If you are looking for proof of importance of goals, you need not look any farther than two pivotal studies on success and goal-setting, one completed by Yale University and other by Dr. Lewis Terman of Stanford University.

In first study, Yale University kept track of their graduates during a 20 year period and found that 3% who set goals were worth more financially than entire 97% of students who did not!

In second study, Dr. Terman of Stanford conducted a study of 1,528 students all with IQ's above genius level. His study found that intelligence had nothing to do with success and financial acumen but that goal-setting did!

So now we know that goal-setting is vitally important to our success, but how do we do it? I first recommend that you take a day or two (longer if needed) to spend some time meditating about your passions in life. Start to make a list. Some wise men recommend that you try to write down 100 goals for your life. Lou Holtz, tremendously successful football coach at Notre Dame and more recently at University of South Carolina, said that while still in his teens he wrote down over 100 goals for his life (one of which was to coach a college football team to a National Championship - which he did). A few years ago at about age of 60, Coach Holtz had achieved every single goal he had written down. So he had to write another 100 goals and I'm sure he'll get those before long too!

I recommend that you try to write 100, write them out and break them out into long-term, mid-term, and short-term goals. You can write your own definition of time periods involved, but I would recommend that short-term is up to 5 years from now, mid-term is 5 to 15 years from now, and long-term is 15+ years.

This week, I would like to continue with our discussion of self-talk and suggest how you may supercharge your self-talk and results you achieve through use of affirmations.

Affirmations are a powerful mental programming technique that are underutilized and laughed at by many. You may remember Saturday Night Live skit with Stuart Smiley sitting in front of mirror saying "I'm good enough; I'm smart enough and doggone-it, people like me!" The image of this character makes one laugh, however when understood in context of how powerful Stuart's technique really is, it shouldn't!

Affirm means to "make firm." So affirmation simply means to make a strong statement that something is already so. We know that we will eventually reap whatever our conscious mind sows onto field of subconscious. So through affirmations we will develop into whatever image of ourselves we create, be it good or bad. I suggest using positive affirmations to develop into all that you desire to be!

One of most poignant examples of power of affirmations comes from boxing legend Muhammed Ali. When you think of Muhammed Ali, what vision comes to mind? Actually, two visions come to my mind:

The first is of Ali standing in ring over a defeated opponent with a sweat covered face, surrounded by his trainers. Ali yells, "I'm king of world, I am greatest, I'm Muhammed Ali. I shook up world, I am greatest, I'm king of world. I'm pretty, I'm pretty, I'm a baaaad man, you heard me, I'm a baaad man."

The second is of Ali wrapped in his boxing robe, dancing from side to side before a bout. He exclaims, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Is this simply brash talk from yet another cocky athlete? I don't believe so. I believe that Muhammed Ali knew power of affirmations. He spoke what he wanted to be, and as a result became it.