How To Set Goals:
A Simple Strategy to Success

Do you know how to set goals? Do you regularly list your goals? Do you have a goal setting planner? Or a a plan of action for success?

I am excited once again to have a conversation with you about the importance of goal planning. I hope you have had a chance to check out the #Divas2Divas blog post I shared with you on January 14. The feedback you Divas gave me on the 11 Tips to Accomplish Your Goals content show that you are Driven, Inspired, preparing to be Victorious and ready to take Action.

And that is outstanding!

But haven’t you felt fired up and motivated before, only to see your efforts fail? You know you have what it takes to be the best you possible. There is no doubt in your mind and your heart that the world is going to open up to you and deliver the peace and success that you desire.

So let me ask you one quick question, if I may. Why hasn’t that happened yet? You have put in the hours, you have read the books, bought the courses, and when you look around you, you know you have a burning desire that far outshines those around you.

So you get frustrated, especially when you do not see the fulfillment of your dreams and desires, in spite of all your hard work and focus.

Fellow Diva, do not despair. We are just human, you and I.

That means we make mistakes.

We fail.

We stumble.

We sometimes stray from the path that will lead us to our inevitable success and total happiness.

And that is, a lot of times, because we have not planned properly. Smart goal achievement means planning. Just remember this …

“When you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

[Tweet “Goal Planning the SMART Way – Taking Small Steps For Big Results”]

Maybe not consciously, but that is the way the universe works. Your brain is the most complex computer that has ever been designed. And it craves order. So when you give it a plan, and then implement that plan step-by-step, day by day, unfailingly, those important goals and desires at the end of that path begin to inch closer and closer.

And this works because goal planning, setting and achieving is already hardwired into your mind. Did you know that when a human being performs the same action, the same way, for 21 to 28 days in a row, that activity moves from conscious behavior to unconscious habit?

You can use this goal planning and achieving autopilot skill which is already a part of your makeup to get just about whatever you dream of.

Here is what you need to do next.

Go back and check out our Goal Setting and Accountability post that you and I shared on the last day of 2014. We discussed how S.M.A.R.T. goal planning forms a bridge that takes you from where you are now to where you want to be, inch by inch, step-by-step.

You do not focus on your destination. Instead, you follow the Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Wise goal planning baby steps to create your new reality.

List Your Goals the S.M.A.R.T. Way

First, specifically state your intentions. This must be very specific. And it must be written down. Saying “I want to be rich” is not good enough. Saying “I will make $100,000 this year from my small business and my blog” is an example of a very specific intent.

Next, develop some type of way to measure your progress. Using the above example, you would divide $100,000 by 52 weeks and come up with $1,923.08 per week. That is very measurable. That is the amount of income you need to produce weekly to achieve your year-end goal.

You should also be certain that your specific goal outlined in the first step of the S.M.A.R.T. goal planning process is achievable. In today’s wonderful world of incredible opportunity, generating an income of $1,923.08 per week is more than achievable, it is obtained by women all over the world just like you every day. So in this particular example, our goal is definitely attainable.

You should also understand that your goal needs to be realistic. This is closely related to, but different than the last goal planning step of Attainable. If you are a 5 foot tall woman in your 50s, a goal of playing basketball for your country’s Women’s Olympic Team is simply not realistic.

Finally, your goals must be time related. This ties back in with the specific and measurable characteristics that your goal must also have. You need to have a completion date written down.

That is the smart way to set your goals, and it only takes a couple of minutes of honest thinking on your part.