Visualizing a goal is more important than having all the answers about how it's going to actualize. The first stage in the construction of a house is the creation of a set of plans that show the end vision of what the house will eventually look like. Without this set of plans, it will be impossible for those involved in building the house to know what the end product should look like.

If you don't have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish in life, you can end up spending years, going around in circles, committing to things that you don't care about, and frustrated with the world in general. People who aren't actively working towards a goal or a vision in life will often experience life as being meaningless and directionless.

The great news is that life doesn't have to be this way! Although many people assume that getting a vision for their future will be a challenging and time-consuming process, it isn't. With this short programme you can do it in two days or less!

A meaningful vision for your future can be as simple as making a difference in the life of one other person, or, it could be impacting the world on an enormous geographical scale - and everything in-between!

The first step of goal setting is to define your vision, and take full responsibility for what it is that you want to achieve. This vision cannot be what you think other people want you to do, or even what you 'think' is just a good idea.

It's important to understand that 'good ideas' do not come from the same place as meaningful visions. Ideas come from our head, and visions come from our heart.

The vision and goals that you develop for your future can not be what other people want or expect from you because the purpose here is not to please others, but to find something that will motivate you for the rest of your life (or, for the next couple of years at least).

If you don't have a vision for your future, consider the best case scenario about what you could have achieved in your life in five years from now. Doing this should give you a starting point for defining 1 or 2 goals (at least).

If you want to succeed with goal setting, you need to define your most important goals throughout your full range of life areas. Without having a set of targets in life that inspire you, you won't have much clarity of focus and direction for your future.

Goal setting allows you to take control of your life's direction and also provides you with a benchmark that can be used to determine whether you're making progress towards these goals, or whether you're not.

Firstly, though, to accomplish any goals in life, you need to know how to set goals because goal setting is a process that starts with careful consideration of what you genuinely want to achieve. 

The part of the goal setting process that most people don't like is often the (guaranteed) hard work that'll be required to accomplish them!

In between setting goals and achieving them are a series of five steps that transcend the specifications of each goal. Understanding these steps will allow you to set realistic goals that you can confidently accomplish. 

TIP: Only set goals that inspire you!

When you set goals for yourself, it's crucial that they inspire you, that they are important to you, and that achieving them will positively benefit the world in some way. If you goals are small, irrelevant to anyone's quality of life or uninspiring, then the chances of you investing time into making them happen is slim. Genuine inspiration is the key principle behind successful goal setting.

It's important to set goals that are in alignment with your top priorities in life, because if you don't have this degree of focus, you stand at risk of feeling overwhelmed by them, and giving up too soon due to not even knowing where to start tackling them.

Goal achievement requires commitment, patience, persistence and perseverance - and with any of these elements missing from the goal setting equation, your chances of fulfilling these goals are limited.

So to maximize your chances of goal setting success, remember to make sure that your goals are both inspiring and relevant to you. Ask yourself the question, "If I were to share my goal with other people, would they see my goals as being significant and meaningful, or selfish and small?"

How you answer this question will determine whether your goals are actually worth pursuing, or whether they aren't!