People set their goals differently, depending on their current situation, resources, physical capacity and other factors. You can, however, follow some guidelines to make sure that your goals are credible and possible. Too many individuals set their goals too high unknowingly, only to lose and get disappointed for life. Here are some tips for you.

Being Specific

Goals need to be specific, so that you know which part of the process you're currently in and the particular ways on how you will achieve it. Most people have goals to get promoted, get rich, improve relationship and the like, but these are very vague and your mind can become confused about what you truly mean. General descriptions usually do not have boundaries, so you always leave room for mistakes and compromise. If you want results that you can be proud of, be specific.

To be specific, you need to include the full details. Write down something like, "I want to get $1 million by October of this year." or "I need to become key supervisor of the sales division by next week." or "I want my kids, Taylor and Chad, to become best friends beginning tomorrow." Include the names, the position, the amount, the date and everything else needed to train your mind to start working towards that goal.

Being Measurable

Goals need to be measurable so that you can gauge how well you have done lately. To help measure your paths and goals, you should include measurable details. For your job, you can include details such as the number of hours you're working, the amount you're earning, the staff you're handling, etc. For the goal of money, you can include details such as the amount you want to have as a whole, the number of companies or businesses you own, your contact persons, etc. Always have things and items to be measured so you can understand how close you are to getting your goals. If your goal is to earn $100,000 a month, then you know you're halfway there if you're already earning $50,000 a month.

Being Attainable and Realistic

Only set goals that can possibly be accomplished. Some people set goals that are too high to reach, that they are almost setting up things that are impossible. Make sure you only set objectives that you can reach within a given amount of time, provided the current resources and capabilities you have. Some examples of impossible goals are doubling your salary overnight, getting a promotion higher than your boss's position, etc. Some goals can be achieved faster compared to others if you have some strengths and paths to back these up. Always include a strategic plan for big objectives.

Time-Bound

Set deadlines to achieve your goals or else you'll never going to finish anything. Stay specific when setting timelines and schedules. For example, indicate things like "To spend an hour with my wife everyday starting tomorrow (indicate exact date and year)". Setting the exact time and date will spur you to start working on your goals, instead of putting it off for another available time. Some goals can take years to accomplish so it is wiser to break these down into smaller objectives, still complete with deadlines. You can finish everything in a sequence to finally reach the biggest one.