Years ago I remember reading a book or article by Zig Ziglar, on the eight universal needs of all mankind. Incorporating that information into my own life’s journey, has been a guiding principal in my writing, teaching and interactions with others. He said and I agree, that everyone, no matter their position, income level, and gender, place of employment or birth desires these things to come to pass in their lives:

To be happy
To have friends
To be healthy
To have peace of mind
To be reasonably prosperous
To have good relationships
To be secure
To have hope in the future

In order to fulfill these eight universal needs, we will have to put forth the effort to set and accomplish goals.

We all achieve in different ways. Hope, luck, being in the right place at the right time or taking advantage of opportunities presented to us are just some of the ways we find ourselves standing where we want to stand. Those are outside forces that happen by chance, not design. And just as those forces can bring great joy, they can also bring great disappointment and sorrow. If we truly want to design our own path, then we must chart an action plan that will bring us closer to our own clearly defined and sought after personal goals.

After you have determined what you don’t want in life and then turned it around to look closely at what you do want, you are ready to begin the journey at how best to achieve it. The following SMART keys will help you to cement the goal in your mind, spirit and body and allow the doors and windows of the universe to open and spill great blessings on you. Focus on abundance, not lack.

Specific: Can you see it clearly in your mind? If you can’t visualize it, with a clear picture you won’t achieve it. So don’t say "I'm going to lose weight," say "I'm going to be in a size 10 Wrangler boot cut, faded blue jeans."

Measurable: Not every goal is measurable, but you should be able to see a marked improvement. For instance if your goal is to listen more carefully to your children, by the end of two weeks you should be able to see that you are being more mindful in conversations. You are interrupting only twice a day!

Action Oriented: Break the big goal down into a number of smaller, easily achievable tasks. You do not want to be overwhelmed nor do you want it to be so easy that you are not stretching. Think of it as a long road trip and you will stop at a number of gas stations along the way to refuel and check the oil. You may decide to take an alternative route along the way, but at least you will be moving in the right direction.

Realistic: Make sure your goals are ones that are grounded by natural law. You may set a goal to play ladies basketball on a college level, but if you are not a woman, in college, talented in basketball and willing to put forth supreme effort, the chances are that you will not reach that goal. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t decide to learn as much about women’s basketball as you possibly cans so that you will enjoy following the sport and perhaps write a book about it.

Timely: The most successful goals are those that are reached within a reasonable time frame, so that one does not get discouraged along the way. Set daily, weekly and monthly goals when you are beginning, in order to see rapid improvement, or reevaluate where you are headed. When you have a time frame to work within, you are more encouraged to finish. Putting an end date on your goal gives you a clear target to shoot for.

You are a SMART person and I know that you will achieve your goals and aspirations .Don’t star in someone else’s parade. Dream big!

I believe in you and you deserve the very best life has to offer.

Judy H. Wright
http://www.ArtichokePress.com