When my first grader came from school, he showed me a piece of paper. It said, “My goal in 2005 is to learn to reed.”

The boy needs to work on his spelling too!

Jokes aside, setting goals and writing them down on paper is a good practice. It increases our focus and awareness We’re more likely to accomplish things when we write them down, and refer to our list during the day.

If you’ve ever read “personal achievement” books, you’ve probably encountered some bizarre advice on goal setting.

Stuart Goldsmith, in his book “The Midas Method,” suggests that we begin goal setting by making an invisible letter “g” in the air with our finger. He also suggests that you recite your goals out loud, and end your session by “erasing” the letter “g.” Mr. Goldsmith inisists this technique is a signal to your subconscious that you are doing something important.

Another author, Brian Tracy, wrote a book called “Goals: How to Get Everything You Want Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible.” Mr Tracy suggests writing out your goals as if they have already happened. For instance, if you have a bad habit of being late, your goal is “I am on time everywhere I go.” That’s right. Mr Tracy believes the use of present tense will cause you to think and act differently.

Mr. Tracy also suggests that you mentally visualize an empty parking place when you go to Walmart. Mr. Tracy believes that doing this sets in motion “the law of attraction,” and will instantly give you a place to park.

After reading this type of advice, I realized that these issues were merely semantics. My family and I need to set goals. We don’t need to go off the deep end, but we need a practical system for getting things done, and managing our time. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is to write things down in a notebook or pad of paper.

At the beginning (or end) of each day, I make a list of all the things that I need to do. Later on, I might add or modify my list, as new things come to mind.

After making my list, I determine the most important thing that I need to do. What do I need to do first? If possible, I number your items in order of importance.

I use this method both for my personal, family, school and work-related agenda. When following this method, in one month I have accomplished as many as 100 items from my lists. This simple practice also helps me keep my wits as a mother, wife and freelance writer.

Nicky VanValkenburgh is a stay-at-home mother with two children. Check out her website at http://www.20minutestolessstress.com/

If I could sum up what I believe is the number one factor that gets in theway of achieving your goals it would be that you cannot achieve a goal that you do not have.

You gotta have one to get one.

Pretty profound, huh?

That sounds so obvious, but we so easily forget it. We have wishes, desires, or dreams, but then don’t turn them into goals.

And then we wonder why we don’t make progress toward our wishes, desires, and dreams.

It’s a strange sense of entitlement that says I will get it just because I think it.

The old saying is true -

if you do not know where you are going, any road will get you there. This is a fairly certain prescription for getting lost.

Let’s follow that old saying with a newer one -

if you don’t take charge of where your life is going by setting goals, there are plenty of people in the world who will be happy to take charge of your life for their own agenda and do not have your best interest at heart.

So many times we get caught up in goal dreaming that we never do any goal setting. And you have to do goal setting before your can do goal getting.

You have to know where you are going.

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

If you have read more than one of my articles, I’m sure you may have come away with the notion that I am big on goal setting. You would be correct in this assumption. I have done a number of presentations on this subject. During these presentations I have noticed that there are two overriding views on goal setting. The first, is of those that are either new to goal setting, or yet haven’t tried it. I have their full attention in the presentation when I get to setting and achieving your goals. The second overriding view is of those that tell themselves “Goal setting hah! I’ve tried that and it didn’t work for me…” In discussions with these folks I have found that the majority of them agree on the positive impacts that goal setting has. Most of them have even gone so far as list out their major goals, however that is where they stopped.

To be a goal setter, and more importantly a goal achiever, you not only have to have a written set of goals for you life (business and/or personal), but, you also have to have a written plan of action towards their achievement. In a recent Success Atlas article I noted that I have an article on goal setting. The many requests I received for that article has prompted this more in-depth look at goal setting and achievement. In other words, you asked for it you got it, Goal setting 101.

The goal setting process really starts with a self-evaluation of sorts. Sitting down and asking questions like, “What do I really want out of life?” “What do I want to accomplish, become, have be or do?” Open your mind and your heart. Sit down and fill out a desire journal. Fill it with all the dreams, aspirations and desires that lie in the recesses of who you are and who you want to become. Don’t hold back, write everything down! Dream like a child the evening before his/her birthday or the evening before Christmas. Dream like anything and everything is possible. Because unless it is legal, immoral, or unethical, I would highly encourage you to believe that it is possible.

Decide what it is you want in each area of your life: Personal, Family, Professional, Financial, Physical and Mental. Don’t be vague either, if what you want is money (financial) then define how much you want and by when. Specifics are necessary for you to have a plan. Being clear in what it is you want will cause about 80% of your success. You can not plan for the goal “I want more money.” You can, however, plan for the goal “I want to earn $250,000.00 annually by the end of 2003. The more specific your goals are the easier they are to build a plan for. If as your reading this you are thinking “I do not know what I want to be, do or have.” Then set a goal to find out.

Write down your goals. Don’t type them (not at first anyway) sit down and print them out, clearly, specifically and in measurable terms. This moves them from a desire, wish or intangible dream to an item on paper. Something you can see, touch, and relate to.

Okay now you know what you want – next you will need to identify what skills and knowledge you will require in order to accomplish your goal. Ask yourself what knowledge you need to gain in order to speed-up the successful accomplishment of you goal. Ask yourself what skill(s) you need to make the greatest positive impact on getting to your goal. There is always at least one skill or key piece of knowledge that is holding you back – otherwise you would already have accomplished the goal. Identify what it is and go out there and get it! If you are not able to figure it out for yourself then ask your spouse, your friends, your boss, a mentor, or any other person that you believe would know.

There are some things that you can do alone, however to achieve significant goals in your life you will need help. List all the people, groups and organizations that you will need to interact with to reach your goal. Write them all down then prioritize them. As you are going through this process consider the ways you can be of assistance to them. Everyone’s favorite radio station is WIIFM – What’s in it for me? So knowing in advance what you can do to assist them will payoff in faster results on getting their assistance in your goal achievement. Think through some win-win negotiations. Remember the more you give the more you get. As Zig Ziglar reminds us “You can have everything you want if you just help enough others get what they want.” As well as those that can help you, I would also suggest listing out those that could hinder your progress as well. Forewarned is forearmed.

Obstacles – we have all encountered them, and we will continue to encounter them during our attempt to reach any goal of worth. If there were no obstacles along the way everyone would have already accomplished all of their goals – you included. List all the obstacles, barriers and impediments to your goal. Why are you not at your goal already? Write down each and every answer to that question. This will allow you to find the bottleneck to your success. Once you are aware of what is holding you back, apply all your resources (which you listed out already) towards the removing or overcoming of this blockage. More often than not, the removal of a single primary blockage will uproot and resolve many other smaller barriers to your goal. This can help you make quantum leaps towards reaching that goal.

Now that you have this valuable collection of information you need to map out a plan to utilize it and accomplish your goal. Successful business men do not set out on a course of action without a plan, you wouldn’t go on vacation without some planning and most do not even get married with out hours and hours (one hundred or more at times) of planning. These days far too many spend one hundred hours, or more, planning the wedding. Yet, they spend no time at all planning their marriage or their life. You can change that in your life. Lay out the key points you have put together thus far and develop a plan of attack. This plan can start with the steps to gain the knowledge and skills you need to gain. Steps to get you in contact with the people and organizations you need to help you along your road to success. Lay out all the steps you know you need to take to reach your goal. Organize then by priority, then sequence them. As you go through this process you will be motivated to take actions against the first step on your plan. Completing the first step will further motivate you to take action on the next step and so on.

Now that you have a plan you need to set a deadline. A goal is a dream with an achieve-by date. Setting a deadline develops and intensifies your desire to attain your goals. Don’t scare yourself with large goals or underestimate how long it will take to accomplish them. Instead break down large goals into small milestones with deadlines. These milestones will act like a forcing system for you unconscious mind. They will motivate and drive you towards your goal. Having deadlines for your goals will keep them on your mind. Making you more conscious to the situations and people in your life that can aid you on your road to success. Set your deadlines as realistically as possible. Do not over or under estimate them be honest with yourself. You could always reset deadlines. The key point I want to drive home here is that you MUST have a deadline to shoot for.

You have the plan – now what? As I mentioned early in this article most people agree on the positive impacts that goal setting have. Most of them have even gone so far as listing out their major goals, however that is where they stopped. Here is where you are going to act differently and succeed in your goal achievement. The key word here is ACT. Take action on your plan! Do not procrastinate! The clock is ticking and your deadline is inching closer with each passing second. Do something each and everyday towards the accomplishment of your goals. Work with all your gusto on the first step of your plan until it is either completed or until you can make no further progress on it. Then move to the next step, coming back to those incomplete previous steps as soon as you can move them forward to their completion. Keep moving, keep working and keep taking your action steps every day, do not stop. Anyone that has ever had to push a car will tell you the hardest part is getting it moving. Once your moving it will still take effort, but it takes far less effort than if you stop pushing and have to start moving all over again. Taking consistent daily action will not only move you quickly towards your goal but it will reinforce in your subconscious mind that you can and will attain your goal. Giving you a positive attitude towards it.

Two additional things you can do you that will steel your resolve to accomplish your goals are to visualize your goal and resolve to never give up. Visualize your goal continually or as often as possible during every waking moment. Your subconscious mind does not differentiate between your visualization and reality. So visualize your goal as already attained. View it in you mind’s eye with every detail possible. Feel the pride, joy and fulfillment that will come with reaching a significant goal. Visualization will also make you aware of those situations and resources in your life that you will need to reach your goal. Finally resolve to never give up in your quest to reach your goal. Attack it with a dogged determination. Let the words of the Capcom commander in Apollo 13 ring in your ears; “Failure is not an option!” When you encounter barriers and obstacles do not ask yourself what will happen if or when I fail. Instead think positive, then develop a plan action. Ask yourself “How can I get over, around or though this barrier and reach my goal!”

Everyone has goals, I have them you have them even a child has goals. These goals can be keeping your job, getting a promotion, and the child has a goal of passing a test, getting that much desired toy they saw on television or showing mommy and daddy how much they are loved. The difference between these goals and the goals of the top achievers is focus. Peak achievers go through processes similar to the one I have laid out here to focus their actions on what they want to be, have or do. They design their goals with a mission and this mission is success. Follow this process and you too can rise to the levels of those you have watched in awe.

Think Successfully & Take Action.
Tracy

http://www.SuccessAtlas.com

(C) Tracy Brinkmann 2000-2005 all rights reserved

http://www.SuccessAtlas.com Tracy Brinkmann is an goal setting and success counselor. Through his company Success Atlas, he provides goal-setting, motivational & educational material, & training via live presentations as well as digital/audio products. Sign up for his free e-Zine http://www.SuccessAtlas.com

BHA - Be Held Accountable: If no one else knows what your goal is, it’s all too easy to rationalize (rational lies) why you are not making progress toward what you want. When you tell someone else what you are shooting for, you have added two very important benefits to the mix - someone to hold your hand and encourage you, and someone to hold your feet to the fire when you need it.

SRA - Start Right Now: One of the best small predictors of goal success is to do something toward your goal the same day you set a goal, before your head hits the pillow that night. So start right now, by doing one small thing toward your goal. Strong momentum is necessary to see you through, and doing something right now begins to build momentum.

SED - Something Each Day: Doing something each day toward your goal, whether big or small, continues to build momentum, creates a firm new habit in your life, and makes large goals manageable a piece at a time.

WYW- What You Want: "Discipline is remembering what you want." - David Campbell. It takes a sustained effort to meet most worthwhile goals. A sustained effort always takes discipline, and remembering what it is that you want helps keep you disciplined and on track.

Visit The Article Guy for more leading edge tips and tools for writing articles that bring you prospects, publicity and profits. You can also subscirbe to our monthly Article Empire Tips Newsletter. You are also invited to visit my Express-Start Article Writing Program for more information on the next article writing tele-seminar.

SMH - Simply Must Have: The first step is to choose a goal that you simply must have. Throw out anything that you would "like" to accomplish or that would be "nice" to have. Pick a goal that you simply must have this year, whatever it takes.

BER - Big Enough Reasons: Once you have chosen your goal, identify several "big enough reasons" for why you must achieve this goal. What will you be able to do that you cannot do now after you achieve this goal? Make sure your reasons are big and compelling.

WID - Write It Down: It never fails - the weakest ink is always stronger than the best memory. Write down what you want. In this way, it becomes a document that you can see, and not just a nice idea floating around in your already full brain.

MIS - Make It Specific: If you want to get rid of weight, how much? If you want to get out of debt, do you mean everything but the house, or something else? If you want to save money, how much? If you want to get in better shape, how do you want to look? Getting specific narrows your focus to what you really want.

KIC - Keep It Close: Now that you have written your goal and made it specific, keep it close to you. Put a copy on the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, in your purse or wallet, on your computer wallpaper, etc. You get the picture. You want to keep it close to keep you reminded.

Visit The Article Guy for more leading edge tips and tools for writing articles that bring you prospects, publicity and profits. You can also subscirbe to our monthly Article Empire Tips Newsletter. You are also invited to visit my Express-Start Article Writing Program for more information on the next article writing tele-seminar.

What can you do to stay on track, when life throws so many obstacles in the way? How are you supposed to keep your chin up when the economy is down? How can you practice positive thinking “under fire?”

Truthfully, we are tested in “the heat of battle.” Anyone can be a clear and rational thinker when everything is going in the right direction. Your ability to maintain goals in “rough waters” is what separates the leaders from those who just want to lead.

When you elect to be a leader, you are judged by your ability to handle a crisis. The role is similar to the captain of a ship who must plug a hole or go down with the ship. It’s that simple, and that is the difference between a successful leader and one who would like to lead.

In the current business climate, with the pace of technology, and the skill of your competitors, you don’t have time to be depressed or draw a blank. You must take action and respond immediately to “damage repair.” There is simply no time for mourning over past mistakes.

The time of crisis, is the time for solutions. You must allow for thinking, prayer, meditation, “brain storming sessions,” or consultation with a coach. This allows you to “think outside the box.” This is where you will find creative solutions to your present obstacles of life.

Do you remember the saying, “Life is like a bowl of cherries?” Sometimes, we could say just the opposite, but life is what we truly envision. If you fear that everyone is talking badly about you, you will envision and perceive it. Paranoia becomes reality, and so it is with real life.

Take the time to recognize fear, paranoia, frustration, and negative feelings within you. Know your fears through self-analysis. You should know yourself better than anyone else. When you hear the little voice of negativity, in the back of your mind, give it some consideration. Don’t make fear of failure become your number one priority.

One more suggestion: Visit your local book store or shop online for a self-improvement book. You can choose audio, e-Book, or the traditional version. Each has its own usefulness in the course of your day. Make the most of your time, and listen to audio books while you are traveling. This gives you an inexpensive coach whenever you are alone or in transit.

Allow for quiet time in the early morning or later at night. This is time for reading, meditation, prayer, or creative thinking, to put what you learn into the planning stage and go after success with all of your resources.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Most people will agree that goal setting is an important strategy in obtaining what we desire. If you don’t set goals you will not know what to look for to determine whether an achivement was truly a success or not. The sad thing is that only a very small part of those who understand the need for setting goals actually take the time to figure out what they really want to accomplish and outline a plan for reaching them. It goes without saying that with this approach or shall we say lack of approach, determining which accomplishments are successful or not will be a little arbitrary; ‘more self reliant’, ‘a raise in salary’, ‘clear skin’, ‘a new home’ or ‘a new car’. It has been proven time after time that the more specific your goal is, the more you are likely to achieve it and the more likely you are to know when you have or have not achieved them.

Goals should move you ahead. When you make your goals absolute and precise you will know what to look for to find out if you have achieved them. If they are to general you can’t really know if you have reached your goals or they can even mislead you into achieving something other than you planned for. Setting precise goals functions as an instrumental part or reference of any self improvement regimen.

Goals forms an hierarchical system: There are many levels of goals. They spring from your deepest values and are transformed via various levels to precise day-by-day action plans for accomplishing what you really want. So, what do you really want? Are you sure the first goal that appeared in your mind is what you really want deep inside?

To summarize so far: A system for setting goals in a certain area must include

• your main or ultimate goal in this area, which all other goals are just a tranformation of

You must be sure what you really want to accomplish in a certain area according to your true values and you must know precisely what to do to acheive it.

Now, I’d like to tell you about a method of setting goals that I have used successfully myself.

The ‘Why – How method’ for setting goals

Take the first goal that appears in your mind right now. Let’s say you’ve found out that your big problem is that you just don’t have enough money from month to month and this is the rock in the road for you whatever you try to accomplish. So your goal is ‘to get rich’. Now you have two ways to go to elaborate and fullfill your work of setting goals and you should go both ways.

Ask ‘Why?’

Ask yourself; Is ‘getting rich’ my real goal or is this just a means to reach another, deeper goal? Ask yourself; Why do I want to get rich? Think over it for a while and write down all reasons why you want to accomplish the goal that has appeared in your mind. It might be; Financial security, freedom to travel where you want, freedom to visit any concert or opera-house you want, freedom to have a home you really feel confortable with etc. Whichever answer you give, continue to ask "Why" until you are not able to find any more reasons. If you have been honest with yourself, you probably found your deepest value, which equals the main goal you try to accomplish by ‘getting rich’.

Ask ‘How?’

Now, when you have revealed your ultimate goal or value by asking ‘Why?’, then start to figure out how to accomplish it. Let’s say you have come to the goal in your goal hierarchy that says ‘getting rich’. Your question now is: ‘How do I get rich?’ Your answer might be ‘Getting more income.’ Next ‘how much higher an income do I want, which also means; how rich do I want to be?" Then your answer might be ‘$20,000′. Continue asking ‘How?’ until you have made a precise action plan of what you will do to get these increased income of $20,000.

Reach milestones on your way

A goal can also be devided into several parts or milestones which marks that it is on it’s way to being fullfilled. Let’s take the $20,000 goal example. Let’s say one of your end goal is to

• ‘earn $20,000 within two years by promoting affiliate programs on 50 websites where each website is making you $16.67 per month on average.’

you should divide this goal into several smaller goals or milestones, let’s say one part of your goal is reached when you have earned $1000, one when you have reached $5,000, $10,000 etc. This way your goal achieving process becomes much more motivating and fun when you see the results fairly often.

Room for adjustments

A system for setting goals should also include a procedure for periodic adjustments; some actions are more likely to help you reach your goals faster than others. You’ll only know which actions or end goals these are by having a goal system that enables you to try out different action plans or end goals. You simply execute the end goals or action plans than you planned initially. If they work carry on with them and if they don’t or if you think of other ways that can fulfill your ultimate goal faster or better, than go for them. So, don’t forget that your system for setting goals must include this option also.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website 1st-Self_Improvement.net. Terje is a Sociologist who enjoys contributing to the personal growth and happiness of others. He tries to accomplish this by writing about self help issues from his own experience and knowledge. For example, goal setting for self improvement and self confidence improvement success.

Goals – we have a love-hate relationship with goals. We love them because they are such a great idea and are a superb way to motivate us to achieve and then to evaluate our progress; but we hate them, because for much of the time, they go unattained and simply frustrate us. This isn’t what goals should do!

Having been a Life Coach for many years now I would like to suggest some straightforward and practical techniques on how you can set goals you can achieve! After all, what good is a goal if it isn’t something you can achieve?

• Life Coaching tip no 1 - You have to want it!

Firstly - do not bother to set goals for things you don’t really want. For example: if your partner says they want you to quit smoking or lose weight but you do not want to, why even bother setting this as a goal. If your goal(s) are not something you personally want to accomplish, and they are not relevant to you, you are unlikely to succeed – because deep down you don’t really want to.

State your goals in a positive way – a goal should always be something you want to have, or change. Not things you or someone else think you should.

Always ask yourself on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being totally committed and 1 being zero commitment. How committed are you to reaching your goal? If it is less than 8, you might want to reconsider the goal.

• Life Coaching tip no 2 - Focus

Start small. Pick two or three areas that you want to work on. Too many people say to themselves, “I want to do this, and this, and this, and this……” and they end up achieving nothing! Most of what you do throughout your day can be done without a lot of mental effort, but change isn’t one of them. So try to keep your focus down to a couple of things. This way you can get success in your identified areas. Here are some aspects of your life you might like to think about: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Spiritual, Financial, and Relationships. Now, which is the first thing on your list? The others can follow later, but for now, you should focus on two or three, no more.

• Life Coaching tip no 3 - Goals - the long and the short

So you want to lose 50 pounds? Good. Long-term you will. But for now, think short-term. Don’t think about losing 50 pounds by February. Think about losing 10 pounds by October 1st.

This does two things. First, it makes it pressing and urgent. Instead of saying, “I still have 6 months to lose the 50 pounds” (6 months quickly disappears into 2 months, into one month – with the 50 pounds still securely in place!) your first goal is only a few weeks away, so you have to get started. This is far more successful in terms of reaching your goal. Secondly, as you reach these smaller goals (your mini-milestones!), you achieve a success, which gives you regular motivation and encouragement to keep going.

• Life Coaching tip no 4 - Make it manageable

Instead of saying, "I am going to quit my 20 smoking a day habit straight off" change this to: "I am going to smoke no more than 15 a day for a week, then 10 the next week and so on." Give yourself small victories a little at a time. It is far easier to accomplish many smaller goals that make up a large goal – rather than trying for the large goal straight off!

• Life Coaching tip no 5 - Reward yourself along the way

When you lose the 10 pounds by October 1st, go and order yourself large mocha with cream from Costa’s (just the one though!), then get back to your goal for November 1st. This puts a little fun back into the process of self-control and self-discipline. You will look forward to and enjoy the reward and when the going gets tough, you will say things like, “two weeks to go, and only two more pounds to lose” etc – I can do it, then I can enjoy my mocha guilt free!

• Life Coaching tip no 6 - Be specific with your timeline

Don’t just say, "I am going to lose 10 pounds." Say, "I am going to lose 10 pounds by December 1st." This way, when you start being tempted into Thornton’s Chocolates in the middle of November - under the guise of buying early Christmas presents for other people, you can say, "No way, only 5 more pounds to go in three weeks and I am not going to blow it now."

• Life Coaching tip no 7 - Post it where you can see it

Keep your goal in the front of your mind at all times. Instead of allowing yourself to ‘forget’ that you are trying to lose weight by ordering a big slice of cheesecake, your visual reminder will help you to choose something a little on the lighter side but at the same time keeping on track – having your cake and eating it! This will help you beat your desire and stay focused.

Post your goal anywhere you will see it regularly, like maybe the fridge or a mirror, on your wardrobe door – you know where is best, you must be able to see it regularly throughout the day.

• Life Coaching tip no 8 - Encourage, respect, and accountability

Explain to a friend or family member what your goal is, including the timeframe, so they can help you with it. This person should regularly ask you, how you are doing etc? They should hold you accountable, but at the same time keep you motivated and encouraged. Obviously they must be the encouraging type! (If not, ask someone else who is) If you are blowing it, they can tell you so, but at the same time gee you up and say things like “Well, that’s okay, it’s done now, don’t sweat it, just get back to it tomorrow." If you are doing well, they can say, "excellent, well done etc” and make you feel great.

• Life Coaching tip no 9 - Write (and then reap) the benefits

If you are trying to lose weight your benefits might look something like this: Feel better, better self-esteem, longer life, clothes are more comfortable, a bigger choice of clothes shops to shop it, your husband says you look 25 again and so on. For quitting smoking, it may look like this: Fresher breath, no more brown fingers, less wrinkles on my face, no more red eyes, no more smelly clothes, longer life, and the wife won’t make me spend two hours a day on the back porch in the pouring rain anymore! By making a list you will be able to you see what you will benefit from accomplishing your goal.

Again it is a good idea once you have thought of these benefits to write them down with your goal (On the fridge, mirror etc) so that when you review your goal everyday, you’ll also see the benefits to achieving it.

• Life Coaching tip no 10 - You have succeeded – reward yourself!

This can be anything – large or small. If you dropped the fifty pounds, really treat yourself, plan to go out and buy yourself that size 12 dress you have always longed for – and then wear it with pride.

Make a deal with a partner or friend that if you reach your goal they will take you out for a meal or and spoil you. Whatever it is you plan, make it personal, enjoyable and desirable to you, so you will look forward to it.

Do not miss this part out – it is one of the most important bits. It will help to keep you motivated when you’re struggling and give you something enjoyable to aim for.

Make sure you reward yourself for all your hard work!

Remember folks – goals aren’t just for footballers! They are for us real people too!

Rich is a full-time freelance Life Coach from the UK. For more information check out his Life Coaching website http://www.startliving.org.uk or alternatively take a look at his Life Coaching Blog at http://www.startliving.org.uk/blogger.html.

It’s time for that annual ritual of making (and breaking) our New Year’s resolutions. There is something about the idea of being able to start over that motivates us to pause (at least briefly) and reflect on our lives as they are, as well as how we would like them to be. Yet how many times have you thought back to last year’s goals and found that many or most of them were abandoned or just forgotten after a few weeks or months into the year?

Many of us have difficulty following through on our resolutions due to factors such as choosing unrealistic goals, not making them challenging enough and/or lacking the necessary motivation to stick with them. The following tips should help put you on the right course and assist you in staying committed to your most important goals for 2006.

Start with a life vision

If you don’t know what you want your future to look like, how can you decide what areas of your life need to be worked on? Spend some quiet time TODAY reflecting on (and writing down) what is good, bad or incomplete. Then try to “see” your life if all of these areas were addressed and had become satisfactory to you.

Get organized

Clear away clutter. Go through paperwork, files, old bills and receipts, closets, drawers and storage containers. Decide what you need and will use and either throw out or give away all the rest. Put aside some time each week for this purpose. After you have cleaned out you can think about your existing systems for management and storage and see if these need reworking or just some fine-tuning. Keep ONE calendar to record all appointments, events, etc. Write down everything- don’t rely on memory.

Expand your horizons and make a commitment to learning something new.

Challenging yourself will infuse you with greater energy and sense of purpose. It will help build your self-esteem to realize you really are capable of more than you had previously believed. This new learning can also give you additional resources to assist you in your career, personal or love life.

Set challenging but realistic resolutions

Choose goals that stretch your ability muscles, yet are realistic and therefore less vulnerable to failure. Don’t respond to that negative inner voice that says; “oh, I’m not capable of that”. Instead, focus on what you truly desire for your life and relationships and let this be your guide.

Write down your resolutions

Write them down and stick them on your bathroom mirror, your fridge, your car dashboard, your desk or wherever you know will be a good place for you to see them. You can also show them to a good friend, family member, your coach or anyone who could provide support and encouragement.

Create action steps for each resolution; write them down, and keep an accounting of your progress for each.

A resolution without planned action is doomed to failure. Break each goal down into small action steps or objectives. Putting a date for completion will help ensure you follow through. Come up with an accountability system that will work for you. Make sure you check off each accomplishment as you go and be flexible and willing to make adjustments in your action steps in order to achieve your desired end results.

Take care of yourself; eat well. Exercise regularly and learn to control and eliminate unhealthy stress.

I know this is an obvious one, so why is it often ignored or overlooked when we are attempting to make important life changes? How many times have you said, “I don’t have the time” to eat right, exercise, sleep adequately, etc? Not caring for yourself will guarantee failure. So, why not make this your first and most important resolution for 2006?

Work to eliminate bad habits

Including this as a New Year’s resolution would put you on the road to good follow-through. Bad habits will sabotage your efforts and use up your limited resources of time, energy and focus. For each bad habit you decide to eliminate, have a good habit in mind to replace it with.

Set appropriate and healthy limits in all areas of your life

Knowing your limits and enforcing them with yourself and others is a prerequisite to a healthy life and relationship. Learn to say “no” and “enough” and be firm in your resolve that this is a good thing to do. Otherwise, you will also be undermining your resolution to take care of yourself.

Work to be the kind of person you want to be with

Bringing out the best qualities in yourself will help to ensure that you attract people of good quality into your life. You wouldn’t want to compromise on the standards you have set for a potential mate. Therefore, it’s important to understand that this also holds true for other people in search of relationships.

Now begin this year with the resolve to be the person you know you have the potential to be. You’ll be pleased with the wonderful changes that await you!

Toni Coleman, MSW is a licensed psychotherapist, relationship coach and founder of http://www.consum-mate.com As a recognized expert, Toni has been quoted in many local and national publications including: The Chicago Tribune, The Orlando Sentinel, New York Daily News, Indianapolis Star and Newsweek newspapers and Family Circle, Woman’s Day, Cosmo Style, Tango, Men’s Health, Star (regularly quoted body language expert), and Nirvana magazines. She has been featured on abcnews.com; discovery.health.com; aolnews.com; MSN.com, Match.com and planetearthradio.com. Toni offers dating help and relationship advice as the weekly love and dating coach on the KTRS Radio Morning Show (St. Louis, MO) and through her syndicated column, “Dear Dating Coach.” Her newsletter, The Art Of Intimacy, helps over fifty-five hundred subscribers with its dating and relationship advice. Toni is a member of The International Coach Federation, The International Association Of Coaches and The National Association of Social Workers.

Why is goal setting important? Because without goals you don’t go anywhere!

Whenever you see anything worthwhile being done anywhere, it’s because someone is behind it with a passion, a belief and a goal!

When it comes to your personal life and your business, goal setting can make the difference between mediocrity and excellence and accomplishment.

Much is said about goal setting.

But just how do you set and accomplish goals?

Is there some goal setting formula or strategy that can be employed to increase your chances of success?

Thankfully, YES!

What follows is a blueprint for success in goal setting.

The Goal Setting Blueprint

STEP 1. Develop a DESIRE to achieve the goal. The desire must be intense. How do you intensify desire? Sit down and write out all the benefits and advantages of achieving your goal. Once the list goes between 50 and 100 your goal becomes unstoppable.

STEP 2. WRITE your goal down. Once it goes into writing it becomes substantial and starts etching itself into your subconscious.

STEP 3. IDENTIFY 1) the obstacles you will need to overcome, 2) the help you will need to acquire, e.g. knowledge, people, organizations. In each case write them out in a clear list and analyze them.

STEP 4. DEADLINE your goal. Analyze where you are now in relation to the goal and then measure how long you will reasonably need to complete the goal. Then set the latest outside date.

STEP 5. Take all the details of steps 3 and 4 and make a PLAN. List all the activities and prioritize them. Rewrite the list, optimize it, perfect it.

STEP 6. Get a clear MENTAL PICTURE of the goal already accomplished. Make the mental image crystal clear, vivid in the mind’s eye. Play that picture over and over in your mind.

STEP 7. Back your plan with PERSISTENCE and resolve. Never, never, never give up even when you hit setbacks.

Follow those steps religiously and you will be successful at goal setting.

DANGER - You can read this and think, "That sounds interesting. I must try that sometime".

Notice the title of this article - "Goal Setting: The Blueprint".

What is a blueprint? It can refer to a negative used in photography for architectural plans, maps or mechanical drawings. It can also mean a detailed plan or program of action.

SO - Take these 7 steps and rewrite them on a card or in a notebook for frequent reference. Keep them on your computer in a note on your desktop.

Use the 7 steps as a BLUEPRINT. Keep checking your goal against the 7 steps frequently to measure your progress and keep yourself on track.

Then and only then will this article make a difference to your personal and business life.

Now the question is, what goal are you going to set today?

What goal can you set for your business which is going to lift it to new levels?

What goal setting are you going to implement in your personal life which is going to have a positive effect on you and your loved ones?

Take some time now and THINK about it!

Then? JUST DO IT!

This goal setting overview is the first part of a 20 minute goal setting tutorial. For more information on each of the seven steps outlined above, go to: http://www.about-goal-setting.com