People often wonder what goal setting is and why should one do it? Goal setting is a vital process that helps the planner to know where he is going in his personal and professional life. Knowing exactly what one wants to achieve in life helps a person to move in right direction and ultimately succeed in his mission. Additionally, if a person is aware of his goals, he comes to know where exactly he needs to concentrate all effort. And more than anything else, the goals that are set accurately are incredibly motivating because they help to build self-confidence.

The biggest difference between a person who actively plans his goals and one who lets everything hang in thin air is excellence and mediocrity. The main reason for this is that when a person sets goals for accomplishing any task, there is a passion and a belief that drives that person to perfect his job, so that he can accomplish his goal successfully.

There have been numerous books, journals and articles that advocate the virtue of goal setting, but the main question that comes to mind is How do you set and accomplish goals? Fortunately there are some goal setting formulas and strategies that can be used to increase the chances of success towards goal setting and accomplishment.

This article will help you to first figure out a blueprint for success in goal setting. The blueprint consists of seven steps that will help you in chalking out your very own goals for any activity.

Step 1: It involves developing an intense desire to achieve the goals. Now the question is How to intensify desire? The best course of action to intensify desire would be to sit down and jot down on a notepad all the benefits and advantages that one could reap by achieving the goals. And if the list of benefits goes beyond 50, achieving the goal becomes the primary mission in the life of the goal setter.

Step 2: Write down all the goals, so that it becomes tangible because once the goals are written, the exercise becomes substantial and it etches itself into the subconscious of the planner.

Step 3: The next step is to identify-

A) The obstacles that stand in the way of your goal setting and accomplishment and overcoming them.
B) The help that is needed to procure knowledge, people and organization. For better identification, rewrite these points also clearly.

Step 4: Set a deadline for your goals. Every goal should have a deadline because an activity loses its value if it is accomplished after the target deadline. Therefore, always analyze your current position as against the goal finishing time that you set and measure how long it is going to take to finish the goals. Set the latest target deadline date accordingly.

Step 5: It involves combining step 3 and 4 and planning all the goals accordingly. Start by listing all the activities and then prioritize them. You can of course rewrite the list to perfect it.

Step 6: Once the goals are all set, make a mental picture of the goal already accomplished and turn it over in your mind again and again.