Think of goal setting as you would for going on a vacation.  You have a start date, an end date, a destination in mind, activities you want to do while there, and a plan to accomplish them in the time frame allowed, even if that plan includes doing things as they happen and relax.  Goal setting for life in many ways is like planning a vacation.

If you don’t know what your goals are, consider this:

Dr. Dave Kohl, professor emeritus from Virginia Tech through his qualitative research with rural businesses and supporting financial institutions found that people who regularly write down their goals earn nine times as much over their lifetimes as people who don’t.  His paper also stated that:

80% of Americans say they don’t have goals.
16% do have goals but don’t write them down.
Less than 4% write down their goals and
Fewer than 1% review them on an ongoing basis.

These findings were presented by Dr. Kohl at the 2012 New Century Farmer conference held in Des Moine, Iowa (July 10, 2012).

And, Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, did a study on goal-setting with 267 participants.  She found that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down.

There is a lot of research out there on this subject and it is conclusive!  Based on the above two sources of information, you should consider your goals and at the very least write them down.

This is what most experts say about goal setting:

1. Take time to think about and write down your goals.  Don’t be so hard on yourself and at the same time don’t let your pre-conceived notions of what is and isn’t possible define your goals.  Instead describe what you want to achieve and dream BIG!

2.  Goals should be specific and describe exactly what you want and written in the present tense.

3.  Part of your goal setting should involve a plan of action to achieving your goals, starting from today.

4.  You need to set a specific timeframe for accomplishment.

5.  Review your goals daily and evaluate your goals regularly and mark every small accomplishment along the way.  Much like you would for checking off the miles or hours until you arrive at your vacation destination!  This should be the same for your goals.

Happy goal setting and achieving!