During the course of our lives, we all go through periods in which we become enthusiastic– wantonly motivated– to make personal changes. This is especially true where long-term self-defeating behavior patterns are concerned. Typically, we will begin by establishing one or more goals believing,

“This time, things are really going to change!” Alas, the road to personal accomplishment is paved with the potholes of diversion and temptation that too often alter our course. Invariably, the journey ends and we return to the self-defeating– but comfortably familiar—patterns; until next time.
People are said to be “creatures of habit.” But are all habits worth having? How can one acquire the habit of embracing only useful habits? In order to make useful changes it is prudent to begin by learning to set goals which are clearly defined, achievable, measurable, relevant to a clearly-stated purpose and capable of generating incremental behaviors toward their completion.
Why set a goal? There are two purposes:

• 1- A goal helps focus your motivation in a specific direction, and
• 2- It serves as a criterion which allows you to know when to stop working.

It is important that a goal is clearly defined in order to smoothly accomplish these purposes. When you hammer a nail, what allows you to keep going? How do you know when to stop? Can you imagine hammering the same nail all day? How about brushing your teeth? In a similar manner, something keeps us on-track, and then lets us know when to stop cleaning the garage, preparing for a job search or losing weight.
We often speak of a goal as being realistic. That is, based on your range of abilities and past achievements, one which is attainable. Setting attainable goals will motivate you to generate incremental behaviors toward their successful achievement. In contrast, torturing yourself by establishing unreachable goals in a manner characteristic of a “Type A” individual will destroy your motivation and ultimately lead to failure…and possibly health risks.
Another reason for failure to reach defined goals relates to how progress is measured. The importance of this aspect of goal-setting cannot be overemphasized. If we are vague in our measurement procedures we can only be vague about how we are doing. Sometimes this happens in Education. When a teacher tells a misbehaving child, “Stand in the corner until you learn to behave”, that child could conceivably spend a lot of time there. Regarding grades, if the goal is to learn something specific, and the grades in that particular subject are “curved”, that is, one’s performance is simply compared to that of his peers; the outcome is vague at best.
Aviation offers a useful analogy. Can you imagine after a perilous landing, finding out your pilot graduated with a “B average?” How? Well, compared with other student pilots, he excelled in take-offs, made fabulous turns; but his landings were a little shaky!
Football is sometimes said to be a game of inches. But achieving the goal is a feat of feet; a specific number of them, to be exact.
Do you know how much you weigh? What is really implied by that number? Suppose that was not clearly defined? Someone weighing two hundred pounds, after dinner, fully-clothed, may believe he lost ten pounds in an hour, by merely stepping from a shower onto the scale. Nice job!
A useful form of measurement contains an observable behavior, specific conditions that restrict the manner in which that behavior will be performed and an outcome that indicates something has changed. The best laid plans will erode if not formed with care; tender-loving care: Yours. Make sure established goals relate to aspects of your life deemed important to you– not others. To make lasting changes, own them.