Do you have a clear, detailed plan set forth to assist you in achieving your goals? Hopefully you know exactly what you want, and have a solid idea of how to get there. Just remember, you must remain motivated and focused in your goal setting adventure.

There are three key key components to keep in mind when trying to stay focused and motivated as it relates to goal setting.

Commit to Your Goal

You must be willing to keep working toward what you want no matter how difficult it may seem at times. You must be willing to ignore your inner critic (or actual criticism from people in your life) and push on in spite of any negative comments. You must make a strong promise to yourself that you will NOT give up, no matter what obstacles you encounter.

You must make the achievement of your goal the most important thing in your life. Without this level of commitment, you will find it very easy to slack off, get distracted, or give up altogether.

Take Action

The most detailed and effective plan is worthless if you never put it into action. Make a promise to yourself that you will take action immediately and consistently, despite any feelings of fear or hesitation.

Remember that your results are dependent upon the intensity and frequency of your actions. If you want big results, take big actions. If you don’t mind smaller results while you’re building up your confidence, then start with smaller actions. Just do something…anything!

Let Go

Don’t get mired in frustration about things you can’t control. Don’t worry about seeing results right away. Don’t try to force things to happen in response to your efforts - just focus on taking action, following your plan and keeping your eyes on the prize.

Focus more on enhancing your own performance, stretching your limits and refining your approach. Detach from unrealistic expectations and instead keep your attention squarely on what you can control, which is your own actions.Follow these three goal setting steps and watch your dreams start to come to fruition. Success is completely up to you. No one can or will do it for you.

Every large goal is comprised of smaller parts. Sometimes these smaller parts are different facets of a bigger goal, and sometimes they are simply identical, measured increments of the big goal.

Here’s what I mean:

A goal like earning a college degree will have many different facets that make up the final goal, such as researching and applying to degree programs, taking and completing the required credit courses in your chosen field, completing a research project or thesis, and finally graduation. These activities are all components of the larger goal.

A goal of losing 25 pounds will involve setting clear action steps such as eating less junk food, eating more veggies and fruit, exercising regularly – and simply repeating these SAME steps over and over until you reach your goal weight.

There are exceptions of course, depending on the specifics of your goal. How many parts each goal has will vary widely depending on the goal itself, as well as the amount of legwork and preparation you have already done.

However, aim for a minimum of 5 smaller parts of your goal. If you can think of more, go ahead and add them. But start with at least five, and be as detailed as you can.

Identify Clear Action Steps

Now that you’ve specified your goal and broken it down into smaller components, it’s time to think about the action steps that will move you toward the finish line.

Give your goal some thought, and consider which key activities would create the results you desire. Your answers will depend on the specifics of your goal, the type of goal, and what you need to do to get there.

There are typically two types of action steps. The first kind pertains to planning and preparation. This would include activities like research and education – laying the groundwork for the bigger action steps you’ll take later. Obviously, if you haven’t done this part yet your focus should be on this type of activity.

A word of warning: don’t let yourself get stuck in the planning and preparation stage! You may feel inclined to do more and more and more research because you don’t feel “ready” to take bolder action. Some people get stuck in this phase for years. Eventually you will have to concede that you’ve researched and planned enough and it’s time to move forward. You will HAVE to move forward if you want to succeed.

If you’ve already laid the groundwork, it’s important to focus on PRODUCTIVE actions; the actions that will carry the most power, the actions that will inspire the greatest results.

Additionally, you should identify action steps to be taken daily, weekly, and monthly.

Remember, goal achievement is a process – you can’t take action just once and hope it works. Most goals will require consistent effort, specific action steps taken day after day, week after week, month after month! Identify the things you can do on a regular basis to keep your plans moving forward.

Daily actions are usually small to moderate in scale but hold the power of duplication and accumulation. The more you do them, the more effective they become.

Weekly actions are usually a bit larger in scale, take a little longer to complete, and involve an element of risk. They are usually the most proactive in the sense that they help you face your fears and push forward determinedly. They would include things like releasing your creations to the public, or increasing your business marketing efforts by attracting attention to your products or services. These bolder actions usually bring about bigger results.

Monthly actions are things you do to keep yourself on track, like evaluate your progress and readjust your plans if necessary. Monthly actions can also include extraneous activities not vital to your goal except in peripheral ways. This can include networking, expanding your market reach, working on your personal development, reading, learning, researching, etc.

Don’t get caught up wondering how you can find time to do all this, or whether a certain task should be done daily or weekly. Simply put down a general idea of the most productive actions that you can think of. You can always add to this list or change it later on.

In order to achieve any goal, you have to first know exactly what you’re trying to achieve. And by all means, you must be specific. Most of us make the mistake of being vague with our goals. We say things like:

“I want to lose weight”, “I want more money”, “I want a better job” or “I want to be happy”.

That’s like going into a restaurant and telling the waitress, “I want something to eat.” You’ll need to be a lot more specific when you set your goals. Each goal you set should include this information:

- What
- Where
- How
- Whom (if others are involved or affected)
- When
- Why

Here is brief explanation of each point:

What: this should identify the “meat” of your goal. What you want to accomplish.

Where: location, if applicable (like getting a job in your local area or moving to a new area).

How: you may have a preference as to “how” events will unfold (this may not always be within your control, but a having a general expectation is good).

Whom: if your goals involve others, you’ll want to highlight your expectations.

When: a general time line for the fulfillment of your goals.

Why: your reasons for wanting to achieve your goals. Be very specific on these reasons and try to focus on the BENEFITS (the positive gains), not just the avoidance of what you do not want. Instead of saying, “I don’t want to be broke anymore” you should word it more positively: “I want to have an abundant flow of money.”

Please do not proceed with the rest of your goal setting steps unless you are very clear about what you want to accomplish. Clarity is vital! A vague idea will not cut it; you’ll just end up wasting your time. Not only will you be confused about how to accomplish such a vague goal, you also won’t be able to generate the level of motivation and tenacity needed to see it through.

If you’re having trouble figuring out what you want, take the time to find out.

Think about every area of your life and ask yourself what you would change if you could. What would you ADD to your life, and what would you TAKE AWAY? This line of thought will lead you in the right direction for creating better circumstances.

Once you are crystal clear about what you want to accomplish, put it into a neat, concise statement.� By writing down your goals and focusing on them daily, you will empower yourself and begin on your glorious pathway to success.