(Music)
TERRI: Hey, I'm Terri Savelle Foy, your cheerleader of dreams.
Hey, if you've never subscribed to this podcast, just push the
little red button right there for consistent teaching tools
and tips to help you live your dreams. Today, I want to talk
about the number one skill to achieve your goals. I'm
absolutely convinced this is the number one skill. Now, according
to statistics, nearly 50% of Americans make New Year's
resolutions, yet only 8% are successful in achieving their
goals; 8%. Well, typical goals people set, and you may identify
with this, because I know I used to, is this what they sound
like: get healthy, get organized, live life to the
fullest, learn new hobbies, spend less, save more, travel,
read more, get closer to God; things like that. Now, I hate to
say that most of the time, New Year's resolutions don't work.
Listen to this: 30% of people who set New Year's resolutions
quit after the first week; not the month, the first week. 60%
of people quit after six months. Now only 5% of those who lose
weight keep it off. I know, that's sad to hear. 95% gain it
back and a significant percentage even gain back more
than they originally lost. Now, I promise, I'm a motivational
speaker; but the truth is the problem with these goals and the
reasons they go unachieved year after year is that they're
just too vague. In fact, statistics show that we tend to
set the exact same goals ten times with no success. Many
times, they're just thoughts in our head and not plans on paper.
See, when we don't define what we truly want, the goal remains
just a wish. Clarity is one of the single most important keys
to success. What I mean by that is when you literally grab a pen
and paper, and you get crystal clear on your goals this year by
writing them down, you have just elevated your chance of
achieving it by 42%. 42%. See, writing your goals
is the number one skill to achieving them. You may have
heard of Grant Cardone. He has done this for years. He
said it's great for staying focused and keeping on
track. Grant Cardone said he started writing his dreams
and goals down in the very beginning. I'm talking
about the night he returned from drug rehab. Years ago, before he
became this successful sales person; he started writing them
down in order to get his life focused on what he wanted to
create. Now he said he writes them down every day, first thing
in the morning. Now listen to this: when he started doing this
20 years ago, this is what he said. He would write down, 'I
own 20 apartments or more.' At the time, he said he hadn't even
bought one apartment and didn't know anything about apartments
or financing. He said, "I was completely clueless. I had no
idea how I was going to accomplish the goal. Still, I
wrote it down and looked at that vision every day for years."
Well, almost five years later, he made a real estate deal for
48 units in Vista, California. He said, "Boom. A goal I had
been obsessed with was achieved. Think about that. Now he said he
writes them down faithfully every morning and every night.
Well, today Grant Cardone, he owns almost 5,000 apartments
worth $400 million. I think there's power in writing the
vision and making it plain, don't you? Of course, this came
from God's Word. It didn't come from Grant Cardone. It didn't
come from me. God's the one who said 'write the vision and make
it plain.' Be specific about what you want to achieve and
write it down. When you write your goals down, it forces you
to clarify what you really want. See, it's no different than
saying you're going on a vacation with no location in
mind. How do you pack? Which flight do you catch? Which route
do you drive? See, when you have goals, you are pinpointing your
destination. Then, you're making plans to reach it. See, when you
know where you're going, it motivates you to start taking
action. It also helps you stay focused when exciting
distractions come your way and try to get you off track;
because that will happen. For example, when you set a
financial goal, not just 'save money,' but instead, you write
down to save $1200 this year. You know that means you must
save $100 every month. Well, let's say someone invites you to
a concert that costs $100. You say, 'No, I have a very firm
goal to save $100 a month.' See, you filter out the distractions
when you have a clear, written goal. Now, real quick. One of
the ways you can stay focused and committed to your goals is
by asking 'why?' Why do you have this goal? Why do you want to
save $1200? What's the point or the purpose of it? You might
say, 'Well, because I don't want to be dependent on family when I
have an emergency.' Or, 'Because I've seen too many of my friends
and family live in debt their whole lives with no emergency
money set aside.' You could say, 'I'm setting a financial
goal because I'm establishing a new pattern in my life to be
wise with my finances and not spend everything I make.' That's
how I used to be. Or, you could say, 'Because if I do this every
year for the next five years, I'll have over $6,000.' Or maybe
because Proverbs says, "The wise have wealth and luxury, but a
fool spends whatever he gets," and I'm determined to not live
like a fool anymore. That's how Rodney and I had to be.
We said, "We're tired of being fools." Well, when you see
and clarify why a goal is so important to you, it helps you
stay focused all year long. Don't be vague and nonspecific.
Write down what you want to achieve this year. Steve Harvey
said, "You've got to create vision boards, dream boards." He
said, "You've got to put a picture of the new car up. Put a
picture of the weight you want to be." He said, "If you can see
it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand." Well, I firmly
believe that. In fact, just the power of writing down a vision
... I heard this story years ago from T.D. Jakes. He said years
ago, he was ... He needed millions of dollars to build his
church campus. He said he went to the bank and asked them for a
loan. They said, "Well, we need to see where you're headed." He
said, "What's your plan?" Then they asked him, they said,
"Present to us a seven-year plan by next week." He said he went
home and he literally wrote down what he saw in his heart. He
wrote it out clearly on paper, went back to the bank, handed
them what he saw in his spirit, basically, and they handed him a
loan for 45 million dollars. Well, he knew where he was
headed and he put it in writing. I'm challenging you, write the
vision and make it plain on paper. Now, why is the power of
writing it down so important? Well, Dr. Gail Matthews, a
psychology professor at the Dominican ... University in
California ... I was going to say 'Dominican Republic.' She
did a study on the art and science of goal setting. She
gathered 267 people together. These were men and women from
all over the world, from all walks of life, including
entrepreneurs, educators, health care professionals, artists,
lawyers, bankers, all different types of people. She divided the
participants up into groups, according to who wrote down
their goals and dreams, and who didn't. She discovered that
those who wrote down their goals and dreams on a regular basis
achieved those desires at a significantly higher level than
those who did not. In fact, she found that you become 42% more
likely to achieve your goals and dreams simply by writing them
down on a regular basis. The likelihood that you'll transform
your desires into a reality goes up even further if you share
your written goals with a friend who believes in your abilities
to succeed. Isn't that amazing? When the vision is clear, the
results will appear. The number one sign that you're going to be
successful is if you refuse to be average. Don't be like
everyone else. Don't be like the 97% who never write their goals.
Move up to the 3% who not only write them, but achieve them.
Remember, average is as close to the bottom as it is to the top.
Let's refuse to be average this year. Become a lifelong goal
setter and start by writing them down. "Setting goals," this is
what Tony Robbins said, "Setting goals is the first step at
turning the invisible into the visible." I want to send you
some questions to help you identify your goals and to help
you get more specific about them. I want to challenge you to
just look at the link there, click on it, and fill out this
form. It will help you to identify what you really need to
get serious about this year. I would love to pray over your
goals, to join my faith with you. Click the link. Send me
your top ten goals. I believe it's going to help you just
identify what's so important for you this year. Now, I want to
mention real quick, we have an amazing YouTube subscriber of
the week. This is Jenny. Jenny, I love this. This is what she
wrote. "Your teachings are changing the way I'm thinking,
doing, and expanding my mind." I love that. She said, "I can't
believe how hard it is to create a 101 items on my dream list.
She said, ... because I challenged ... In one of my
podcasts, to start writing 101 things you want to do. She said,
"But while you're writing them, it really does stir something
inside of you. Your book, 'Pep Talk,' has helped stir more
things inside of me." She said, "I cannot wait to get my vision
board done. I have the kit. I've done them in the past, but I
never put any meaning behind them." She said, "I love how
simple you make things. You break everything down to an
understandable level." I'm glad you like that. I'm glad it's
helping you. She said, "I've listened to a lot of
motivational speakers in the past, but came away scratching
my head, wondering what I just heard and frustrated. I still
appreciate you." Well Jenny, I am so proud of you and I am
cheering you on. For anybody who still feels like they're
scratching their head about their goals this year, I want
you to take advantage of this Isaiah 46:10 Method, because
it's going to help you get crystal clear. It's a completely
free download to help you identify your goals for 2018.
This will help you set specific goals and to stay focused on
them all year. Now, we want you to send us your top ten goals so
we can pray over them and declare that 2018 will be your
best year yet. Use the link in the description and be sure to
follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and
Pinterest, so I can keep you motivated to achieve your
dreams. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next week.
TERRI: The NEXT Conference is right around the corner.
It's the number one success training conference based
on God's Word to help leaders grow. Join us
on the lake in Rockwall, Texas, January 26 and
27 for two days of insight that will take your business,
personal life, and ministry to the next level. My special
guest is Keith Craft. He's a pastor and a success coach
who's worked with Zig Ziglar, George Bush Sr., Les Brown,
and former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani. He'll teach you
how to elevate your thinking so you can elevate your
life. If you're ready to go to the next level, this is a
weekend vital to your growth. Seats are limited and will sell
out, so head over to Terri.com/Next to register
today so you can connect with influencers, elevate
your thinking, and go to the next level in 2018.