I've always been a believer in setting goals. In the past, though, I've been able to achieve my goals just by writing them down and didn't have to remind myself of them on a regular basis. However, as my goals grew more complex, they pushed me to make bigger leaps out of my comfort zone.

The most important work you'll do today is planning what you'll do. Here are some key strategies for staying proactive -- and one step ahead of stress.

Anyone can learn how to focus -- but only if we decide what is important to us and what we want to commit to accomplishing. The only wrong choice is no choice.

The patterns that you repeat on a daily basis will eventually form the identity that you believe in and the actions that you take. You can transform your identity and become the type of person who doesn't need motivation to perform well.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, willpower is largely a useless strategy to overcoming internal resistance. Fortunately, there is an easier way to get unstuck from any project, goal or to-do you have been blocked from taking action on.

Quitting early to avoid getting stuck in a rut is smart. But continually shortening your time horizons for career achievement and shirking hard work in the search for immediate silver bullets is a dangerous practice, and may actually limit your long-term outcomes.

Even a small step in the right direction can have a snowball effect in bringing you closer to the joyful, purposeful life you are meant to live. I hope you will make that small step today!

When people come to see me for business coaching and to make personal changes in their lives, one of the first things I ask them to think about is who in their life is supportive of their goals, and who isn't.

If you truly pursue the things you are most passionate about, you will find that doing so helps you attain success. Put your passions at the top of your to-do list every morning and many achievements will likely fall into place.

I love celebrating the new year, and the concept of resolving to become "better" in whatever sense that resonates for you. That's why I share these thoughts -- because nothing frustrates me more than the January shine, the February wane, and the March drop-off.

Reaching any goal, manifesting any desire is a simple matter of deciding that you want it and starting to move in that direction. It's no more complicated than driving from say, Los Angeles to San Francisco.

No matter your age -- if you're in your 20s or your 80s -- you can still find a way to fulfill the passions that live inside you by putting a plan in place. Without an action plan, those passions will forever live in the back of your mind rather than becoming a reality.

As someone who listens to people for a living, I am often waiting to hear small truths in statements that could be written off as pipe dreams. In every big dream that is dependent on the lottery, there are little ones that need expressing right now.

How often do you talk yourself out of even looking into something or checking out a possibility because of that voice inside your head saying things like "gee, they must get bombarded with things like this all the time," or "that's never going to work"?

While getting the gold or winning the race matters, what carries even more weight is the willingness to dedicate every last drop of energy in pursuit of a goal.

If you believe we all have the ability, given the right conditions, to have an extraordinary life -- whether it is as an Olympic athlete, scientist or teacher -- what can we learn from Olympic athletes to turn our dreams into reality?

If you don't believe that your thoughts are creating the life you're living and that you're the principal author of your own destiny, writing your own story every day, you will remain a helpless audience member watching your life go by.

There is plenty of success going around, so here is a quick guide to counter that movement and keep things balanced in the world.

I am not one who normally embraces personal challenges like running a marathon. Marathon running is a cliché goal, right up there with climbing a big mountain or sailing around something. But I am buying into the cliché.

I ask you to consider, using this little self-assessment, whether you are really letting yourself "want" what you think or say you want. If any of these are true for you, then you might be more satisfied with the status quo than you thought.

If you've been spending your time avoiding your passion or what you love in favor of something more practical, you are not only cheating yourself but the world out of your greatness.