The car is packed and you’re ready to go on your first family vacation across Canada. From Prince Edward Island to Vancouver, you are planning to see it all.

Key in the ignition, you throw the car in drive and away you go.

Although you know where you want to go, you end up in a place that you are not familiar with and are unsure how you got there.  You thought you had planned out the route and start to panic for a moment because you realize do don’t have a map and the GPS was not correct.  Where are you?  You trudge forward regardless of not knowing exactly where you are going – you are pretty sure you can get where you need to go.

Unfortunately, you never reach your destination.

Unfortunately, this how many of us treat goal setting. Dreaming about where we want to go is easy, creating a blueprint or map to get there is the hard part.

What exactly is a goal map, you ask? Simply put, it is your goals put to paper.  Instead of just dreaming about your goals, you need to write them down in order to start realizing the path to getting to them.

Goals need to be complete and focused like a map.  With this in mind, you will never lose your way because you will have created the map that will get you to your goals.

“Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.” ~ Brian Tracy (Eat that Frog)

Below are 7 steps that will help you get on your way to building concise road maps to your goals.  Afterall, isn’t it time you started to love your life and enjoy all the things you want in it?

1. Make sure the goal you are working for is something you really want

Want a cool job in a field you love where you aren’t going to dread going each morning?  Want to be healthy?  Want to have a good family life at home?

When you are setting goals it is very important to remember that your goals must be consistent with your values.

2. A goal can not contradict any of your other goals

For example, you can’t buy a $750,000 house if your income goal is only $50,000 per year. This is called non-integrated thinking and will sabotage all of the hard work you put into your goals. You should strive to eliminate contradictory ideas from our thinking.
3. Develop goals in the 6 areas of life:

Family and Home

Financial and Career

Spiritual and Ethical

Physical and Health

Social and Cultural

Mental and Educational

Setting goals in each area of life will ensure a more balanced life. Setting goals in each area of live also helps in eliminating the non-integrated thinking we talked about in the 2nd step.

4. Write your goal in the positive instead of the negative

Work for what you want, not for what you want to leave behind. Part of the reason why we write down and examine our goals is to create a set of instructions for our subconscious mind to carry out. Your subconscious mind is a very efficient tool, it can not determine right from wrong and it does not judge. It’s only function is to carry out its instructions. The more positive instructions you give it, the more positive results you will get.

Thinking positively in everyday life will also help in your growth as a human being. Don’t limit it to goal setting.

5. Write your goal out in complete detail.

Instead of writing “A new home,” write “A 3,000 square foot modern with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths backing on to a park.”  Get as detailed as you can.  By doing this, you are providing the subconscious mind with detailed instructions which will lead to a more precise outcome.

Not sure how to do this?  Close your eyes and visualize your dream home, dream car, dream job, dream vacation etc.  Instead of just “seeing” it, experience it.  What does it feel like sitting on the beach in Hawaii?  How does your new BMW smell when you get in it for a drive?  How do the flowers in your landscaped backyard smell?  If you can see it, so can your subconscious mind.

6. By all means, make sure your goal is high enough.

Shoot for the moon, if you miss you’ll still be in the stars. Never short change yourself.  If you don’t deserve the things you dream about, who does?

7. This is the most important, write down your goals.

Writing down your goals creates the roadmap to your success. Although just the act of writing them down can set the process in motion, it is also extremely important to review your goals frequently. Remember, the more focused you are on your goals the more likely you are to accomplish them.

Ok, so you written your goals down, now what?

My advice would be to keep them to yourself first and foremost.  The negative perspectives of your friends and family can be a hinderance on you and make it harder for you to focus positive energy on your goals.

Next key step is to review your goals on a daily basis.  Make it part of your daily routine.  For me, I read my goals as soon as I wake up in the morning and just before I go to sleep at night.  These are the times that work for me, figure out what is going to work for you.  When I read each goal, I usually spend a minute or so imagining that goal (what is feels like, smells like, tastes like etc.).

Every time you make a decision during the day, ask yourself this question, “Does it take me closer to, or further from my goal.” If the answer is “closer to,” then you’ve made the right decision. If the answer is “further from,” well, you know what to do.

If you follow this process everyday you will be on your way to achieving unlimited success in every aspect of your life.