Have you ever wondered why some people seem to achieve so much more than other people? And do it over and over and over again?

In my work with thousands of entrepreneurs, business owners, and top salespeople over the years, I have found that they all have one thing in common: They have taken the time to sit down and create a crystal-clear blueprint for themselves and their future. They took to heart what management guru Peter Drucker said: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

The common fabric of all peak performers throughout history is their ability to set and achieve goals. Remember, your past isn’t your future, and you can do whatever you want with your future.

A consistent finding about successful people is that they put a significant amount of effort into planning and setting goals. They know what they want out of life because they are goal-directed.

They are long-term thinkers and take the long view with every endeavor. They are proactive, rather than reactive, and live their lives with positive expectancy. They know where they are going and how they are going to get there. Goal-setting is the most powerful force available for achieving success. In fact, Aristotle said, “The first step to achieving true success is to have a definite, clear, practical ideal – a goal.”

Anybody can set goals – just take out a piece of paper and start writing them down – but goal achievement is an entirely different challenge. The most successful people I work with are serious goal-achievers always creating bigger and bigger futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.

There is certainly no shortage of information on setting and achieving goals, yet so few people actually achieve their goals. Why?

The statistics overwhelmingly support goal-setting as a way to success, yet many people still today resist the process.