By Sue DiFranco
Copyright © 2003 Sue DiFranco/Fun Facts Publishing  

Goal setting is a must, no matter who you are. Sure, you might have a lot of dreams, and things you'd like to do, but until you write them down, you can't expect them to magically come true. Once they are written, you begin consciously and subconsciously working on a plan to achieve them. Does goal-setting work? Ask the millions of people who have tried this "radical" approach and found their lives changed for the better: Tony Robbins, Mark Victor Hansen, Oprah Winfrey, Zig Ziglar...

One way to approach your Goals is by doing it the "SMART" way:

1. Specific. Each goal should have a narrow focus. For example, "I earn $20,000 a month" is preferred over "I earn a lot of money each month."

2. Measurable. Can the outcome be measured by a number or percentage? An amount of money to make, a number of pounds to lose, a number of books to read?

3. Action-oriented. What action needs to be taken to achieve this goal? Goals don't just "happen" - there is planning involved. What do you intend to do?

4. Realistic. I believe you should go over the top with your goals - think big! However, if you feel you'll be disappointed if you don't achieve that particular goal in that particular amount of time, then make your goals challenging, yet still attainable.

5. Time-Limited. Every goal should have a deadline. When do you realistically want to accomplish this goal? Next month? In 6 months? One year?