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Have you ever read the autobiography of a great financier or businessman of the past? How about the biography of a successful inventor or scientist? Most of the great achievers in life were natural born goal setters. They started at an early age to challenge themselves to reach the next objective. The rest of us need to develop the skill in order to make our dreams into reality. Goal setting forms a road map to the destination of fulfilled dreams. You know you want to achieve the goal. The question is how to get there.

Goals are best organized by area of life and then by the “due date.” For instance, if you want to really achieve the life you dream of, it is a good idea to set goals in areas like social/community life, spiritual growth, and health/fitness as well as job, career, or finances. Focusing only on your career, while it is a central issue, can make you into a lopsided work-a-holic who is really not enjoying life in spite of achieving your goals.

Once you have a general idea of the direction you want to go in the different areas of life, think about where you would need to be in three months from now if you were to reach your ten year goal. This takes some consideration, and it is not essential that you get it perfect. In fact, perfectionism will actually keep you from reaching your goals.

Perfectionism, by the way, tends to exacerbate procrastination, which is a major killer of goals and dreams. Often the reason we procrastinate is because we have trouble making up our minds. The reason we have trouble making decisions is that we are afraid we won’t make the perfect decision. In fact, you may be putting off making goals right this minute! Don’t let fear of a less than perfect job of goal setting keep you from taking the first step in setting them.

Think also about where you need to be in six months, or a year, or three years, in order to eventually achieve that dream life. Would you like to be a successful speaker, writer, athlete, or performing artist? Then goal setting will help you get your educational requirements and practice schedule nailed down. These dream professions are never attained without hard work and many hours of disciplined practice.

Here is one word of caution, though, as you dream big, and write down your goals. Make sure you are being realistic about the outcome of these goals. Do they conflict with your basic feelings about ethics or morality? Or are you thinking that reaching a certain goal will fulfill your every emotional need? We are complex, holistic beings who have a range of needs. No one goal, dream, or even person will ever fill that bill. Some find a great deal of peace through their religious faith, but there will still be challenges that test even this rock of stability. Keep this in mind as you set those goals and dream those dreams.