Successful people have an objective view of things in life. They set real objectives. They know what they want and why it makes sense to fight for this. Theyset ‘smart’ goals. Smart goals may be of the following types: specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and time-based. Let’s take a closer look at these goals. A specific goal. A person can set a general goal such as getting in shape. But the specific goal, which is close to it, will sound like this “Go to the gym and work out three days a week for the next 52 weeks”. A specific goal has more chances of being reached as it has specific parameters and a timeframe. A measurable goal. There should be a certain logical system to measure your goal. In order to understand whether or not your goal is measurable ask yourself “How much time will it take? What will I get eventually? How will I know that my goal has been achieved? When you assess your progress, you’re still busy, doing everything you need to do and enjoying the results. This urges you to strive for new heights and advance to your ultimate goal. An attainable goal. To understand to what extent your goal is attainable, you need to set a path which you are willing or would be able to follow when attempting to reach the goal. In other words, the goal should be actually attainable. Answer the question: “How can my goal be attained?” A reasonable goal. Whether or not a goal is reasonable implies choosing the right goal to reach the desired results. For instance, the goal of making 75 sausage sandwiches by 2 p.m. for a man engaged in Internet business may be specific, measurable and attainable, but will not be reasonable to derive profit he needs. A time-based goal. Your goal should have a deadline, i.e. you need to set the day on which it will be achieved. If you set the timeframe for your goals, it will be simpler for you to assess your efforts and manage to achieve your goal on time or even in advance. This section of the S.M.A.R.T. criteria will help you focus directly on the attainment of results and prevent any possibility from distracting your attention from other more mundane matters. When you managed to set your smart goals, you may think about ways to achieve them. You develop a specific attitude, abilities and skills. You may achieve any goal, if you pace yourself and take into account the timeframe for your goals. A result that turned out to be unattainable or attainable in the remote future, appears to be more realistic for achievement and tangible. This happens not because your goals are losing significance, but because you grow and develop your potential as you move towards them.