Goal Setting 101...

The best way to increase your chances of a achieving your hopes and dreams is to set goals.  Goals, when set properly, serve as steps towards reaching your big dream.  So, whether that be saving up to buy a car, running your first 5K or getting into a top college, set some time aside and put your pen to paper.  Step one is actually writing down your goals. Step two is writing them in a way that maximizes your chances for success, and that is S.M.A.R.T.
Your best written goals will meet five criteria, easily remembered by the acronym:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Relevant
T - Timeframe
Setting great goals is easy once you get started.  Write down what you want to do, be specific.  Find a way to measure whether you’ve achieved it or not.  Quantifying with numbers works well here.  Be sure you’re giving yourself something realistic and attainable to accomplish.  Ask yourself if achieving this goal is relevant to the big picture of achieving your dream.  Then give yourself a deadline of when you’ll be done.
As an easy example, a poorly written goal might say “Lose a bunch of weight so my pants fit better.”  Using S.M.A.R.T. goals, it could read “Lose 5 pounds in the next three months by walking daily and eliminating alcohol consumption so my tuxedo pants fit better at my wedding in June.”  

Want to up the ante? Give yourself a reward if you achieve your goal by the deadline!

PRO TIP: If you have a big audacious goal, you may want to break it down into several goals to keep it attainable.