What do you wish to achieve in life? What expectations do you have? What are your goals? What would improve your life? How can you make this world a better place to live in? These are all questions which are put to us or we ask of others throughout life to help us focus on our goals for the future.

How many words or phrases can you think of with the same meaning as the word goal. Aim, objective, intention, end result, deadline, purpose, mission, target, aspiration, dream - the list goes on.

Whichever term you use, planning and achieving goals in life separates humans living worthwhile lives from animals existing purely by instinct.

For many, setting goals is considered to be an outdated process. Rigorous testing of the process of goal setting by researchers Edwin A. Locke and Gary P. Latham has been undertaken and the following conclusions have been arrived at. These findings (as detailed in their book - A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance) may help you plan and achieve your own goals for your future.

1. Survival and a happy state of mind are both achieved as a result of goal-directed action.

2. Committing to difficult goals will involve more effort and perseverance and will ultimately produce a more worthwhile achievement.

3. More than one goal can be successfully pursued at any given time.

4. It is essential to have confidence in reaching your goal.

5. Specific and challenging goals encourage you to make more of an effort.

6. You must be committed to your goal in order to achieve it.

7. Feedback is essential so that adjustments in effort can be made.

8. Unrealistic goals lead to less effort and you may give up altogether so always make your intentions realistic.

9. Perseverance and hard work are more likely to lead to eventual achievement.

10. Challenging and specific goals are required to direct a persons knowledge and skills.

New Years Resolutions usually fail, but maybe once in a while you have proved to be determined enough to carry out your resolutions. Looking at the list of essential goal-achievement conditions mentioned above, you will see that on the occasions you have actually achieved your newly set resolutions, or any other goals for that matter, several of these conditions have been adhered to. Not meeting some of Locke and Lathams conditions is probably the reason you have failed to achieve some of your goals in the past.

Use the above as a check list and make sure you goals are realistic and achievable - then Goal For It!!