The number of people today who lack a strong sense of purpose is astounding. Pulitzer-winning writer Katherine Anne Porter observed: “I am appalled at the aimlessness of most people’s lives. Fifty percent don’t pay any attention to where they are going; forty percent are undecided and will go in any direction. Only ten percent know what they want, and even all of them don’t go toward it.”

Goals give you something concrete to focus on, and that has a positive impact on your actions. Goals help us focus our attention on our purpose and make it our dominant aspiration. And as philosopher-poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.”

Use the following guidelines to keep your goals on target. Goals must be…

Written                                                       Personal
Specific                                                      Achievable
Measurable                                               Time-sensitive