What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.

Alexander Graham Bell

One of the secrets behind achieving any goal, particularly aspirational goals, is passion. To achieve your goal you have to get fired up about it and passion is easily the singular factor that will get you through the tough times and keep you going when you feel like giving up.

It’s passion that will keep you focused on your dream and enable you to pick yourself up when you fall. Like a vehicle with no fuel, a goal or dream with no passion is going nowhere.

So how do you develop passion for your goal or dream? Taking the time to understand why you wish to achieve the goal in the first place will exponentially increase your passion for your goal and consequently, your chances of success.

Understanding your "why" is the step most people by-pass when developing their goal setting strategy and consequently is the reason that many goals remain unattained.

To understand your true motivation behind setting a goal for yourself, you need to ask yourself the following questions and spend some time thinking of the answers -

What will achieving this goal do for my self-esteem and sense of self? In what ways will achieving this goal change my life? What further opportunities will this goal afford me? How will my life look in 5 years’ time if I achieve this goal? What will happen if I do not achieve this goal? Am I prepared to pay the price? How will my life be in 5 years’ time if I do not achieve this goal? What opportunities will I miss out on if I do not achieve this goal?

Furthermore, an important aspect of determining your "why" or ascertaining if your "why" is strong enough is to establish what achieving this dream would cost you and if you are prepared to pay the price.

Be honest with yourself and write down the sacrifices that you would have to make in order to achieve this dream. Then commit to pay the price. By undergoing the process of identifying the various sacrifices you would have to make to achieve your goal, you achieve 2 objectives:

 Firstly, you are better mentally prepared to confront any potential challenges that may appear along the way as you become more solution-focused and are far less likely to give up easily when such challenges appear.

 Secondly, you will quickly ascertain if your objective is a goal or just a dream. If it’s a goal, you will be committed to paying the price in order to achieve it; however, if it’s a mere wish you won’t. This step is important because you avoid the headache of going after something that you are not really passionate about and instead you can focus your energy and resources on the goals fire you up.

Just as the goal must be clear and specific, your "why" or the motivation behind your goal must be compelling and strong. Again, using the "wanting to be rich example", the fact remains that this goal is just not compelling enough – there is no why.

However, if you want to earn an extra $500, 000 in income in 5 years because it will allow you to pay off your bond sooner, which will in turn provide you and your family with a far greater sense of financial security, as well as a free hold asset then you have a much more enthralling reason to pursue the goal.

Similarly, just wanting to own a business is not enough, however, wanting to own your own business because it will allow you the freedom to determine your own lifestyle, provide you with an opportunity to leave behind a legacy and do something you truly feel passionate about is far more powerful.

The secret to creating a powerful and compelling goal is firstly clearly establishing the goal and secondly always focusing on how the goal will change your life, how it will benefit you and the potential opportunities that will open up as a result of the goal being achieved.