Dear DOCTOR Owen:

I feel like a worthless failure. Every time I set a goal to lose weight or to exercise, I perform it for several days and then lose focus and quit. My willpower just isn’t there. I set modest goals for myself, but never seem to achieve them. What can I do?

Goalie

Dear “Goalie”:

Don’t feel as if you are alone. Most of us suffer from this same problem in many facets of our lives. Unfortunately, we have formal training in only a few specific areas. For instance, on graduating from medical school, I didn’t think I had enough medical knowledge to be responsible for saving patients’ lives. However, I was given very specific methods on how to organize information, how to document information, how to set up a plan for utilizing this information, and how to measure an outcome. I was taught to apply these systems to every single patient complaint I’d ever confront. Now, a patient will walk in to my office and complain of fatigue and obesity. After my initial interview and examination with him or her, I may have listed 10 or 15 problems separately.

This process didn’t just “happen.” I was taught how to gather and organize the proper information. I then attack each problem separately with a specific plan.

Managing your weight and your exercise program is no different. The famous, very successful salesman, Zig Ziglar, has made a remarkable observation on how setting goals helps people achieve their objectives. In discussing how to set a goal, Ziglar makes a remarkable observation: A renowned business school in the Northeast asked its graduating MBA students to write down their goals—nothing more—for the next 10 years after finishing college. Nothing further was mentioned. Ten years later, the students were contacted to evaluate how well they had succeeded financially. It was found that only 3% of them had actually written out very specific goals and a business plan for each goal, and that those 3% had made more money than the other 97%! This study has been repeated in school after school, with almost identical results.

The process of goal setting is quite simple. Write out your goals, and be very specific. Then come up with a plan for each goal. Here is the formula for Ziglar’s successful program:

• Identify the goal.
• Set a time frame in which to achieve the goal.
• List the obstacles.
• Identify people and groups necessary for participation in achieving the goal.
• List the necessary skills and knowledge.
• Write a plan of action.
• List the benefits.

Whether you use this goal-setting technique in family, finance, career, spirituality, or health (preferably all five) matters, you will find your life very successful—likely beyond your wildest expectations.