Do you feel so guilty about breaking resolutions, or not meeting goals, that you have stopped setting them? Slap yourself! What you have is a very ordinary problem, Goalus Impracticus can be cured. Learning how to adjust your resolutions and goals will increase your opportunities for success. You were not born with an innate ability to make accurate estimations. It takes practice, and perseverance.

"If I make a commitment to doing something, I am locked in." " If I do not make my goal, I will be a failure." I have heard many adults say things like this. Fear of failure is just as common as fear of success. Both will choke your ability to achieve more in life. When we find ourselves unable to keep these commitments right away we just give up trying. Relax, most goals should be flexible. You do not need to know everything about a subject to start working with what you know. Start moving, and learn as you go along. If you find that you have selected an impossible, or even an undesirable goal, just let it go. Find something positive that you really want to do, divide this goal into small sections of about a week or so and get started.

Personal Goal Development Hints:

1. Write down your goals and how you plan to implement them.
2. Only make goals that you can control.
(The advanced program covers goal setting with others)
3. Make as reasonable a decision as you can, and start working with what you know.
4. Know WHY you are setting a goal. Without a good reason you will likely give up.
5. Research your decision, and adjust your timeframe accordingly.
6. Make your goals positive. 'I will live a healthy lifestyle.' not 'I will lose weight.'
7. Set goals in short, medium and long-ranges. One sheet will do.
8. Share your personal goals only with a very trusted friend.

Think about your last work project, were you done a little early, or did you miss the Post Office closing time? If missing deadlines is a regular occurrence, start backtracking and find out where you have underestimated your abilities. That's right, at some point you have endowed yourself with super powers. Take the cape off and look at the real you. Not to worry, you are still beautiful! When you estimate a task will take one hour, start TWO hours before you plan to be completed.

When I started keeping track of my goals 5 years ago I was only completing 50% of them on time, now I run over 90%. Part of that success rate comes directly from being able to look back on similar projects and seeing how well I did on them. If you do not keep records, you will only be able to tell by 'gut' feel. Eventually, your 'gut' will develop a level of competence, but a paper trail will make it happen a lot faster. I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep track of your own productivity. Develop a record of your tasks over a couple of weeks. Most of us consistently over, or under, estimate our time. Usually, we plan as if we will be able to work uninterrupted (not likely). A potential client will call, or a child will miss a ride, just when we are getting started on our now 'shortened' deadline. Learning how to better plan your time will not only enhance your business reputation, it will give you time to pick out an even better super cape.