I have just read a novel written by a friend of mine. As I tried to convince her that she should publish the novel, I realized that her dream would never be accomplished. Why? Because she was not only making excuses but had no clear plan of action. So I thought I would write an article on how to set meaningful goals and a plan of action to ensure you reach them. 

Have you thought about what you want to be doing in a year from now? Are you clear about what your goal is as far as your writing career is concerned? Do you even know what you want to achieve today, or are you going to just go with the flow and see what happens?

If you want to succeed in anything, you have to set clear goals, otherwise, you lack focus and direction. Goal setting not only allows you to take control of your life's direction; it also provides you with a definite plan that determines whether you are getting any closer to reaching it. To accomplish anything, you need to know how to set goals properly. Simply saying "I want" and expecting it to happen is just dreaming and not planning. Goal setting is a process that begins with a clear idea of what you want to achieve, clear steps on the actions you need to execute and, most importantly, actually taking action each day towards your goal. Knowing which steps to take is key. 

Here are the five rules of goal setting I use. 

1. Set Goals That You Care About
When you set goals for yourself, they have to be goals that inspire and motivate you; this means making sure that you care if you reach them or not. Without being motivated to achieve any goal, you are putting yourself at a definite disadvantage. What would it mean to you to reach this goal? How would it make you feel if another year passed and you were not any closer to your goal? Prioritize which goals are the most important to you. Reaching any goal requires commitment, drive, and focus, so you have to care about your goal, and not risk falling foul of procrastination. To ensure your goal is motivating, write down why it's important to you. Ask yourself this question, "If I were to share my goal with others, what would I tell them to convince them it was a worthwhile goal?" 

2. Set SMART Goals
You have probably heard of SMART goals already. But do you use the SMART goal setting principle for every goal you set?  So, is your goal:

Specific.
Measurable.
Attainable.
Relevant.
Time-Bound.

3. Write down your goals
The physical act of writing down a goal makes it more real on a sub-conscious level. You have no excuse for forgetting about it. As you write, use the word "must" instead of "would like to" or "might." This is such a simple change of phrase, but it makes a huge amount of difference. For example, why do you always reach the goal of attending family gatherings, reaching your place of work on time or collecting your children from school each day? Because you have told yourself, you must and not I would like. Post your goals in visible places where you will see them each day. Make yourself a To-Do list each day, including one action towards your goal that 'You Must' complete.  

4. Make an Action Plan
This step is often missed in the process of goal setting. You get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all of the steps that are needed along the way. Write down each action and then cross them off once you have completed them. This will give you a huge sense of achievement and motivate you to continue. 

5. Do not procrastinate
Make time in your day to achieve your goal. Do not make excuses. Make sure you refer to your action plan regularly and ensure your goals are still important and relevant to where you want your life's direction to be. Your end goal might have remained the same, but are the actions you need to take similar or have they changed drastically?

Best of luck. Now, begin that action plan.