Goal setting, is a skill that you have to learn if you want success. Goal setting, personal planning and action are key elements in your success. Goal setting is so important that there has been a lot written on this topic.

The biggest challenge is setting goals and then going on to achieve them. If you can set goals according to your personal plan and you can get into the habit of achieving them you will have success. However many people fail to follow through on their goals.

The secret is to use a simple, basic process for setting your goals and make sure that you have some means of achieving them, without making them so easy that they don't really stretch you.

The four keys to success in Goal setting

There are four main elements to a good goal, encompassed in the acronym S.M.A.R.T. This stands for:

Specific - your goals should be specific, as specific as you can make them. The more specific they are the easier it will be for you to know when you've achieved them and to measure your progress towards achieving them. Rather than say "I want to make a lot of money" a good goal would say "I want an income of $5000 per month by October 1st 2006". Can you see the difference.

You might hesitate to be specific because you might not know what you can achieve - pick a number that seems exciting but not completely insane and go with it.

Measurable Make sure you can measure your goal - if you can't measure it, how will you know you've got it? "I want an income of $5000 per month by October 1st 2006" fits the bill nicely!

You may want to set a goal in some other area of your life where the measurement may be more difficult - e.g. you may want to improve your relationship with your spouse or your boss. Think about how you're going to know when you're there - will it mean no more rows, will it mean something else like you eat out together once a week? Think of something that is going to be evidence of achieving your goal.

Realistic This is a tricky one - you have to balance the need for your goal to be achievable with the need for your goal to stretch you. Goals that do not stretch you simply won't inspire you - would you really get excited about doing your weekly grocery shop 1 day earlier? On the other hand setting a goal to be 10 feet tall is just not going to happen unless you end up in a delusional state!

You will need to use your own judgement here. You will also need to practise the art of goal setting - as you set goals more often in a particular area, you are going to get better at judging what's achievable but realistic for you. Accept that you may need to learn by trail and error at first.

Time-bound You've got to know when you want your goal to be finished. Our money example does this very well. The object of setting goals is to move your forward in your life, this has to happen by a certain time or you will die before you get there. Your goals simply must be time-bound. Choosing the time frame can make the difference between a realistic and an unrealistic goal (doubling your income next week might be a bit difficult, over 5 years it should be easily achievable).

Be SMART when you are setting your goals and take the actions you need to achieve them and you will be well on the road to success.