Hearing someone talk about goals in simple terms was (and in some cases continues to be) like hearing fingernails scraping against a chalkboard.

It’s never too late. If you’ve realize something’s not right on your list right now, sit down and think things over, goal setting is a learning process and it’s never meant to be rigid and unbending. Go over your goals again if you have to, make the necessary changes.

Goal setting tools are important because they help us achieve our goals. They bring focus and clarity when things are not going the way you planned. They provide the needed lift when things start to go wrong and you’re stuck.

With the current economy and market changes I certainly feel it is important to keep a positive attitude, be positive and focus on what’s working versus what isn’t working. I know without a doubt that this helps me stay productive, peaceful and creative which makes me better at what I do daily.

The ancient Greek playwright, Sophocles once said, “Look and you will find it--what is unsought will go undetected.” These words are even more powerful in our contemporary times than they were in ancient Greece. With career options rapidly changing in new and unexpected ways, it is vital that you develop a laser focus on what it is you DO want in your career path.

The method of SMART goals has been the basis for sound goal setting for a long time. It is one of the best used tools by high achievers to reach their goals realistically and consistently, giving them enough room to adjust for unforeseen circumstances.

You can get that kind of faith with your imagination. You must see it, hear it, feel it and have big reasons to achieve it. I had big reasons to get that salesman's job. I wanted to stop hauling concrete blocks. I wanted to stop getting pushed around by my step dad. I wanted to establish a family that was the opposite of the family I came from. And I wanted to make a lot of money. So, in great detail, I saw myself living on my own, selling lots of insurance, dating beautiful women and eventually having my own happy family. And I accomplished all those things. I dreamed about those things in great detail and I figured out later how to achieve them.

There are lots of goal setting strategies such as being specific, writing your goals down, putting a date on them, turning goals into action plans, and the list goes on. However most people are missing the most important ingredient in their goal setting; an ingredient that will ensure your success.

Not long ago, I was playing golf with a friend who is an attorney. Between shots he began telling me how much he detested his job. "Why?" I asked. "You have to understand my business," he said with a huff. "My day basically consists of writing nasty letters on behalf of my clients. Then we get nasty letters back. This goes on for a while until my clients realize how many billable hours they've run up. Then they start getting nasty with me. The whole business," he said with a shake of his head, "is kind of nasty."