At the start of every year, millions of people will undoubtedly set their personal goals for the year ahead. The resolutions are strangely, almost always the same year after year. Whether getting more healthier by going to the gym more often, or trying to get rich, these people are thinking that this year will be the year that they will reach their goals. Can you think what is wrong with this picture ?

What is wrong with this picture is that what all these people are doing is wishing. They wish that they can be fitter, more healthier or richer but they do not know how to go about doing it or what they should be doing to get what they want. They just harbor a thought in their mind of what they would like to become in the coming year and leave it as that. This is why most people fail in goal setting since they are not even setting goals at all.

When I always talk to people about setting goals, the first thing I always advise them to do is to write their goals down on a piece of paper. Most people don't fulfill what they have planned for themselves because after a while, they forget what is it that they want to do. Sometimes it is not the fault that people forget their own goals due to the fast paced nature of modern life. Putting down goals on a piece of paper and putting it somewhere where it can be easily seen by you is already by itself, a powerful action that increases your chances of reaching your goals. Why is this so ? The act of writing your goal involves your motor skills and the action of actually putting your thoughts into words emphasizes the importance of the goal to your brain. Since young, we associate important things with writing hence by writing down your goals, you are telling your brain that the goal that you are setting for yourself is important !

Another reason that people find it so hard to reach their goals is that although they know what their goal is, but they do not take the time to plan how to achieve their goals. At this point, I know some people may be thinking that since they already know what they want, they don't have to plan how they are going to get it. This assumption is a major reason why most people fail in achieving their goals. Forming a plan allows you to see exactly where you are at and how you are progressing in reaching your goals. If you do not have a plan, how are you going to tell if you are making progress or how much progress you need to make ? Failing to plan means planning to fail. Getting a well-planned schedule on how you are going to reach your goals and having milestones in your plan allows you to monitor your progress and if necessary, make minors changes to your schedule.

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Alvin runs a personal goal setting website at LifeGoals.