Another year is upon us and you have your list ofresolutions or goals you want to accomplish in the upcomingyear. It's time to plan your goals so that it's not just anotherconversation this year, but a focused plan for success. I willshare with you five goal setting techniques guaranteed tohelp you achieve more out of life. Use the goal settingtechniques listed below to help you achieve your targets:



1. Be SMARTER with your Goals.

Make your goals:

Specific,

Motivational,

Action-oriented,

Relevant to your situation,

Time-bound,

Encouraging,

Rewarding

For example, ?I will increase my sales by 15% compared tolast year.? Be as specific about your goal as possible. ?I willstart my own catering business? is a lot stronger than ?Iwant to go into business for myself.? Challenging goals aremotivating. Set goals that will push beyond what youusually think you can accomplish. Remember to set adeadline. A goal without a deadline is simply a dream. Attacha realistic yet challenging deadline for accomplishment andpost this where you can review it regularly.

2. Visualize your goals. Take 15 minutes in the morning and15 minutes just before you go to bed find a quiet placeclose your eyes and relax, and visualize yourself actuallyachieving your goals. Remember the more senses (sight,sound, smell, taste, etc.) you can involve, the more real yourvisualization becomes. I ask during my seminars, ?Have youever had a dream that seemed so real that you woke up in themiddle of it?? Well the reason for that is the subconsciousmind is at work involving all of those senses to trick you intobelieving the dream is real. Well, you don't have to waitwork at visualizing your goals today.

3. Phrase your goal in the present tense and assume success.Don't say, ?I want to.? Say, ?I will.? This subtle techniquetells your subconscious that you have already achievedyour goal, which means it will work at helping the goalbecome a reality. It will attract the people, places, andsituations you need to achieve that goal.

4. Put your goals in writing. This simple act helps you clarifyyour goals and will allow you to visualize them moreeffectively. I recommend that you record each goal on aseparate index card and review them twice a day ? once inthe morning (when you first wake up) and again before yougo to bed. Post index cards where you spend the most timeon the bathroom mirror, on the frig., on your nightstand, etc.This process reinforces your goals, acts as a reminder, anddrives your goals deep into your subconscious. In fact, thisis one of the most powerful strategies you can use toachieve your targets.

5. List the benefits you intend to receive by achieving eachgoal. This will keep you focused and strong, particularlywhen you face the inevitable roadblocks and barriers. InJune, when I chose to lose 20 pounds, I listed 12 benefits,and when I had the urge to put butter on my veggies or helpmyself to a second serving of food, I would review this list tohelp me get past that craving. I lost the 22 pounds and twoinches around my waistline to date. I think I will go foranother 10 pounds. This was not a diet, just a lifestylechange. The more benefits you can list for your goals, themore motivating those goals will become.

So my challenge to you to is to take the time to plan yourgoals. Start with one goal and visualize it, write it down, andact on it. As I always say, ?If you don't invest the time toset goals then someone else will do it for you. And Iguarantee you won't like their goals.? Invest the time, starttoday!

Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and successcoach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stressmanagement, customer service, and team building. You cane-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at(757) 427-7032. Go to his web site,, and signup for the newsletter,OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, "Empowerment andStress Secrets for the Busy Professional."