Goal Setting: The First Step Toward Success

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Undoubtedly, you have dreams. Dreams are visions of the things that you want to happen. However, dreams have to become goals if you want them to come true.  You can't just dream your life away.

Someone once said, "Goals are dreams with deadlines."  Goals are more than visions. They represent the results that you want to achieve. They imply action. You need to do specific things to fulfill them.

Why are goals important? Without clear, specific goals, you will wander aimlessly through life and you will achieve nothing. Common sense will tell you that before you can focus, you need a point of focus and that's exactly what a goal is -- a point of focus. Goals tell you where to focus your attention and give direction to your efforts. Like a powerful laser beam that cuts through the hardest of substances, persistent and focused effort will cut through the most difficult obstacles.

You might be familiar with the acronym SMART that applies to goal-setting.  I learned about it in one of the leadership trainings I attended in high school.  To refresh your memory, here's the acronym and what every letter stands for:

S - Specific.  A goal must be definite.  It must be defined in as much detail as possible. You can't hit your target if your vision is too blurry. In the same way, you can't achieve any goal if you do not know exactly what you want.

M - Measurable. They must be capable of being measured so you can monitor your progress and see if you have finally achieved your goal.

A - Achievable. A goal is achievable if you can do the specific actions required attain it. For instance, if you want to make money online, you can achieve this by applying for an online job or selling products on the Internet. If you want to win the next season of American Idol, that goal is not achievable unless you are in the United States and are able to audition.

R - Realistic.  A goal is realistic if you have the ability and the resources to achieve it at the time you want it to be fulfilled.  For instance, if you want to earn a million dollars online in one week, that goal is far from being realistic.  If you give yourself time to earn that kind of money, say five to ten years, that could be realistic. You also have to see if you have what it takes to make it happen.  You need the right skills and the right mindset.  If you don't have these, you can always read and/or attend trainings to learn.

T - Time-bound.  Without a deadline, a goal may never be achieved. Why? People tend to procrastinate. Some people  keep putting things off forever, and as a result, they don't achieve anything. Again, dreams are goals with deadlines. Deadlines help you focus on your goals because you tend to concentrate when you need to beat the calendar.

So there you have it -- goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. Here is my goal:

"To earn at least $25,000 online by ghostwriting, affiliate marketing and selling my own digital products on the Internet by May 31, 2013." 

That goal is specific.  I stated how much I want to earn and how. It is measurable. I will know that I have made it when I have already earned a total of $25,000.  It is achievable -- I have been ghostwriting for more than a year now. I'm learning the ropes of affiliate marketing and creating my own digital products.  It is realistic.  In fact, those who live in the U.S. might think that $25,000 is too low a target.  In my country, if you had that kind of money, you would be a millionaire! $25,000 is equal to PhP 1,000,000 (Philippine peso -- my country's currency).  My goal is time-bound. My deadline is on May 31, 2013.

It is not enough to know what your goals are.  The "why" is just as important as the "what."  The "what" clarifies what you want to achieve, but the "why" gives you the motivation to go for it.  Goals have to be charged with emotion. Emotions are powerful.  They give you the power to achieve your loftiest goals.

Let me tell you why I want to earn at least $25,000 for the next 12 months. Life has not been easy for my family and me. My Mom is 62 years old and she is not in the pink of health. The last time she was hospitalized, we had to sell the only parcel of land that she owned so we could pay her hospital bills. I do not want that to happen ever again.

Also, I know that when I have achieved that goal, I will have the confidence to move on to bigger goals. I must confess that I'm a fraidy cat.  I get the jitters whenever I have big ghostwriting projects. I know that I will become a lot braver with every goal I achieve.

I now have a goal to target. What's yours?