It may not have been the act of writing it down and taping it to the bathroom mirror, but there was a stated or thought goal. It could have been a simple though like, "I'm going to write that letter to apologize to my sister."

So, as great as goal setting is - and every expert in the field of self-help promotes it, why do most people who set goals fail? It is true that all things accomplished started with a goal, so everyone sets goals, but is there any way to create a higher success rate? Why do millions and millions of people fail every day? As a matter of fact, this repeated cycle of failure is why most people give up. They are so beaten down by goal setting that they do not want to go through the pain of failure again. Why lose ten pounds if you're just going to gain it back? Why interview for that new job if you got turned down for the last five? Why tell your friends you're going to train for a 5K race when you didn't show up for the last two you talked about? Why go through the pain of embarrassment and failure?

The reason why you keep trying is that you know that when you stop, your life is over. The more important question is how do you improve your success rate? The answer is this: You must improve your skill of transforming a goal into a belief before the actual goal is achieved. Every goal achieved follows this pattern: Set a goal, come to believe you can achieve it, then achieve it. Even when you do not know you are doing this, you are always following this patter when you succeed.

On the flip side, you will see most people following another pattern. Set a goal, don't ever truly believe you can do it but you'll "try anyway," and failure is inevitable. This sad cycle happens when great people set great goals, but never really believe they can or will achieve them. How do you go about strengthening your "belief muscles" so you can stay strong, stay on track, and follow through to the end? You must exercise them.

I want you to think of a "belief muscle" as a reference. I want you to think of a reference as any physical, mental, or emotional experience that you have or create one for yourself. Every time you have a physical, mental, or emotional experience, you have created a reference. As these references pile up, you are strengthening or weakening your "belief muscles."

Think about this for just a moment every day. If I was in grade school, I might set a goal to get straight "A's." How might the outcome of my goal be affected if I was in an abusive household and every day when I got home from school my father was drinking and screaming at me? What if no matter what I did he told me it was wrong? What if he also let me know he thought I was stupid every single day? These constant references would be weakening my "belief muscles" with regard to believing that I can get straight "A's."

The only chance that you have in your own goal setting is to turn your goal into a belief. This is why so many world-class athletes use visualization. Olympic divers have come to understand the concept of strengthening "belief muscles" for example. This is the reason you see them visualize the perfect dive on the side of the pool before their competition. They will also visualize dozens of perfect dives in their mind every day in practice. They are piling up references that are being used to create internally the person that they are becoming. Each day they grow stronger. Each day they take another step toward believing they are an Olympic medalist instead of just setting a goal.

This is why so many successful diet stories you read about have a different beginning than those that failed. Someone who decides they're finally going to get that weight off, goes into the kitchen, and removes everything that would sabotage their diet is creating a strong reference. The person who sets the goal and then goes out for "one last night of fun" is creating a weak, negative reference. Both people had the same goal, but only the first created a strong reference of control that gave them the strength to believe.

You have the power today to start creating positive references. Reading a new book, listening to encouraging music, and visualizing all contribute to an environment of positive change. You can become a reference-building machine! The power you can create is unlimited!

Be warned, however, of the negative references that will still be coming at you. As soon as most people set a goal, the cynics come crawling out to pass judgment. Remember, cynical thinking is the tool of a lazy man.

My challenge for you this month is to set a new goal or revisit an old one and give this plan a try. Set a goal, stop what you're doing and take massive action toward achieving it. Pile up the physical, mental, and emotional references that will strengthen "belief muscles" until your goal transforms into a belief and then into success!!

PS My monthly update on my personal revolution isn't overwhelming, but it's steady. My first month I lost 11 pounds, down to 249 from 260. This month, a busier than normal work schedule and Thanksgiving held me to a two-pound loss. I'm maintaining my workout schedule and as long as I continue making monthly progress, my revolution will be permanent! Thanks to all of you who are emailing me your results and questions as you also pursue a life-change. Keep emailing your personal progress; it really encourages me. And, stay strong!!

Jeff Sellers is the Managing Editor of Revolution Magazine. After an incredibly decorated career as a world-record setting power lifter and NCAA Division I Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, he's still involved in the private training of high school and college athletes as well as performing training clinics for teams.