Have you ever had a burning desire to achieve something yet from time to time, found it difficult to take action? That is when you need to get yourself some inspirational quotes on goals!
1. Stop setting goals. Goals are pure fantasy unless you have a specific plan to achieve them. Steven Covey
Ouch! Okay, so this was maybe a tough one to get started with, however, I am feeling it doing me good already. When we set a goal and work towards it, we don’t always do the necessary part of reviewing exactly where we are. This is critical, otherwise it’s like being at the controls of a plane and not correcting the navigation en-route! You set off for Miami and ended up in Seattle! And you put in some extra effort but were going in wrong direction. Plan, do, review isn’t that what we are told? This is a very timely reminder. Thank you, Steven Covey, I’m all over it.
2. If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.
This is a really great reminder of why we set goals. The purpose, to quote Jim Rohn again, (more or less!) is not for what we get when we achieve them but for who we become as a result. I first started listening to Jim Rohn 11 years ago (I had been asleep at the wheel of my life up until then!) and I heard this quote. I thought I understood it but looking back, I really didn’t. It’s only after 11 years of successes and failures that I get it and I’m not sure that I would change anything. I can’t promise there won’t be more Jim Rohn quotes before the end…
3. Review your goals twice a day in order to be focused on achieving them. Les Brown

Keeping your goals in front of you is one of the most important things you can do. Back in my early days in Network Marketing there were some basic tasks I would do consistently but the things I needed to do to grow my income just did not happen and I identified the issue as being that I was losing sight of my goals. Despite knowing this, it took me a long time to get to the point of looking at my goals even once a day (or once a week)!
One of Peggy McColl‘s top tips is to write your goal on a ‘goal card’ – a little card that you keep on you person all the time that you look at any time you get a second. (I’m sure she nicked that from her mentor, Bob Proctor btw.) She also advocates her ‘Power Life Script’ which takes this philosophy to a whole new level. Click here to check it out.
4. Success is steady progress towards one’s personal goals. Jim Rohn
In a recent post, How To Visualize What You Want, I explored the theme that falling in love with the pursuit of your goals is, in fact, success! It is absolutely the journey that makes you who you dreamed of being! The thrill of the attainment of any goal does not last so it is really important to grasp this. It also takes the pressure off a bit, when you consider that you are already successful if you are working your plan!
5. You cannot expect to achieve new goals and move beyond your present circumstances unless you change. Les Brown
As much as I have followed many of the greats of the personal development world, I have not followed Les Brown! That changes now! This is a wonderful quote. The thinking that got you where you are today will not get you to where you want to go. You create your world with your thoughts. You need to keep your thoughts firmly on what you want and who you need to be to keep moving in that direction which is not always easy. Awareness is everything, though. (If you adhere to Les’s previous quote of reviewing your goals twice a day, you should stay on track!)
6. A goal properly set is halfway reached – Zig Ziglar
Ooh, I LOVE this. Wouldn’t you be encouraged to set goals really well if it meant you would be halfway to reaching them already? One of my first purchases I made when I got into personal development 11 years ago was the Zig Ziglar CD Goals. There are some excerpts of the very audio which was taken from a seminar back in the day. Check out one of the 5-minute videos here.
7. I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time. Michael Phelps
So, I imagine Michael Phelps saying these words in the context of an Olympic swimmer who had to stretch to be ahead of the competition but it is 100% true if we are trying to achieve something we have not done before. Just to throw another quote in, “You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Roy T. Bennett. So we are back to theme of change. If you don’t want to be uncomfortable you don’t have to, but I dare you. And keep doing it, that is seriously where growth is, and consequently everything you want!
8. If what you are doing is not moving you closer to your goals, it’s moving you away from your goals. Brian Tracy
When I set out to write this post I thought it would be a jolly little break from writing a ‘real’ post… The fact of the matter is that there are some hard-hitting home truths! I challenge you to honestly ask yourself if what you are doing is taking you towards your goals, no matter how slowly. If not, you need to either start acting on your plan or get a new plan. It’s like that old saying, ‘you are either growing or dying’! I choose growing!
Look out for a post on goal setting coming soon!
Are you great at setting and achieving goals? Do you lose sight of your goals like I used to or do you lack belief? Either way, I would love hear about your goal challenges and triumphs in the comments below.
I absolutely love these sayings, Jean! I always tell myself and others that to get something you’ve never had, you have to do something that you’ve never done. We often set goals for ourselves, but get distracted-distracted my doubt, distracted by how much hard work goes into accomplishing something worthwhile, distracted by the fear of failure. If we truly laser focus on our dreams, are willing to put in the work, ignore the negativity, and learn through all of the peaks and valleys (I don’t believe in losses, just lessons), we will succeed. Thank you so much for this reminder! God bless you!
Hi C.N.
Great to hear from you and I absolutely agree with your points. My attitude to goals has changed since I discovered that taking action IS success! I don’t need to worry about anything but moving forward (and checking progress along the way!) and enjoying the journey.
Do call by again some time.
Blessings,
Jean
I look forward every morning to my positive quotes that arrive in my email, and they do set my mind ready to start my day with a positive mind. Even the best business owners need motivation to keep their creative juices flowing, and I thank you for sharing these quotes today they do get us all started thinking in a more positive way
Jeff
Hey Jeff! I would absolutely expect that a man of your drive and ambition would be a fan of inspiring quotes. Thanks so much for taking the time to share. Bye for now,
Jean
Hi,
I love this post because there are times, as you mentioned that for that brief period we can feel slightly lost and a great quote can ignite the fires once again. Its amazing how a few words can make the difference. Keep up the great work and im sure we will speak soon.
All the best.
Thanks so much for your kind comments. I really enjoyed writing that post – I could feel each quote giving me either inspiration or a telling off and I went on!
Kind regards,
Jean