One of the best ways to ensure success is to set up a plan and execute that plan. For many people being able to set goals and staying on track to attain those goals is easier said than done. It takes real personal discipline and dedication to really be able to see a plan all the way through to the end. Fortunately, there are a few tips and tricks that can help with the task of staying focused on your goals and being able to actually attain them.

Set realistic goals



When you first set out to reach a goal make sure the goal is realistic. Setting goals that are not realistic can set you up for defeat and make you feel discouraged about setting any future goals. If the goal is to lose 50 lbs make sure you give yourself adequate time. A goal like that realistically cannot be met in 30 days, instead an adequate time frame would be to lose 50 lbs in the year. This may seem like an excessive amount of time but its better to finish before your goal time than to be stressed out when the goal time comes and you will not be able to finish.

Represent your goals



Another tip on staying focused on your goals is to have a physical representation of your goals. This can mean writing down your goals and placing them somewhere that you will be able to see them on a regular basis. It can mean creating a scrap book of pictures of your goals. Some may even set up electronic reminders for themselves to remind them that they are working on a goal.The more you see what you want to achieve the harder it will be for it to fall to the wayside and be forgotten.

Celebrate!



One tip that seems to help tremendously is celebrating the little victories that occur on your way to completing you goal. For example if you want to save up for a down payment on a house one might celebrate every time they reached a 10 percent increment of the down payment, or if someone was trying to lose weight they may celebrate every time they lost 5 percent of the body weight they wanted to lose. This method keeps the person interested in the goal and can help make the goal seem more attainable. 15 small goals are easier to complete than one huge one and with the small celebrations after each smaller goal it is more likely to keep you motivated.
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Stay on track!



Staying on track when it comes to your life goals and plans is anything but easy. Even with a great reward at the end of a goal one may lose interest or motivation to complete the task. A person may feel discouraged if a goal can not be reached in a short period of time, they may even forget all together that they set a goal for themselves. Using the tips given can help a great deal to keep the prize in sight and the motivation that is need to keep on striving to reach the goal.