Set and Achieve High Goals for Success in 2010

If you want to succeed, you must commit to three things. First, you must take personal responsibility for your success. Only you can make you a success. You need to be willing to do the things necessary to succeed. Second, you must set high goals -- and then do whatever it takes to achieve them. Third, stuff happens; as you go through life you will encounter many problems and setbacks. You need to react positively to the negative stuff and move forward toward your goals. I can't begin the year without writing about goals and goal setting. I'm a fan of the S.M.A.R.T. system of goal setting. S.M.A.R.T. goals are… • Specific -- Your goals should be targeted, nor broad and general. They should be unambiguous and explicit. • Measurable -- You should be able to tell quickly and easily if you've met your goal. Develop a set of criteria that will be indicative of success or failure in meeting each of your goals. • Achievable -- Set goals that are challenging but not incredibly difficult to achieve. A challenging goal is motivating, an impossible one is demotivating. • Relevant -- Make sure that your goals are in line with your purpose and direction. They should help move you closer to your life's purpose. • Time Specified -- Set deadlines for achieving your goals. Well developed goals come with time limits. Once you have developed a set of S.M.A.R.T. goals, you need to work them. Here are some ideas for accomplishing your 2009 goals. • Write your goals. People who take the time to write their goals accomplish them more frequently than people who don't. • Keep your goals with you -- in your wallet, on a clipboard, on your screen saver. In this way, they'll be a constant reminder of what you are going to achieve. • List at least one reason you want to achieve each goal. These reasons will help you stay focused when you get tired and frustrated and begin asking yourself questions like, "Why am I working so hard on this?" • Determine how you will achieve each of your goals. Create a list of action steps -- with deadlines -- for each of your goals. • Share your goals with your friends. These folks can be a big help in achieving your goals. Goals become more real when you share them with others. Goals that you don't share are merely aspirations. • Talk about your goals at social and networking functions. The help you need to achieve one or more of your goals can come from some surprising places. You never know who might be the one person who can offer the assistance it takes for you to get over the top on one or more of your goals. • Focus on your goals several times a day. Ask yourself, "Is what I'm doing right now helping me achieve one of my goals?" If the answer is no, stop what you're doing and do something that will help you reach your goals. • Stay balanced by creating goals in all areas of your life: career, business, personal, family, hobbies, health. These goals will help guide you to where you want to go. • Have congruent goals. Make sure your goals are congruent with one another. Conflicting goals create undue stress. If you have a work or career goal that is going to take up 60 to 80 hours a week of your time, it will be pretty difficult to realize a goal of running a marathon. You simply won't have time to train. • Consider the sacrifices -- what you might have to forego or give up in order to reach one of your goals. This could be things like family or hobby time. Ask yourself questions like, "Is this goal important enough for me to give up time with my kids or my weekly yoga class?" The common sense point here is simple. Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for creating the career and life success they want and deserve. Setting and achieving high goals is one way of demonstrating your commitment to your success. Your 2010 -- and any year for that matter -- success begins with your goals. Make sure they are S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound). You should be able to clearly articulate three things about each of your goals -- 1) What you plan to achieve; 2) Why you want to achieve it; and 3) How you plan on achieving it.