Personal Development

I am a great believer in setting goals. The act of writing them down and putting them where I can see them, can make the difference between success and failure. To help me keep goals top of mind, I like to do two things.

1. I like to put my personal goals on small business cards and keep them in my work area where I can see them. These simple cards keep my most important goals front and center. My free Goal Setting Toolkit makes this easy.

2. I like to print out inspirational goal setting quotes and have them throughout the house where I see them on a daily basis. Quotes about life, quotes that motivate. These profound sayings help me keep going when my motivation lags or fear and laziness creeps in. Quotes about life and quotes that motivate are especially helpful.

Inspirational Goal Setting Quotes

I love this life quote by Og Mandino. I’ve included a few of my other favorite inspirational goal setting quotes below, that you may want to post for yourself.

Goals Quotes

“An average person with average talents and ambition and average education, can outstrip the most brilliant genius in our society, if that person has clear, focused goals.” ~ Mary Kay Ash

“Goals determine what you’re going to be.” ~ Julius Erving

“All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.” ~ Walt Disney

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

“Begin with the end in mind.” ~ Stephen Covey

“Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals, and I’ll give you a stock clerk.” ~ J.C. Penney

“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.” ~ Denis Waitley

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” ~ Bill Copeland

“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” ~ Earl Nightingale

“It doesn’t matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going.” ~ Brian Tracy

“You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” ~ Steve Garvey

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who are alive.”
~ Howard Thurman

Life Quotes

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
~ Mark Twain

“By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands — your own.” ~ Mark Victor Hansen

“I’m a big believer in growth. Life is not about achievement, it’s about learning and growth, and developing qualities like compassion, patience, perseverance, love, and joy, and so forth. And so if that is the case, then I think our goals should include something which stretches us.” ~ Jack Canfield

“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.” ~ James Allen

“Act the way you want to be and soon you’ll be the way you act.” ~ Les Brown

“Don’t let the opinions of the average man sway you. Dream, and he thinks you’re crazy. Succeed, and he thinks you’re lucky. Acquire wealth, and he thinks you’re greedy. Pay no attention. He simply doesn’t understand.” ~ Robert G. Allen

“The only difference between a rich person and poor person is how they use their time.” ~ Robert Kiyosaki

“If you are willing to do only what’s easy, life will be hard. But if you are willing to do what’s hard, life will be easy.” ~ T Harv Eker

“You miss a 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” ~ Wayne Gretzky

“Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.” ~ Jim Rohn

“Don’t waste your time with writing resolutions this New Year. Instead, focus on something else: resolve. While the words are similar, the difference in meaning is significant. A resolution is something you make. Resolve is something you have. In other words, commit. Choose into a process, not a set of audacious goals you’ll never meet.” ~ Jeff Goins

Quotes That Motivate

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” ~ Thomas A. Edison

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” ~ Tony Robbins

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” ~ Zig Ziglar

“Never retreat. Never explain. Get it done and let them howl.” ~ Benjamin Jowett

“Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Question: What inspirational goal setting quotes ring true to you?

SMARTER Goals Can Help You Find Success

Episode 1: Goals Vs. Habits
Episode 2: Fight Training
Episode 3: SMARTER Goals
Episode 4: Testing & Fine Tuning Your Goals

Free Goal Setting Tools

Goal Setting Toolkit
Goal Setting Worksheet

Goal Setting Ebook

Goals for Life: Set SMARTER Goals for Success

Other Goal Setting Quotes

Five Goal Setting Quotes