This form is to help you set your goals. It will guide you with examples on how to set good and achievable goals. Read through the form and after each example type in your goals.

Goals must be Specific
This is the What, Why, and How of the goal you want to achieve. Make sure you use positive words to describe the goal and word it in such a way to show that the goal has been achieved.

Example:
WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate, lead, develop, plan, build etc. And the words should be in the past or present tense suggesting that you have already achieved this goal. This helps you visualise yourself as having achieved the goal. Use words like have instead of want or wish.
I have lost 20lbs of weight by my next birthday.

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WHY is this important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish? What does achieving this goal leads to?
So that I can live a healthier lifestyle and play for extended periods with my kids.

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HOW are you going to do it? (By...)

By exercising for an hour for a minimum of 3 times a week.
By drinking 0.5 litres of water every 4 hours to help stave off hunger.
By eating a portion of fruit each day instead of an item of sweet.
By losing 1lbs per week.
By celebrating and rewarding myself each time I achieve my goal with a nice take away or a new cd.

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Goals must be Measurable
Choose a goal with measurable progress, so you can see the change occur. How will you see when you reach your goal? You need to be specific.

Example:

Following on from the above goal:

There are 3 measurable goals in that one goal.

1) To lose 20lbs of weight
2) Lose the weight by next birthday.
3) To achieve this I will need to exercise for an hour a minimum of 3 times a week.

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Goals must be Attainable
If you set goals, which are too far out of your reach, you may find that you probably won't commit to achieving those goals. Although you may start out with the best intentions, the knowledge that it's too much for you means your subconscious will keep reminding you of this fact and will stop you from even giving it your best.

A goal does need to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real commitment from you. The way of doing this is to set mini goals within your larger goal to make it easier to achieve and also gives you some weekly measurable goal.

Example:
Following on from the goal example above:

The goal can be broken further broken down to make it more attainable to seem less daunting.

I have lost 1lbs every week till I achieve my goal of losing 20lbs.

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Goals must be Realistic
Devise a plan or a way of getting there which makes the goal realistic. The goal needs to be realistic for you and where you are at the moment. A goal of never again eating sweets, cakes, crisps and chocolate may not be realistic for someone who really enjoys these foods.

For instance, it may be more realistic to set a goal of eating a piece of fruit each day instead of one sweet item. You can then choose to work towards reducing the amount of sweet products gradually as and when this feels realistic for you.

Example:
Following on from the example above:

By drinking 0.5 litres of water every 4 hours to help stave off hunger.
By eating a portion of fruit each day instead of an item of sweet.

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Goals must be Timeframe
Each goals need to have a clear timeframe of when you want to achieve the goal by. By next week, your next birthday, Christmas, by next month etc.

Example:
Following on from the example above:

I have lost 20lbs of weight by my next birthday.

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Goals must be Celebrated

It is always a good idea to celebrate any small successes that you achieve on your journey to achieving your bigger goal by rewarding yourself with something special. This helps keep you motivated and gives you something to look for ward to. It also helps you keep track of your progress. But make sure it is a reasonable

Example:
Following on from the example above:

If you are losing weight and normally have takeaway every day, you could celebrate your weekly achievement by rewarding yourself with a take away on a Sunday or by buying yourself a new dress or something that makes you feel good.

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About the Author
Habeeb Adeokun is the founder of Wish2getha.com, which is a one-stop motivational, self-help portal/resource for users looking to realise their dreams. Visit http://www.wish2getha.comfor more information.