Before we can send our little engines up that mountain, we’ll need to define our “mountains.” In my experience, the best goals are goals that you actually WANT to achieve, and are willing to WORK for. It’s also important that your goal is actually DO-able. It really helps is you already have a clear idea of HOW to go about achieving it. Being really clear with yourself about the goal, setting strong parameters, having a good vision of the desired results, are equally important.

For example, let’s say you have a goal of: “I want to write a book.”

First off, is this DO-able? Thirty days isn’t a very long time. Do you really want to write a whole book? Or would you feel more comfortable writing a story? Or an article? Or a poem? How many pages do you think you could write every day? Etc.. Etc.. It’s a nebulous goal, I think. Not specific enough, and maybe not even possible. You might be setting yourself up for failure.

Much better to say: “I want to begin writing my book, and I plan to have at least 4 chapters of a rough draft finished by the end of 30 days.” 

Here’s another example. Suppose you have a goal of: “I want to get in shape.”

Nice goal. But what does it mean? How will you measure your progress? How will you know you have succeeded? What if you absolutely hate to exercise? How will you do it? Does the thought of “get in shape” make you feel tired? cranky? hungry? Are you sure this is what you really want?

So, are you ready? Let’s set some goals. Remember, it needs to be something that you really DO want, and really WILL work for.