--- title: The Power of Writing Down Your Goals description: An elite trainer explains how it changed her life—and the lives of her clients. canonical: https://time.com/4196996/write-down-goals/ author: Lacey Stone article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-09T08:00:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:44:59.838Z og:title: The Power of Writing Down Your Goals og:description: An elite trainer explains how it changed her life—and the lives of her clients og:url: https://time.com/4196996/write-down-goals/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d6fba5a36b1603e/698878c0bc6cfc6fcb3db33d/pen-notepad-2-advice-success-work-to-do-ideas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2500 og:image:height: 1406 og:image:alt: pen-notepad-2-advice-success-work-to-do-ideas-motto-stock og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Power of Writing Down Your Goals twitter:description: An elite trainer explains how it changed her life—and the lives of her clients twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d6fba5a36b1603e/698878c0bc6cfc6fcb3db33d/pen-notepad-2-advice-success-work-to-do-ideas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:11 video:published: 2016-02-02 section: ideas topics: leadership, taking power, hiring, team building, workplace culture, patience, risk-taking, collaboration, career decisions, authenticity genre: advice montage, interview compilation tones: encouraging, practical, reflective, concise emotions: inspiration (medium), confidence (medium), humility (low) sentiment: positive audience: professionals, business leaders, women in the workplace, career-focused viewers transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # The Power of Writing Down Your Goals > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=9a5afec2-fb5f-4ca4-adf2-8fa0267e6a33&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Some of The World's Most Powerful Women Share Their Best Advice [Watch (HLS stream): Some of The World's Most Powerful Women Share Their Best Advice](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LF8Rmcmf.m3u8) (1:11)  _Published 2016-02-02_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary A montage of advice from women described in the title as among the world's most powerful. Speakers cover topics such as taking power rather than waiting for it, leadership style, hiring people who think differently, building great teams, patience, taking risks, collaboration, and staying true to oneself. The video is short and presents the advice in rapid succession without identifying the individual speakers. ## Key points - A speaker advises not waiting for people to give you power and simply taking it. (00:05) - A speaker compares a leader to a thermostat, saying situational leadership sometimes requires dialing things up and sometimes down. (00:07) - A speaker advises resisting the temptation to hire in your own likeness. (00:15) - A speaker's best advice is to work harder than everybody else and hire people who think differently. (00:22) - A speaker says making a workplace great attracts talent, talent can be developed, and great products come from great teams. (00:37) - A speaker advises being patient, not being restless, and recognizing that you are not the smartest person in the room. (00:40) - A speaker says it's okay to take risks and that playing nice always comes back to you. (00:43) - A speaker notes that very few career decisions are irreversible. (00:56) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:22] Taking power and leadership style. Speakers discuss claiming power, thermostat-style leadership, and avoiding hiring in one's own likeness. - [00:22 to 00:43] Building teams and patience. Speakers cover working hard, hiring differently, creating great workplaces, and being patient and humble. - [00:43 to 01:11] Risk, collaboration and authenticity. Speakers address taking risks, collaborating with colleagues, reversible career decisions, and being yourself. ## Key quotes - [00:05] interviewer: "Don't wait for people to give you your power. Just take it." - [00:07] interviewer: "Think of yourself as a thermostat." - [00:22] interviewer: "Work harder than everybody else." - [00:40] interviewer: "You're not the smartest person in the room." - [00:53] interviewer: "You need to collaborate with your colleagues and make them as successful as yourself." - [01:04] interviewer: "Always be yourself." ## Questions this video answers - How should a leader think about adjusting their leadership style? [00:07] - What is the best advice for hiring team members? [00:15] - How can a workplace attract and develop talent? [00:37] - Should you take risks in your career? [00:43] - Are career decisions reversible? [00:56] by [Lacey Stone](https://time.com/author/lacey-stone/) ## Lacey Stone Feb 9, 2016 8:00 AM UTC  Molly Cranna for TIME by [Lacey Stone](https://time.com/author/lacey-stone/) ## Lacey Stone Feb 9, 2016 8:00 AM UTC Every time I meet with a new client, I have them do one thing before anything else: Write down their [personal goals](http://motto.time.com/4190933/maggie-murphy-personal-career-life/), their professional goals and their physical goals. I’ve been writing down what I want since the beginning of my career, and honestly, it’s so amazing because everything I’ve written down has happened. I started this habit in college because I loved Oprah, Deepak Chopra, _The Power of Now_. Granted, you have to work for it. But somehow, even if you don’t know _how_ it’s going to happen, knowing what you want to happen and writing it down helps it become reality. Sure, some people roll their eyes. But to them, I say, “Why not give it a try?” It’s worked for a lot of successful people. Here’s how to get started. **Ask yourself** **_why_** **you want your goals** I have one woman who I’ve trained, and she was maybe 30 pounds heavier. She said, “I want to have a body like you.” So I asked her why she wanted this. Because I’m telling you right now: Having a great body or getting rich isn’t going to make you happier. How you feel is what’s going to make you happier—which is why it’s so important to know why you want to achieve your goal. Do you not feel happy in your own skin? If it’s just about the weight, it’s not going to come off. **Get super-specific** It’s really important to be clear because if you’re not clear, you’re going to be going all over the place. See your goal in your head, feel it with your five senses. Close your eyes, and think about what you’ll feel like, what you’ll be wearing, who will be there. What’s it going to smell like? See it happening. I truly believe that if you can see it, you can make it so. Visualize it, and see what it feels like. And don’t worry about how it’s going to happen—just trust that it will. **_Read more:_**[_It’s Time for Women to Take Back the Word ‘Selfish’_](http://motto.time.com/4198454/its-time-for-women-to-take-back-the-word-selfish/) **Put your goals where you can see them** At the beginning of every New Year, I write all of my goals, put them on the wall and look at them pretty much every day. And that helps remind me to say yes to things that will bring me closer to my goals—and no to things that will only leave me further from them. You just have to keep putting it out there and talking about it, and if you’re a good person and you’re not trying to force your way, people will come into your life who will help you get there. No dream is too big. Open your mind, open your heart to the possibilities and trust that, if you write it down, one day you’ll make your goal happen. [_Lacey Stone_](http://laceystonefitness.com/) _is a bi-coastal fitness professional and celebrity trainer._ ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:05] Don't wait for people to give you your power. Just take it. [00:07] Think of yourself as a thermostat. You do have to have [00:11] situational leadership. Sometimes you have to dial things [00:13] up. And sometimes you have to dial things down. Best [00:15] piece of advice? Sing every day. Resist the temptation [00:19] to hire in your likeness. So the best piece of advice I've [00:22] ever gotten is super simple. Work harder than everybody [00:24] else. Hire people that think differently than you do. That [00:28] add something different than what you have to offer. From [00:30] my father before I went to basic training just to keep my [00:33] sense of humor. Make it a great place to work. And you'll [00:37] attract talent. You can develop talent. And great products [00:40] come from great teams. Being patient. Don't be so restless. [00:43] You're not the smartest person in the room. It's okay to take [00:46] risks. Play nice. It'll always come back to you no matter [00:50] what happens. You need to collaborate with your [00:53] colleagues and make them as successful as yourself. [00:56] There are very few decisions, career decisions, that you [01:00] make that are irreversible. Always be [01:04] yourself. 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