Set Goals to Achieve Personal and Professional Success

Goal setting is a powerful tool for defining and attaining the future you want. Almost every self improvement and professional development program includes goal setting. Having clear goals provides direction for your activities and gives you a way to measure your progress. Goals can also be a source of motivation and self confidence. It is powerful reinforcement when you see your goals being reached.

Consider multiple time frames when you set your goals. You will want to have long term life time goals, medium term(1-5 years), and short term goals. Create goals for all aspects of your life, career, family, physical, etc. Remember that the reason we do everything is because we believe it will cause us to have more happiness. Therefore, don't focus only on career for example when it's the freedom and time with loved ones that really brings you joy. Always state your goals in positive rather than negative terms. I will exercise four times a week rather than I will not neglect my health.

The mnemonic SMART is often used when discussing goals.

S-Specific: Be as clear as possible when you set your goals. Example- I will go to the gym at least 1 hour, four times a week.

M-Measurable: Set goals that you can verify and measure. Example- I will devote 2 or more hours a week to learning new strategies.

A-Attainable: Make your goals attainable. Most of us could not generate a million dollars the first month of a new business. However, that could be possible in 5 years or even one year.

R-Relevant: Short term goals need to be relevant and consistent with long term goals.

T-Time bound: Define a specific time in which to reach your goals.

These parameters can and should be adjusted as you progress. You may see that your reaching your goal much faster than imagined, therefore make adjustments to keep your goals challenging but attainable. Goals should be "performance" based, not "outcome" based. It is better to have a goal to exercise four times a week rather than to loose 5 pounds in 30 days. This way you will be less influenced by external events and more successful in attaining your goals.

Define steps required to reach your goals and make "To Do" lists. Remember to prioritize those lists and do first things first. I like to take a few minutes before I go to bed and write down what I want to accomplish the next day. I see the list first thing in the morning and begin with the most important task.

Setting goals and consistently working toward them over time will allow you to accomplish much more than working without clear goals. When you regularly reach your short term goals, the long term ones naturally fall into place. Create the life you want by setting goals and taking the steps to reach them. It's also important to remember that as goals are reached new ones will be created. We never reach a final destination. Our Universe is expanding beautifully as a result of this process.

My next article will address attaining your goals.

Mark Meurs is a Network Marketing Professional. He offers training and tools for home business, Internet and Network marketers. You can visit http://markmeurs.com/ for more information and training. There is additional free training at http://www.home-marketing-logic.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Meurs