A.K. Spencer - Breakthrough Goals!: A Complete System For Setting And Achieving Your Goals

BREAKTHROUGH GOALS!

A COMPLETE SYSTEM FOR SETTING
AND ACHIEVING
YOUR GOALS

A.K. Spencer

Copyright 2021 by A.K. Spencer

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

Publisher:

Ganesha Media

5305 River Road. N. Ste. B

Keizer, OR, 97303

Author Websites:

Akspencer.com

GoalRebel.com

Publishers Note: This book reflects the opinion and personal experience of the author. Nothing in this book is intended as medical or psychological advice of any kind.

Breakthrough Goals!/ A.K. Spencer . 1st ed.

ISBN 978-1-7371774-1-8

For Mom and Dad.
I love you tons!

Gratitude

Special thanks to (in no particular order)...

Jayson Davidson , for your unwavering faith and support, and for making me laugh until I cry so many times throughout the years.

John Salazar , for all our mall walks, talks, laughs and years of friendship. Youngblood!

Shean Lakey , for our weekly talks that go on for hours and that I never want to end. Roll for initiative!

Jason Harris , for getting me in a way few others can because we both walked a similar path from there to here. You know what I mean. Is it Art Bell time yet?

Gary Coleman , for being a great goal buddy and for keeping me updated on the newest episodes of "Gays Of Our Lives." But, Ugh . those shoes.

Kevin Ellis , for D&D rides, your kindness, and texts that are frequently very funny. At least when theyre not incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial.

Theresa Becker , for being an awesome gal and inspiring goal buddy.

Deborah Harmon , for just being the best sis a bro could ever hope to have.

Tami Hoover , for being absolutely snaptastic. Bean dip.

And last, but definitely not least, Isaias Manjarrez , for dropping everything and driving hundreds of miles whenever I need you. And for just being my Isa.

CONTENTS

Part 1 Takeaways

PART 2 FINDING CLARITY

Part 2 Takeaways

PART 3: CRAFTING YOUR PLAN

Part 3 Takeaways

PART 4: ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS

Where Theres A Will Theres A Why

Part 4 Takeaways

Resources 1: Example Planner Pages

Resources 2: Goal Achiever Resources

Introduction

On the path of Dharma you should be firm and fix your concentration on your goal. Otherwise you will be easily distracted.

BHAGAVAD GITA 2:41

Y OU THOUGHT THIS WAS A BOOK ON GOALS , but I tricked you. This is really a Choose Your Own Adventure story like those you read when you were a kid. Only now you are (presumably) an adult, and instead of reading about an adventure, you are going to live one. You are going to become the hero of your own story.

I want your life to be a page-turner. It can be.

It should be.

Goals are the way to make that happen.

A bold claim, I know. But as Brain Tracy said, "Success equals goals... all else is commentary." I guess that makes this book an extended commentary! One I hope you will find at once exciting, challenging, and life-changing. Thats what living a goal-oriented life using the method I describe in this book has done for me. I want the same for you.

Que back story.

THE TROPEY BUT TRUE BACKSTORY

Not so long ago I was a broke, unemployed, directionless chain-smoking drunk. I was almost sixty pounds overweight. I was miserable, cynical, and depressed with very little faith in myself, and even less in the future. My worldview was dismal. My attitude, abysmal. My Spirit all but broken the rack of anger, sorrow, fear, addiction, and too many regrets to count.

But no longer.

Now I wake up most mornings genuinely excited about what the day may bring and all that I get to accomplish. I quit smoking (for good) and quit drinking (probably for good). Im halfway to my ideal weight goal (glass half full). Im my own boss with my own business (two of them, actually). Ive never been in a better place financially (financial freedom here I come!). My daily routine includes exercise, meditation, prayer, writing and making art (among other disciplines). And by the time you read this I will have published my first book (lets assume its a best-seller, shall we?).

I love the hell out of life. Im grateful every day. Im excited about the future.

I know all that may sound cheesy. In personal development books its almost a trope to have an introduction where the author says Look how my life sucked and how awesome it is now! And you too can go from sucky to awesome by following my simple formula!

Well, what can I say? Its simply true. My life sucked. Now its pretty fantastic. Key to that transformation was the system and tools I describe in this book. Thems the facts.

Whats more, I also know that you can have the same thing. Whatever your goals, you can achieve them. Whatever life and lifestyle you aspire towards, you can have it. Whatever evolution of mind, body, heart, or soul you pray for, you can experience it. Andmy fear of using a tired trope be damnedthis book will show you how.

I can make such a bold claim in all humility because few of the ideas contained within this book are my own . I stand on the shoulders of giants. I spent a over three years diving into the literature of goal setting, goal achievement, success and personal development. I tested out theories and systems and through trial and error slowly separated the gold from the dross. I figured out what worked, what didnt work, and what worked okay but could work even better with a bit of tweaking.

This book is the culmination of those efforts.

The advantage for youand its a substantial oneis that you get to skip all the techniques and tools I tried that didnt work and go straight to the fully functioning final system; youll have a great goal plan from the starting gate.

So what makes for a great goal plan? I guess I better write a short section on that...

5 ELEMENTS OF A GREAT GOAL PLAN

There are five essential elements that distinguish a great goal plan from a merely good one. That's important, because the goal of your goal plan is to create a great life, not just a good life. You can't build a castle with blueprints for a cottage, after all.

These are the five elements:

1. Great Goal Plans Are Analog

There are plenty of websites and goal planning apps available now, but they're less effective than good old-fashioned pen to paper analog.

I dont know precisely why this is so, but it makes sense. Studies have shown many benefits to longhand writing, including improved cognitive functioning, creativity, and the ability to identify connections or patterns between apparently disparate things. All are essential elements to effective goal planning and achievement.

Maybe they are out there somewhere, but Ive yet to find a single example of a highly successful person who relies on a digital goal planning system. They all use pen and paper. That is more telling than boring old studies on cognitive functioning that merely confirm what self-improvement literature has been saying for decades. Namely, that if you want to achieve your goals, you must write them down. As Brian Tracy and others have said, "A goal thats not written down is just a wish."

Where going digital can be effective is with time management and daily habit tracking. But thats not the same thing as goal planning, as youll discover next.

2. A Great Goal Plan Is Goal Focused

Sounds obvious but hear me out. A great goal plan is not the same as a calendar, daily planner, or to-do list. While most goal planners will include these features, its important to think of and treat your goals with the respect they deserve by distinguishing them from everyday tasks.