Simple Tips for Setting Goals

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As we say good-bye to 2006 and look forward to a happy, healthy and successful 2007, now would be a great time, if you haven’t already, to write down your goals and plans for next year.

I’m sure you’ve already given a lot of thought to what you want to accomplish next year, but have you committed it to paper? Remember, the writing down of a goal is the first commitment to actually doing it.

Here are a few goal-setting tips that will not only help you with your goals and plans for next year, but give you a better shot at accomplishing them. Also, each tip in bold is linked to past entries I’ve written on goal-setting that go into more detail.

• Be specific – Do not write: (1) Next year I want to make more money; (2) I want to find a better job; (3) I am going to start my own business; (4) I will lose some weight, or any of the other vague goals people set. If you’re going to be vague, you might as well call it a "New Year’s Resolution" because it’s never going to get done. Decide how much money is more; what that better job actually looks like; what kind of business you want to start; and, how much weight you intend to lose. Besides, what kind of plan could you possibly put together that helps you make more, lose some, and find something better?
• Give yourself deadlines – Remember, if there’s no deadline, there’s no incentive to start. So whether it is by the end of the year, in six months or even by the end of 2010, be specific about those time frames. It’s also much easier to measure your progress if you know how far along you need to be after each day, week, month or year.
• Shoot as high as you want – Don’t set a goal just because it’s achievable; set it because it’s what you want. Whether or not it’s achievable or realistic is strictly determined by whether you are willing to do what it takes to achieve the goal. This can only be determined once you formulate the steps of the action plan.
• Break the action plan down to the smallest steps possible – Depending on the length of the time frame, try to break the goal down into a daily, weekly or monthly activity. For instance, if you wanted to lose twelve pounds in 2007, it would be easier to accomplish if you formulated a plan that broke it down into one pound a month. If you wanted to increase your sales volume by $120,000 in a year, you could break it down to $10,000 a month, a far more manageable number. This allows you to accomplish small goals on a regular basis, which will be the boost you’ll need to increase your confidence.
• Make sure your goals are measurable – Give yourself the ability to measure progress through every step of the process. If you can’t measure your progress, chances are you won’t know that you made any, and that’s when frustration will start to set in. Once that happens, it’s a short trip from frustration to giving up, and you know the only time you ever fail is when you give up.

Make sure to do these few simple things and it will not only be a happy healthy new year, but an extremely successful one too.