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Make a decision. That's the first step. Achieving goals starts with having a dream, a dream that is big enough and valuable enough to motivate you to plan ways to reach it. The first step to realizing that dream is the decision to make it happen. Goals are simply the hard-wired steps for carrying out that decision.

Is your dream to retire at age 50? Is your dream to have time to spend with your children while they are young? Is your dream to help your youngsters pay their future college expenses? Whatever the dream, if it has value to you, it becomes your "why" to set goals to reach it. I read a great book by sales "guru" Jeffrey Gitomer where he says to set not just long-range goals, but medium, short, mini and micro-range goals. I mentally picture it like a map: start at point A, look around the map for points B, C, D etc., and set a course to get there.

Let's play with the idea that retiring at age 50 is your dream and you are now age 40. You like this idea, this dream, so much that you make the decision to accept it as a long-range goal. This is something you actually want to do. Now, how do you get there? All the steps from this point forward are goals - milestones - for reaching the end goal. Having made the decision, having set the long-range goal, you are now ready to chop up the interval between then and now into do-able, handle-able, manageable goals. The achievement of each goal will be a milestone on the way to the end goal - retiring at age 50.

The key, the secret, to achieving goals is believing you can reach them. Your decision to turn a dream into an end goal, or long-range goal, is your indicator of belief. You decided to get there - now all you have to do are the steps. Micro steps are some research - what kind of income will you need? What do you have now? What resources are available to you to meet your lifestyle needs? Mini steps are asking real questions: make an appointment with your CPA; let your family know of your dream; write it into your day-planner, kitchen wall calendar, bathroom mirror - whatever works for you.

Mid-range steps are choosing the resources for increasing or replacing income. Choose the one that will bring you to your goal. Look ahead to the halfway point: what needs to be in place at that milestone? This will drive your mini goals.

Achieving goals is simple once you decide to realize a dream.

Learn more about this author, Linda Smith.
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