on your KRAs, or have them fill out an anonymous survey to comment on your performance. The results will give you a more objective view of your performance. (Shortform note: Receiving critical feedback might make you feel discouraged or defensive. To become more receptive to feedback, authors Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen write that you should learn to view feedback as evaluations rather than judgments. Read more in our full guide to Thanks for the Feedback.)

3) Identify Your Weakest Area

To identify your weaknesses, review your self-assessment and others’ assessment of your skills. Tracy says it’s important to identify your weakest area because you can only go as high up the career ladder as your weakest skill will allow you. Resolve to improve until you score no lower than a seven on any of your key skills. (Shortform note: Tracy writes that for you to be successful, all your skills should have a minimum rating of seven. However, some would argue that it’s impossible to be good at everything. Avoid wasting time trying to turn your weaknesses into strengths and work on managing them instead. Put in the effort to get just good enough, and consider working with people with complementary strengths to make up for your weak areas.)

4) Leverage What You’re Good At

Finally, Tracy advises that you use your strengths—the skills that feel natural to you, that you perform well, and that make you feel like you’re in the zone—to your advantage. If you discover that your particular talents are more suited to another field, don’t be afraid to start fresh. Working in a field that taps into your natural abilities can more quickly increase your earning ability than sticking it out in a field that doesn’t play to your strengths. (Shortform note: If you think that your strengths are better suited to another career, don’t make the jump right away. It’s prudent to first set up informational interviews with people in your prospective new career field. Your goal during the interviews is to learn as much as you can about the industry—both negatives and positives—so you can make an informed decision.)

Step 9: Build Connections With the Right People

After identifying the skills you’ll need to achieve your goals, assess what kind of help you need from other people to improve your skills and move closer to your goals. Tracy believes that other people are necessary to your success, whether their role is to open doors to opportunities or to provide emotional or moral support. The right kind of help can save you years of hard work and fast-track your achievements.

(Shortform note: You might think that building connections with others is unnecessary because some successful people are described as “self-made”—and, in misalignment with his emphasis on the importance of connections, Tracy himself has a book about self-made millionaires. However, some say that the self-made person is a myth. Even entrepreneurs who started their empires from virtually nothing relied on family, friends, financial backers, and customers to build their business.)

It’s therefore important to build and nurture your relationships in three areas:

1) At work: Whatever field or business you’re in, Tracy says that you’re essentially in customer service. Your job is to meet the needs of those who play a role in your advancement and those who rely on you: your boss, co-workers, staff, customers, and suppliers. Be a team player by doing what’s expected of you, knowing your priorities, and genuinely offering to help others. (Shortform note: Tracy writes what you should do as a team player, but he doesn’t describe what you should be. In The Ideal Team Player, author Patrick Lencioni describes a team player as someone who is humble (putting the success of the team above personal interests), hungry (driven to do more), and smart when it comes to dealing with other people. Read more in our full guide to the book.)

2) In your industry: Tracy notes that some of the best people you can associate with may not be within your organization, so venture out of your workplace and get involved in industry associations and business organizations. Volunteer for committees then do your work well. Those you impress today might be able to open doors for you tomorrow. (Shortform note: If the idea of building a network throughout your industry intimidates you, you can treat it as a big goal that you can break down into smaller goals. For example, resolve to make one new industry connection each week.)

3) At home: Tracy stresses not to take your loved ones for granted. Be sure to explain why you have to put in long hours at work and make it up to them in the future. Having a happy, supportive home life can motivate you to do better in the outside world. On the other hand, having problems at home can negatively affect you, distracting you from work and draining your energy. (Shortform note: Tracy says that a happy home life can lead to a better work life, but the two actually reinforce each other. Research shows that employees who are engaged at work carry those positive feelings back home and are more satisfied with their home life.)

Be the “Right Person” for Other People

While the ninth step typically involves identifying people who can help you reach your career goals (like your boss and co-workers) or your health goals (like doctors, if you have underlying health conditions), it also means evaluating what you bring to the table, especially when it comes to your personal relationships. Tracy advises that you think about the qualities that can improve your relationships, like patience, humility, attentiveness, and warmth, and practice them until they become second nature.

(Shortform note: You should think about what you bring to the table because networking should be mutually beneficial. Be sure to have something to offer the people that you connect with instead of just thinking about what they can do for you.)

Step 10: Plan and Execute

Now that you’ve clarified what you want, identified the challenges, and determined the skills and people you need, Tracy says you’re ready to turn your goals into multi-step projects with deadlines. Even though circumstances are bound to change and not everything will go according to plan, the act of planning itself can better prepare you for the challenges that come your way. (Shortform note: Tracy outlines his basic planning tips, but there’s more than one way to plan. Look for a way that works for you, whether it’s an online planning tool, a detailed spreadsheet, or a simple to-do list on a whiteboard. The important thing is that you have a plan, any plan, in place.)

How to Come Up With a Plan

Tracy writes that you shouldn’t aim to come up with a perfect plan from the beginning. Instead, just aim to get started on working toward your goals—you can make adjustments to your plan along the way. Even if you don’t consider yourself a planner, he says it’s a skill you can learn, so practice the following basic steps:

1) Create a Project-Planning Sheet

Tracy recommends that you put your plans down on paper with tasks arranged by priority then sub-tasks arranged in the order you need to do them and when. Note that you may be able to do some tasks at the same time. (Shortform note: Tracy recommends thinking about your tasks chronologically, but research suggests that planning in reverse is more effective for long-term goals than chronological planning because it forces you to think of each step in terms of having successfully completed the previous step. Put simply, planning in reverse means working your way backward from your goal until you reach the first step.)

2) Consult Other People

Once you have your project-planning sheet, Tracy says to identify which tasks require other people’s action. Then, ask those people to give you a realistic projection of the time and resources they need for them to do their part—it’s possible that they’ll need more or less time and resources than you anticipated. Make adjustments to your plan based on their input. (Shortform note: You won’t always work with people who are on the same planning wavelength as you. If you have to collaborate with a non-planner, make them more open to the idea of planning by mentioning how having a plan can benefit them and promise to keep planning sessions short.)

3) Decide Whether to Move Forward

After breaking your goals down into mini-projects and consulting other people who are essential to your plan, you now have a better understanding of exactly what’s involved in achieving your goals. If, after careful planning and discussions with the people involved, you find that your initial goals aren’t feasible, Tracy says it’s best to put them aside rather than waste your time, money, and energy pursuing a lost cause. (Shortform note: This advice may feel at odds with Tracy’s earlier statement that the only real failure is giving up. However, experts agree you should let go of a goal when it has a negative effect on you, gets in the way of other goals, or no longer aligns with who you are and what you want. Choosing not to pursue a goal in any of these circumstances arguably isn’t a “failure”—more, a sensible decision to step back.)

How to Execute Your Plan

Achieving your goals isn’t just about having a well-detailed plan. It’s also about executing that plan according to schedule. Tracy stresses that time management—learning how to prioritize tasks that help you reach your goals—is a crucial skill to keep you on track. (Shortform note: People often confuse time management with multitasking, or doing several tasks at once. While time management is meant to help you prioritize your tasks and do them efficiently, multitasking reduces your efficiency and even damages your brain.)

Just as planning is a skill you can develop, so is time management. Tracy has three tips to help you stay on track:

1) Come Up With Weekly and Daily Plans

Tracy advises that before each workweek begins, write down your tasks for the week ahead. Then, each morning, write down your tasks for the day. (Shortform note: If your to-do list looks unmanageable, try this trick: Have another list where you write only one thing from your long list, then focus on doing your chosen task until you’re done. Cross it out, then choose your next task. Being intentional about each task minimizes the chances that you’ll get distracted.)

2) Determine Which Tasks to Prioritize

Here’s a simple gauge to determine how high a task should be on your priority list: Ask, “What are the consequences if I don’t complete this task?” Tracy says that the task with the biggest repercussions for non-completion should be the highest on your list. (Shortform note: Author John C. Maxwell recommends another way to determine your priority tasks. In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, he writes that you can evaluate each task according to the three Rs: requirement, or whether you need to do it yourself; return, or the results that the task yields; and reward, or whether it’s something you love—Maxwell says that it’s worth spending time on the things you enjoy.)

3) Focus on High-Value Tasks

Tracy recommends using the 80/20 Rule to determine your high-value tasks: Determine the 20 percent of your tasks that give you the most value, and channel most of your efforts toward accomplishing those first. (Shortform note: The 80/20 Rule that Tracy mentions is also known as the Pareto Principle, which states that 80 percent of consequences come from 20 percent of causes. Some warn against using the 80/20 Rule across the board, because doing so may leave little room for exploration and growth. While you should evaluate which activities give you the most value, you should also be flexible and make adjustments as needed.)

Step 11: Stay on Track

Once you start executing your plan, the next step is to monitor your progress. Tracy says you can do this by setting daily, weekly, and monthly benchmarks and metrics for each of your goals. Numbers make it plain to see whether you’re moving closer to your goal, allow you to make corrections as soon as you see that something is off, and help you stay on schedule. For example, your daily metric for your weight-loss goal can be the number of calories you consume. Your weekly metric can be how many minutes you spend exercising. Your monthly metrics can be how many pounds you lose.

(Shortform note: To have a clear picture of how you’re doing, author Cal Newport suggests keeping a physical display of your metrics in a visible place. Seeing your progress can help keep you motivated and encourage you to celebrate small milestones.)

Step 12: Keep Going

With a clear picture of your future and a solid plan in the execution phase, all that’s left to do is to keep moving forward, no matter what challenges come your way. Tracy says that there are two qualities that you need to develop so that you can face the challenges you encounter: courage and persistence.

Courage

Tracy writes that you need courage to face what is likely your biggest challenge: fear. Being afraid of failure and rejection can make you indecisive and paralyze you. He suggests four methods to overcome the fears that are holding you back:

1) Increase Your Knowledge

Tracy claims that gaining more information and experience in the areas you’re afraid of can give you more confidence. He believes that the more you know, the more confident you’ll become. For example, if you’re afraid of losing money because you don’t know much about investing, read books, attend seminars, and talk to experts so that you can build up the courage to take informed risks. (Shortform note: Interestingly, Tracy’s claim that more information makes you more confident is at odds with the well-known Dunning-Kruger effect, which states that people who know the least about a subject are the most confident in their knowledge about it.)

2) Get Some Rest

Tracy says that being sick or tired can affect your attitude. Working on your fitness, getting a good night’s sleep, or going on vacation can recharge you and make you feel more ready to take on challenges. (Shortform note: If you don’t have the luxury of being able to go on vacation, rest more, or spend time getting fit, try meditation. A few minutes of daily practice can reset your mind and reduce fear and stress. Learn the basics of meditation in our full guide to Mindfulness in Plain English.)

3) Confront Your Fears

Tracy says you should list all of your fears in order of magnitude. Then, analyze how each fear hurts you and helps you, and how you can benefit from overcoming it. For example, a fear of rejection may hurt you by keeping you from getting to know a potential romantic partner and help you by pushing you to nurture existing friendships. Overcoming this fear of rejection can help you find someone who can share your struggles, celebrate your successes, and build a family with you. (Shortform note: If you’re struggling to face your fears, use positive peer pressure to help you. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and go after what you want. For example, if you’re very shy and afraid of socializing, you might commit to spending more time with your most extroverted friends.)

4) Take the First Step

Tracy says that the steps above won’t get you anywhere if you don’t take action. Don’t wait until conditions are perfect before you start anything—opportunities will open up to you as long as you start moving. (Shortform note: Take care not to mistake motion for action. In Atomic Habits, author James Clear defines motion as the planning phase, and he warns that it can work against you by giving you the illusion that you’re making progress. On the other hand, action is the actual performance of steps that move you closer to your goals.)

Persistence

While courage can help you start reaching for your goals, persistence will keep you going despite the obstacles. Tracy repeatedly says that challenges are inevitable, and even the most successful people have had their fair share of setbacks. The reason they’re successful isn’t their luck or exceptional talent but their ability to endure despite difficulties and to learn and grow from adversity.

(Shortform note: To become a person who can keep going no matter what, adopt a growth mindset—believe that your talents and traits are changeable and that you have the capacity to improve and rise to the challenges you face. To shift to this mindset, author Angela Duckworth writes that you might have to unlearn the beliefs that shaped you, such as negative feedback that you received as a child. Read more in our full guide to Grit.)