Setting goals should be one of the priorities in our lives if we want to reach a certain destination.

It is surprising to me how most people spend more time planning a weekend or vacation than they spend planning their lives.

It has been proven over and over again that those that set and write goals are 1,000 times more likely to achieve their goals than those that don't. When you sit down with the purpose of writing a goal or goals, you are already ahead of 98% of the population. Successful people know exactly what they want and make plans on how to achieve what they want.

But, why take the time to set goals? Wouldn't it be more productive to just get started? Setting goals for any or all areas of your life is extremely important if you have any dreams or desires at all and here's why:

1.Setting goals empowers you over your life. You are the one at the helm giving your ship direction to where you want to go.

2.Setting goals give you a sense of moving forward. The reason why many people feel stuck in their lives is because they don't know what they want and don't know how to get it. When you achieve a goal, you know you are a step closer to where you want to be.

3.Setting goals is motivating! When you sit down to set goals, you force yourself to think of what you really want, to dream, to do some soul searching, to decide. And, as I mentioned in point #2, achieving a goal, getting closer to where you want to go is very motivating and exciting.

4.Setting goals help you focus on your desires and clear your mind from the clutter and noise from your daily routine. Set goals help you prioritize your activities to those that will get you there faster.

If it's so important then, why don't people take the time to set goals? Again, there are many reasons why more people don't develop this very important habit.

Many people simply don't know how important it is. They are unaware that they are living adrift, at the mercy of internal believes and/or external circumstances because they failed to plan. When life doesn't go the way they wished for, they blame everyone and everything, unwilling or unable to see that they are the only ones responsible for the events in their lives.

Others may know how important it is to set goals but they don't have the motivation, the drive to sit and think about what they want. They are not serious about what they want, and lack vision.

Other people just may not know how to set goals. It is a shame that our education system does not address this very important skill to succeed in life. This will be addressed in the next series for those that do have the desire and the vision, do know how important it is to set goals and are serious but simply do not know how to set goals.

Many others may have fear of failure. What if I set a goal and don't reach it? Relax. Nothing is written in stone. Failure does not exist. If you have set a goal that at this time seems to be too difficult to reach, review the goal, break it down into smaller steps and try again. Failure is a detour, not a dead end street ~ Zig Ziglar.

Some may be afraid that if they set a goal, that implies that they have to set it into action. This means that they would be accountable for their actions, they no longer would have any excuse or anyone to blame for their failure other than themselves. And that's what they are used to, they have worked hard at this all their lives.

When you are setting goals, make sure that you set long term, mid term and short term goals. Begin with your long term goal and work your way back. Your long term goal should be much greater than your current level is, make it big, exciting! Your long term goal should make you smile just thinking of it because it's based on your core desires.

Your goals should be specific and most importantly, you must believe that you can achieve them. Otherwise, you will quit at the first adversity that occurs, and they will, I guarantee you that. But if you believe in your goal, you will not waiver, because your goals help you keep your focus.

Next time, I will go into more detail about how to set goals.

Until then, I wish you success!