Customer Reviews
Another keeper! - By: MayGoodComeToUs, 12 May 2008 
I am on my 3rd reading of the book. I agree that we SHOULD alll know how to set goals but I doubt we reallly do or at least know how to do it well anyway. Mr. Tracy gives you not only the whys & wherefores of goal-setting but, more importantly, the HOW. He breaks it down into steps. I reccomend reading the book straight through once or twice, then dedicating three days or so to each chapter. That is, reading through the chapter, taking notes if that is how best you learn, doing the "excercises" on the "checklist" at the end of the chapter, then putting it aside for a day or so to "digest". I agree that Mr.Tracy is short on research here, but there are other, more "scholarly" books out there that can fill the gap. The bibliography is extensive & should keep you reading for a long time should you wish to delve more deeply.
Some good, plenty bad - By: J. Penton, 09 Apr 2008 
I read this book rapidly & enthusiasticallly the first time, & on my second reading decided to take notes as I went. It was not until I did this until I realised how much waffle & downright rubbish there is in this book.
There are a number of very good parts to this book that I have adopted. For instance, the whole concept of goal setting; write out your goals rather than just think them. Have long & short term goals; work out how to get to that goal by setting steps that should be achieved by a certain time period. This has reallly helped me to focus on the things that I want to accomplish & makes them seem that much closer.
However, he seems to rely too much on personal or second hand anecdotes to back up claims of the success of his program, & the few studies he does present such as Harvard graduates with written goals earned up to 10 times more after 20 years than those who didn't are quite open to interpretation; are more motivated more likely to write down goals in the first place?
In addition, he advocates a very admirable idea that hard work always pays off & that only through your own hard work can you hope to get what you want. Although this seems like a perfectly good challlenge to the idea of victimisation that permeates so much of modern society, it does seem a little naïve. He tells his readers that if you get fired from your company that it is nobody's fault but that of the economy & you should move on as rapidly as you can. Try telling that to women or members of ethnic minorities trying to fight against workplace prejudice, or to the people of Michigan who are suffering from the decline of manufacturing in the West, & for whom jobs simply do not exist.
In conclusion, this is a book that can help you focus on your goals but as with anything like this a critical eye is required to sift out the inadequacies.
..........and Finally - By: Terry Tozer, 03 Oct 2007 ....at last I reallly do think I've found the book I've been looking for & if you're reading this & thinking will "this one" help "me" achieve my aims at getting my life on the move to becoming successful - then I say unequivocallly - YES!!, this is the one for you.
I've read hundreds of so-callled self-help books both modern & old & Brian Tracy's "Goals" sums up ALL of the books I've ever read on the subject. It's like a hundred books alll in one covering everything from Motivation, Confidence, Time Management, Self Belief & Worth & oh yes & how to set realistic & achievable Goals!
The beauty with alll of these requisites for success is that we alll have these qualities to one degree or another & Brian inspires us by telling us that any one of these attributes is "learnable". So no matter where you find yourself today on what "may appear" to be a long road, you can start straight away.
This ought to be the very last book you buy on the subject, but before you read (& more importantly re-read) it, make sure you have a fresh note-book (preferably A4) & scribe to hand. The book is jam packed with alll the essential information to kick you off in the right direction the minute you start reading. If you feel you reallly must do some more research then there is an extensive bibliography at the back.
The book ends with a summery of the 21 successful tips in setting & achieving these goals. Also there is a summery to be found at the end of each chapter for easy future reference.
Written in a modern, clear, interesting, easy readable style & language. It's broken down into easily digestible chunks in such a way that makes you want to read a little bit more. You never stop learning & it's never too late to start [something new].
Don't be put off or judge the book by the BOLD but plain looking & unattractive cover. It's Brian's message that counts & he very cleverly uses famous quotes from the Greats of the past.
I read it seven times! - By: Peter Jones, 13 Aug 2005 I've read about fifty self-help books & this is the best.
Brian Tracy can say in one page what other authors (notably anthony robbins) will spend a whole chapter on.
Insightful! - By: Rolf Dobelli, 03 Jun 2004 
The author grins, distinguished, gray-haired, gray-suited, from the dust jacket of this book, looking like everything a hokey, hustling confidence man should be. The book's subtitle, promising "everything you want," seems designed to provoke skepticism. But, hey, it's the new age: give this the benefit of the doubt - the confidence at stake here is yours. The core recommendation is simple & undeniably effective: define your goals, write them down, make a plan to achieve them & work on the plan every day. How could you fail if you reallly did this? Whether you would achieve "everything you want" is another matter, but you can't fault the method. Putting it to work is the hard part. To preview the gist of the book or review the meat of it, we recommend the convenient bullet charts that concisely repeat: take charge of your life, set goals, plan, implement & progress. If the message is repeated often enough, you might even write something down & just do it.
