There are three main keys to successful goal setting. If you are one of those who are unable to set goals in their life or simple want to improve your goal setting skills, read on.

The goals must be realistic.
The first and most important thing about goal setting is that the required outcome must be realistic. Falling into the "dreams" trap is great if you dream about a holiday in Paris. It is not that healthy however if you dream about becoming a president of the USA and than get depressed because you have never reached that goal.

All goals that we set must be applicable first to the real world and than to out reality. This makes goals achievable which, on the other hand makes us happy and satisfied with our performance.

The goals must be specific.
Clearly formulated goals are half achieved. Indeed it rounds simple but it is not. Many of us are not specific when they set goals even tough they do not realize it. Think about the last goal you have set and you will soon find out that it is not quite clear. If the goal is big such as becoming a doctor, than break it into smaller parts as specific as they could be. Than deal with each one separately. This will not only reduce the stress that is pilling over you but will actually turn the whole process into a scheduled, normal life experience.

Be focused on the performance.
The third very important element of the successful goal setting is that they should be based on performance. This way you are creating an environment that you can control. Everything is in your hands and you have better chances to achieve the goal. Alternatively goals focused on the outcome can fail because of various reasons that you cannot actually control. Of course the second scenario provides a fertile soil for excuses if you fail however the scars on your self esteem will be exactly the same as with any other failure. Goals focused on personal performance require much more responsibility to be taken however they trend to bring real results.