People who don’t set goals wind up asking, “How come I never got what I wanted out of life?” For me, I’ve achieved every dream I’ve ever wanted because of one simple act: setting goals. That really has been the secret of everything.
To help you achieve your dreams, here are a few tips for setting your own goals and taking quick and easy steps—one half hour at a time—to earn a successful life.
Identify what you want—and when you want it.
Figuring out your dream can be the hardest part. So if you can’t be specific, that’s fine. You don’t need to have a whole plan in place. You just need a firm idea in your mind of what you want—and a solid idea of when you want it by.
Schedule 30 minutes for your goal every day.
Set aside a half hour every day to do something to get closer to your dream. Every day, you build on the progress you made the day before. You shouldn’t expect to do the whole thing in a day or in a week, but a little bit every day—that really is the key to being successful.
Make goal-setting a lifestyle.
Make “goal time” a part of your daily routine, and you’ll be less likely to blow it off. The key here is to make sure it’s at the same time every day. This appointment is as important as any other commitment you’d make to someone else. You wouldn’t dream of blowing off a half-hour meeting with a new client, so make 30 minutes with yourself just as much of a priority.
Tackle your goal one bite-sized piece at a time.
You can’t expect to reach your goal without accomplishing the smaller steps building up to that success. If you’re working on a big dream, break it down into little bite-sized dreams along the way.
Congratulate yourself for each step you complete.
Half of staying motivated is remembering what you are working toward; the other half is acknowledging yourself for the work you’ve already done. Pat yourself on the back at least once a month. If that means buying yourself a flat screen or just nodding to yourself in the mirror, that’s up to you (and your wallet).
Always be ready to tackle new goals.
At some point, you’ll accomplish whatever goal you’ve set out to achieve. So why stop there? If you stop dreaming of new goals, your life and business will get boring again. Build on the goals you’ve already achieved or write down a whole new adventure.
