As a New Year's gift to you, I want to re-publish the best goal setting exercise I have ever come across.

Here is the exercise. It's called Two Pieces of Paper and an Envelope, for reasons you will see.

Get at least two 8x10 pieces of paper and a legal size envelope. Find someone who can help you do this exercise by watching a watch for you and telling you how much time you have left in each of three steps for this exercise. You do not have to share anything you write down with the person who keeps time for you. What you are about to write is private to you and you alone.

Step 1: Take two minutes and write down at least 10 things you want to be able to say about yourself one year from now. Write them in the first person present tense as if you already were that person with those accomplishments. Examples: I weigh 175 pounds. I earn $75,000 a year. I have x dollars in money market funds. I have been on a week long vacation to _________.

Step 2: Take one minute to look at the list you have created. Find the one thing on that list that if you were to accomplish would enable you to achieve most of the other things on that list. Write that one thing at the top of the second sheet of paper. Fold up the first sheet of paper and put it in the envelope. Seal the envelope. Write on the outside of the envelope, "Open on (the date one year from now)."  Once you are done with step three, put the envelope someplace you can find it and make a note in your planner or Outlook to open that envelope one year from today.

Step 3: Take two minutes and write down absolutely everything you can think of you need to do in order to make the one thing at the top of the page happen. What books do you need to read? What people do you need to meet and/or persuade? What courses do you need to complete?  Don't worry about the details. Just get the thoughts out of your head and onto the paper. When you have finished, you will now know what your primary definite purpose is for the coming year and you will have the outline of what you need to do to make that happen. Go to work on that outline.

A couple of notes. This is a terrific exercise that will focus your mind like you've never focused before.

If you're dissatisfied with the results the first time, that's OK. Goal setting is a skill. The more often you do it, the higher your level of skill. If you don't like your effort just now, then back up and do it again.

Second, candidly, you're going to find that most of the things you want to do cost money. Your primary task is to find a way to provide the value needed to others to make the money to fund the things you want to do with your life.

Third, If you have goals you want to achieve that will make you rise above, then be very careful who you tell about those goals. Most people will tell you why you can't achieve what you want to achieve. Unless you're the type of person who needs rejection for fuel, this will not help you. On the other hand, if you have goals about giving something up (like losing weight or stopping smoking) tell everyone you know. Everyone will help you in this kind of goal. It's just the way we're wired.

Happy New Year to Everyone and good luck with the exercise!