In his bestselling book, What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School, Mark McCormack writes about a study done on students in the 1979 Harvard MBA program. In that year, the students were asked, "Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?" Only  3% of the graduates had written goals and plans; 13% had goals, but they were not in writing; and 84% actually had no specific goals at all.

Ten years later, the members of the class were interviewed again, and the findings, while somewhat predictable, were astonishing. The 13% of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84% who had no goals at all.  The 3% who had clear, written goals were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97% put together.

In spite of such proof of success, most people don't have clear, measurable, time-referenced goals that they work toward. If you really want to make changes in your life, then set specific, realistic goals and write them down.  Focus on them and don't let negative thinking interfere.

How to Overcome Goal Setting Obstacles

In the bestselling book, Goals!, Brian Tracy explains how to identify in the clearest terms the things you want out of life, then how to make the plan to help you achieve those things. He believes there are four reasons why people don't set goals:

• They don't realize the importance of goals. If the people with whom you spend the most time - family, friends, colleagues, and so forth - are not clear and committed to goals, there is a chance that you will not be, either.
• They don't know how to set goals. Some set goals that are too general. These are, in reality, fantasies common to everyone. Goals, on the other hand, are clear, written, specific and measurable.
• They fear failure. Failure is difficult, but it is often necessary to experience failure in order to achieve the greatest success. Do not unconsciously sabotage yourself by not setting any goals in which you might fail.
• They fear rejection. People are often afraid that if they are unsuccessful at achieving a goal, others will be critical of them. This is remedied by keeping your goals to yourself at the outset; let others see your results and achievements once you've accomplished your goals.