"There is something worse in life than not to succeed, it is not to try to." - Oscar Wilde.

Life is too short to go around miserable. You only get one life. When you're older, you're not going to wish you spent more time at the office. So if work is getting you down and you're looking to achieve more out of life then it's about time you got yourself some goals that you can aspire to that gives you a feeling of joy and fulfillment.

Here are some useful steps to help you set effective goals to help you achieve more out of life:

1.Get clear about your priorities in life.
For many of us, work is not the end in itself, it represents a means to an end. However, according to a survey British executives spend a staggering 60 hours a week working, the Germans are said to put in 70 hours and while this might sound staggering the Japanese put them all to shame with executives reportedly putting in 100 hours a week. Imagine what kind of family and personal life you have after working those hours. It's not surprising then that divorce rates in many developed countries are around 50%.

This situation of excessive overwork is so bad that the Japanese even have a term for it, its termed Karoshi. In the 90's over 10,000 people were dying each year from Karoshi which is a clear example of what happens when we lose sight of our priorities in life.

I'm all for determination and hard work, sometimes even sacrifice when it comes to work in order that you may be successful at what you do. However, there is more than one road to get you to wherever you want to go in life but first you have to decide what it is you want from life. Decide what priority you want to give to your family, relationships, friends, work and any other priority you have in life. Then shape your life accordingly instead of letting life and circumstances shape it for you.

2. Determine your life goals.
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -Abraham Lincoln

A powerful way to stretch yourself and give yourself a focus is to determine your life goals. Set aside some quiet time so that you can determine the things that you want, things you want to experience, places you want to see, interests or skills you want to learn.

You can be as creative as you want and it should cover all the major areas of your life including your career aspirations, personal finances, health, recreation, relationships, community contributions, spiritual if your that way inclined and areas of personal development. Be clear on what your goals in life are so that it may help you avoid being caught up in the rut of life.

3. Pick one and take Action until it's completion
If you're waiting for some magic secret to goal setting then you'll be surely disappointed. While this information is not ground breaking or revolutionary the fact is the simple truths are timeless. While picking a goal and taking action till it's achievement sounds common sense it is surprising how many people never actually do this and therefore never fulfill their goals.

If this sounds unbelievable then think about your last New Year resolution and whether you actually did anything with it. In fact statistically Ninety-nine percent of the people who set goals never achieve them.

So instead of overwhelming yourself with a multitude of goals, sort them by priority and take the most important one for you to take daily action on. This is the key, by having one single goal to focus your attention and taking daily measurable action towards it's attainment you have increased your chances that you will actually attain the goal successfully.

To close remember Mark Twains quote "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."