In every self-development course or seminar, goal setting is at the top of the list. And the value of goal setting is not in merely achieving your goals, but it is in the person you become when you do it: the skills you gain, the knowledge you acquire, the grit you demonstrate, the people you meet and, most of all, your growth as a person.

I’ve never set a goal myself, not as a kid, not as a tennis pro, not as a businessman, never till this year. I am not saying that I wasn’t successful, I’ve achieved certain things but I never took the time to think what I do really want nor allow myself to dream big.

Recently, I realized that I was kind of uncomfortable with my present situation: I’m 47 years old, doing the same things as last year, and realized that things are not bad but they are also not great. So I was surfing YouTube and a video by Bob Proctor, an author and self-development coach, came up to my phone screen with an interesting way of setting goals.  

According to him there are three kinds of goals:

First, there are the A type goals, the ones where you know what to do to achieve them. For example, if you want to get a new car every 2-3 years, you already know how to do it – you need to save a certain amount of money to do this. A type goals are not big deal: you know how to do it, you did it in the past so it’s easy for you to do it, you don’t need to develop any special skill to achieve it.

Second, there are the B type goals, the ones where you think you know how to achieve them. For example, if you are in College with a 3 points GPA and want to improve your GPA by 10%. So you might make a plan to have some mentoring in certain subjects, or you might study 5 more hours a week so that you can achieve your goal.

(Here’s the bad news…according to Bob Proctor, A and B type goals aren’t worthy because they don’t stretch you enough.)

Third, there are C type goals. C type goals are the ones that scare you – the ones where you have to think way out of the box, that make you fantasize. The good news is that you don’t have to know how to achieve C type goals, you just have to want it badly enough. At the very beginning it will feel strange, you might think to yourself: “Who do I think I am that I can do that? Am I even capable of achieving that goal? Do I have the knowledge and skills?” You might even talk yourself out of even trying.

Three Tricks to Overcome Self-Doubt When We Set C Type Goals

Here are three tricks Bob Proctor gives us to overcome self-doubt after you set a C type goal that stretches you beyond your current knowledge and skills:

1. Write it Down

The first step to overcoming your self-doubt is to write your goal down on a piece of paper. After writing it down on a piece of paper about 30 times you’ll start to feel more comfortable about the goal.

2. Create a Daily Goal List and Take Action

Every day create a goal achieving list: write down ten items or activities. They don’t have to be big things, just small steps to move you forward towards your goal. As you keep taking these small steps forward you’ll be able to start taking on more complex activities.

3. Align Your Thoughts with Your New Goal

Now, the key is how you think.

Your present thoughts are the ones of a person with your present results. So your present thoughts aren’t going to help you achieve that new C Type goal – you need new thoughts to get you to that new place. You have to think, act and behave as if you are already in possession of your goal.

Bob Proctor shares a quote full of wisdom, he says:

“Thoughts become things, if you can see it in your mind you will hold it in your hands.”

Imagine yourself already in possession of your goal. As you keep moving forward, helpful ideas will flow to your mind and thoughts that aren’t aligned with your goal will no longer come up.

So set big, ambitious C Type goals that create the opportunity for you to stretch and grow as a person. Think big – your imagination is a huge asset.  And don’t just tell people about your goals, let your actions do the talking.

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