Do you have trouble setting your goals and even more trouble accomplishing them?

There is a well known and established method of both setting and accomplishing goals. It is often referred to by its acronym SMART. It will definitely make you feel smart once you understand it and implement in your life. It always helps if you study and use a system such as Getting Things Done. You don't have to use all of it but a system will always out perform random acts of goal setting.

Now on to SMART. Each letter stands for a specific item that needs to be included in your goal. The better you make them the better your chances of actually accomplishing your goal and getting the benefit from it.

S = Specific. Most people say I am specific in my goals. Lets look at some goals and determine how specific they are. In the case of financial wealth I often hear people say I have a goal of being rich. Is that a specific goal? Getting a little better is I want to be a millionaire. Better. At least this one includes a dollar amount. I will cover specifics in each of the next letters so I won't spend a lot of time on it here. Just remember the most specific you can make your goal the more powerful it is to your own mind. In other words the easier it is to visualize the better your chances of actually acting on it and accomplishing.

M=Measurable. Now measurable is fairly easy to understand. Can you create a measurement system to determine when your goal is accomplished? Take sports for example. A football team may have a goal of increasing their average yards on first down. It is an established measurement system. Everyone understands how it is calculated and measured. Take our earlier goal – "I want to be rich". Think you can measure that? That any two of your friends will agree with you that you have achieved it? The more objective you can make your goal the more solid it becomes in your mind. Our minds have a tremendous ability to make real what we have in our minds. I want to be a millionaire is better but is it really measurable? Are you talking about being a net worth millionaire or a cash millionaire? There is a very big difference between net worth and cash. A cash millionaire can write a check for a million dollars. A net worth millionaire may not be able to write a check to cover lunch. In caseyou are wondering I much prefer being a cash millionaire. It is easy to measure and no one can argue on whether you have achieved it or not.

A= Attainable or Actionable What?? Two different words? Well it depends on which school of thought you come from on which word is appropriate. I will discuss both so you can see how they could be implemented in your own goal setting process. Let's start with attainable. First let's define attainable. Something that can be achieved. Sounds pretty logical right? No point in setting a goal that can't be achieved right? But how do we determine what is attainable? Is creating a company that impacts millions of people unattainable? Is becoming a millionaire unattainable? Now obviously these goals have been achieved by hundreds of people so they aren't impossible. Now if I said I want to be a millionaire tomorrow when I am broke with no assets is highly improbably. You could always win the lottery but that doesn't follow the second word I chose.

Actionable I prefer goals that I can work towards and that my actions contribute to their success. Having a goal of winning the lottery is an example of something that may be attainable but is not really actionable. I want to be a millionaire or create a business generating $100,000 in profit every year are actionable and attainable goals. You will find that action is the primary ingredient in success. So don't let the thought of attainability limit your goals. Many impossible goals have been accomplished because someone set out to do them and BELIEVED they could be accomplished. Make your goals actionable and they can all be attained.

R= Relevant. Relevant is the one part of this whole process that can be in the mind of the beholder. Your goal should be relevent or related to your overall life goals. If my vision of my life includes a strong relationship with my family but the individual goal requires spending 50 weeks a years traveling to accomplish it, then it isn't very relevant to what I want my overall life to represent. I like to think of it this way. As Stephen Covey mentioned in his The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Begin with the End in Mind. Imagine your funeral eulogy. What do you want people to say about you? How do you want to be remembered. Make sure your individual goals line up to support that visual. It is very easy to fall away from our central vision if we aren't careful in setting our individual goals.

T = Time Restricted. This is probably the one that gets the least amount of emphasis. Think of a diet goal. "I want to lose weight". Not a very strong one is it? A better one I want to lose thirty pounds. Better but still lacking that time emphasis and some of the other characteristics we have discussed so far. If you are anything like me I need a deadline to drive me. Using human psychology we understand that the closer a deadline gets the more active we are on working to complete it. How many all nighters did you do in college to get a paper written? How many times have you shifted your entire schedule to make sure a project was done on time? How often have you forgotten your child's birthday? See how a deadline can make a difference? Now to fully use it you need to take a large goal and break it down into smaller individual goals. Having a goal of losing 30 pounds in 3 months means that we will probably put it off for 2 months and 2 weeks and then try to cram it all into the last 2 weeks. Not a smart way to do it (no pun intended). Now breaking that goal down into 10 pounds in a month or 2 1/2 pounds a week. Now we have something to motivate us each week.

Now lets go back to our original goal. I want to be rich. A much better goal is "To have $750,000 in my bank account and zero debt in the next 4 years by focusing on creating alternative incomes, controlling my spending, maximizing my savings, and following a monthly review process"

That's just an example of course. It is a large goal that covers 4 years. Obviously it needs to be broken down into many smaller goals and plans. An example of a smaller part of this overall goal. I will increase my 401k contribution by 2% tomorrow. Or I will create a budget in the next 24 hours. Or I will spend 2 hours a night for the next 7 days to determine 5 alternative business streams I can create and create goals for them following the SMART method.

Does it take work? Oh yea. That is what separates the majority from the minority. We all have the capability. Not everyone puts the sweat into it.

In his video, “Achieve Your Goal: Jack Canfield On Never Giving Up,” Jack explains how he and his partner were trying to get “Chicken Soup For The Soul” published and it was rejected by 144 publishers before it was eventually published. They were told that the title didn’t make sense and that no-one wanted to read short stories.

After 14 months of trying to get the book published they took it to the National Booksellers Association where they finally found someone to publish it. The funny thing is that the publisher predicted that they wouldn’t sell more than 20,000 copies, but Jack and his partner had set a goal to sell 1½ million copies in 18 months!

Their goal was reached and they went on to sell millions of copies worldwide. If you have to ask yourself the question, “why should we set goals” then you should already have your answer. Jack didn’t just set a goal and do nothing about it, he took action trying to find a publisher and never gave up. Never, never give up!

So why does this happen to them? One of the main reasons is that they haven’t made the decision to get past the obstacles. The first action to take is learning how to set goals.

Not setting a goal is like taking a road trip without a map. You don’t have a destination to head to. Many people don’t know that you can control your own life and they never will. Master Your Mind, Design Your Destiny will show you how easy it is to change your thinking.

If you’re a person who is prepared to step out of your comfort zone and take control you can literally change your life. Imagine how you’d feel if you turned your life around and your luck began to change.

Learning to set goals takes practice, but once you start seeing rewards coming your way, you’ll hone your skills and goal setting will become a part of your life. Your goals don’t have to just encompass financial goals as they can be about anything you can think of. You could set a goal to get a great pass in an exam.

Successful people are far different to the average person, and the only difference is that they set goals and then take the action needed to achieve them. Successful athletes always set a goal to win in their chosen field by planning a strategy beforehand.

Don’t be a follower but stand out from the crowd and find out how Master Your Mind, Design Your Destiny can help you.

Backlink: http://successelixir.net/recommend/adam

I do.

The past month “May 2009” brought a lot of challenges into my life. I didn’t see them coming, but they arrived and I had to deal with them. I won’t bother you with my details, but I already moved into the "solution circle". It was harsh–and kept me down for a while. This is why I couldn't even post to my blog or contact the amazing people in my newsletter.

And I honestly want to send a BIG THANKS for everyone sent me an email asking about me. I truly appreciate it.

I have done a lot of planning and preparation to make few critical decisions, and tell me what comes after good preparation?

Right… Inspired action.

A good friend of mine sent me this video to give me some inspiration to move forward through any kind of challenges and life surprises that we will certainly be facing.

I want to share it with you…

I hope you enjoyed it.Talk soon,
Kaled.

Hey, more power to them. You’d probably like more out of life than the ability to sit around ruining silverware.

And anyway, you’re probably a bit suspicious about the whole mind over matter concept.

The fact is, though, that being effective in life really is about projecting our thoughts into the reality around us. That reality may be hostile to our ideas; they’ll meet with resistance from skeptical people and stubborn matter, that refuses to bend easily to our will. But those who are persistent will often succeed in recreating reality, in being true creators.

The key to this is visualization and affirmation techniques.

First, visualize your dream. See it clearly, in three dimensions, as if it were already something real. Walk around inside it, admire its structure and its beauty; construct it in your imagination down to the smallest detail.

When your dream becomes real for you, it can become real for everyone. Visualize it as an actuality, and begin pursuing it, without any doubts as to whether or not it’s achievable. It is, because you’ve seen it. You’ve visualized it.

This cosmos of ours is often chaotic, but it is infinitely varied, and infinitely rich with possibility. It likes to be challenged; like a king with endless treasures, who’d like nothing better to flaunt his generosity and wealth, this universe of ours often responds most generously to the most outrageous demands. Be imaginative. Ask for more than you ever dreamed of. Think big. Chances are good that, if you ask, your wish will be granted.

The second step is the positive daily affirmations. Never cease to affirm your dreams, and yourself, the dreamer. Your desires are good, your ideas are valuable, and your work ethic is impeccable. Envision yourself, your ideal self, and affirm that ideal. Also, affirm your effort to attain that ideal self—because the attempt is noble, despite any struggles it may entail.

When you start dreaming, and insist on believing in those dreams, they have a habit of coming true. But before they can be touched and felt, they have to be visualized.

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More on this topic:

• Turn Your Thoughts into Reality
• The Missing Link: Building Some Self Worth!
• http://legod.wordpress.com/2008/07/06/eyesight-excellence-experiment/

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The more impossible, the better. The more improbable, the more original, the more outrageous your dream becomes, the better. Envision it as a reality, and, chances are, it will become one.

History, science, and culture are driven be people with the strength of will to project their dreams into the real world.

These dreamers are often derided by the “practical” people around them, whose imaginations were chained to the ground by the “possible.”

But today, as we look around, it’s usually the soaring edifices of these dreaming architects that we see towering on the horizon, the eternal embodiments of what was, once, nothing more than a dream in someone’s head. Now, they stand as brick and mortar, a living monument to those dreamers even long after their deaths.

So, start by dreaming big. Dream extravagantly. Dream ridiculously. Then, roll up your sleeves and get to work.

Consider how you can begin making that dream a reality. Break it down into steps, and jot down those milestones on your calendar. Draw up a list of resources you’ll need, whether human resources or financial resources. As you’re planning these specifics, though, always keep that vision of your dream clearly in front of you.

This is what will inspire you as you go through the drudgery. And yes, making dreams a reality often involves plenty of elbow grease. It’s not always glamorous.

Be realistic as you plan your attack; if you’re too ambitious logistically, you may fall behind schedule, and fall into a spiral of despair concerning the project itself. The project may be grandiose, but the execution should be methodical and gradual. Don’t set yourself up for failure before you even start.

Allow room for flexibility. Sometimes fortune finds the brave, as they say. You may find the key to achieving your goal in some random encounter, or happy accident. Keep your eyes peeled for things like this. You may not have planned for them, but exploit them to the fullest if they do happen!

Dream hard, and work harder! That’s the formula for converting today’s dream to tomorrow’s reality.

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Photo by tochis– flickr.com.

Do you think these desires are nothing but wasteful daydreaming and fantasizing?

Maybe you’re not being bold enough in your mindset. The truth is that, ironically, it’s those people who dare to dream the impossible who are rewarded in the end.

All you have to do is concentrate on what you want, and visualize it in your mind, in order to realize it in the real world. Here are a few pointers as you learn how to turn your thoughts into reality.

1. Strive.

Striving for something mean going beyond the point of mere dreaming, mere wanting. When we strive for something, we exert every effort in our power—mind, body, and soul—in its pursuit. We will stop at nothing to realize it; we will not take “no” for an answer.

2. Analyze.

Analyze your dreams; break them down. Compose definitions, lists, and outlines. You can’t begin pursuing your dreams until you’ve defined very clearly what they are. Pay some attention to detail. Don’t just think of your dream in the abstract; make it concrete.

3. Envision.

Envision your dream as a reality. Your imagination is an incredible architect; it can build the structures of your imagination before they ever exist in brick and mortar, allowing you to experience them in a very palpable way, even in the planning stage. Envisioning your dream with great clarity will inspire you to make it a reality. You know it’s real—you’ve seen it.

4. Have faith.

Dreamers are often shaken when their visions collide with reality. Reality will resist your efforts to shape it—this is simply a fact of life. Expect it, and insist on believing in your dreams, even in the face of initial setbacks. As a famous author once wrote, “If it’s miracles you want, strengthen first your faith.” True faith produces miracles, not vice versa!

5. Act on instinct

As you pursue your path, learn to delight in those strange coincidences you’ll encounter along the way. Who knows where they may lead. Be flexible; if something promising appears unexpectedly, don’t be afraid to investigate. It may be the best thing you never thought would happen!

Using these pointers as your spiritual compass, follow your heart, and turn your thoughts into reality.

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For everything in life, we have a reason for going where we go, or doing what we do.

For every facet of our life, especially the important ones related to work, raising children, and marriage and relationship success, we need to set goals.

If we just live day by day with no clear direction in our lives, ultimately our lives will have no clear direction and we can feel frustrated and depressed.

How does a singer or actor attain success?

He or she doesn’t just wake up and sing or act one day. If a promising singer or actor has a dream of making it to the stage, to the Broadway play or in the movies, that dream is his or her goal. He or she will work at it untiringly through study and making contacts.

The most organized way to approach the large challenges in our lives, as well as the everyday small ones, is to set goals for each. When you wake up each day, there should be a clear idea of what you want and need to do that day. Some people make lists, and these can be very effective in getting things done.

The point is, you need structure in your life to achieve things, and you need to start setting small goals to gradually set large-scale goals.

According to mindtools.com there is a way to set goals that will help you achieve what you want, without experiencing the failure that sometimes happens when our goals are too out of reach. The key is to develop “performance” goals vs. “outcome” goals.

If we set outcome goals such as “My goal is to be accepted into Harvard University,” this may or may not happen based on our abilities and the competition among students. However, if our goal is to study hard so as to excel in high school so that we are accepted into the best university that we have applied to, this is a more realistic goal. We have focused on our performance in school, rather than a potentially unrealistic goal of being accepted by a prestigious college.

The same applies to work. Our goal should be to work effectively to achieve the next step, rather than have a goal to be the department director, without thinking about our qualifications.

Goal-setting, then should be an important part of our daily lives, but goal setting should be realistic, and be based on what we can expect from our best performance. Goal setting should help us strive and give us a sense of accomplishment at the end of the road.

Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to lose sight of our purpose, if we even have one. What fuels you in your daily life? Money? Success? Or is it something deeper?

Part of being successful is being passionate.

If you’re not doing something you’re truly passionate about, you’re not likely to meet with real success. Needless to say, you’re not likely to be very happy. If you find your passion, you’ll regard work as a gift, not as a torture. What purpose will fuel you with passion until the very end of your career?

Many things in life are merely a means to an end. The end is our ultimate purpose in life. Do you live to work, or work to live? Is your paycheck your purpose in life?

Hardly—it’s just a piece of paper. But it can be a means to other ends—to pursuing your hobbies, to traveling to inspiring places, or to providing for your family. Adventure, enterprise, and the ones we love—these are the sorts of things that bring true purpose to our lives.

Recognizing our true purpose—what really drives us—can allow us to make dramatic changes in our lives. Determining what one’s purpose is and vowing to pursue it to the fullest can lead to a true renaissance in our personal and professional endeavors.

Are you sleepwalking through life? Is your first thought in the morning your dream of going back to bed that night—to get through the day as quickly and painlessly as possible, in order to escape back into the realm of dreams that night, and forget your life as much as possible? This is a living death. Going through the motions. This is a life that is void of purpose.

If this is you, and you’re ready for your own rebirth, retreat somewhere. Withdraw from the rat race for a couple of days and collect your thoughts. Relax. Exhale. Find yourself, and your purpose. Commit your thoughts and dreams to paper, to serve as a roadmap on your way to true fulfillment.

1. Strip away all the nonsense, all the distractions, until you pare your life down to a single purpose. What is the one thing that gives it meaning? What do you live for?

2. Once you’ve identified it, describe it in a few sentences. Give it a name. What does it mean to you? Why does it bring meaning to your life? How are you going to nurture it?

3. Think of some practical steps to take in pursuit of this purpose. Write them out. Be realistic, but be determined.

4. Break these steps down into things you can do on a daily basis. Often, purpose is all about the little things. If family is our purpose in life, we can demonstrate our commitment to the ones we love with very little—a kind word or gesture can make someone’s day. How can we do this, easily and practically?

5. Don’t let a single day go by without fulfilling at least one of these steps.

Take some time every year or so to reevaluate your purpose. Perhaps it will shift a bit, as you mature, or your interests develop. Perhaps it won’t change, but your definition of it will; your understanding of your purpose will become more profound as you live it out every day of your life.

Place a reminder somewhere, in your bedroom or office, or maybe near the mirror where you get ready for work each day. It can even be a sort of code word—anything that will get you to meditate on your purpose, and reaffirm your commitment to it as you begin your day.

Enjoy a new life with a clearly state purpose. A life worth living!

Photo by 3amfromkyoto, flickr.com

So, how do you get started with goal setting? First of all, you need to think about the big one. The big goal, the destination you’re striving to reach, no matter what detours you may take along the path of your life. All of your secondary goals will flow from this central goal, as you consider what practical steps you can take to achieve your dreams. What matters most to you? What would you refuse to live without? What brings your life meaning? Once you strip away all the nonsense, all the distractions, all the chores you do without a sense of inspiration, you’ll be left with this one central goal. Write it out; try to formulate it as clearly and succinctly as you can.

Begin by determining whether the first goal that comes to mind is truly your goal, and not someone else’s. Often, we mistake the world’s goals for our own goals, accepting what other people view as important, instead of thinking independently about what really matters to us. Are we pursuing this particular goal because of its meaning for us, and in search of personal fulfillment? Or are we doing it just to impress those around us, to conform to society’s expectations of us, and its conception of what a meaningful life is? Often, the “meaning” prescribed by television, music, our peers, and even our family may be quite hollow, upon closer inspection. Listen to your own voice, and follow where it leads.

Once you’ve isolated your central purpose in life, ask yourself how to get there. Break it down into secondary goals, stepping stones along the path, which are manageable. Make sure they are all directly related to your ultimate goal; if there’s no apparent connection, they may be nothing but meaningless detours—exercises in wheel-spinning, instead of getting somewhere meaningful.

Spread your ultimate goal around, integrating it into all aspects of your life—intellectual, financial, moral, spiritual, and physical. How do your loved ones fit into the picture? How can you pursue all of your varied interests in a way that promotes the realization of your central purpose?

Formulate your goals and stepping stones in positive terms—they should define what you can do, not what you shouldn’t do. Defining goals negatively simply tells us where we can’t go. But we’re not exactly in kindergarten anymore, where life is a list of prohibitions. We’re in charge of our lives, so we should act like it. Tell yourself, in very positive tones, who you choose to be and where you choose to go.

Never let go of your central goal. If it truly matters to you, it’s not likely to fade from your radar, or become invalid at some point in life. Meaning in our life is timeless; it’s what defines us as a person. Jobs and addresses may change, but what we want from life is unlikely to. So don’t get discouraged if you meet with setbacks. Simply redouble your determination, and insist on achieving.