IMAGINE that you and a friend are planning to take a trip. To select the destination, you arbitrarily decide to drive to Nova Scotia, British Columbia. Neither of you have ever been there. You don’t know anyone there. You don’t even have a map. Although you don’t have directions or any idea how far away it is nor how long it will take to get there, the two of you pack your bags, gas up your car and head out driving to Nova Scotia. In fact, your plan is to "play it by ear" all the way. How likely do you think it is that you’ll arrive at your destination? Not very likely, I assure you. Yet, that is how many of us handle our business. People who join network marketing companies are especially prone to do this. We know nothing about it, we don’t plan our direction, we have no sell planned marketing strategy, we don’t set our goals, we don’t study to learn our craft well, still we just hope that somehow by getting out there and doing "something" we’ll somehow strike it rich. Folks it just isn’t going to happen!

In order to make it in Network Marketing or any real business endeavor, we must follow proven systems (and there are many workable systems out there – old school -traditional prospecting- and new school -Internet, Web 2.0, attraction marketing etc.) that work. This means setting our goals, write out our plans and following (or revising as needed) them. We also need to stay on the cutting edge of our MLM (multi-level marketing) education by reading some of the best books on the market.

GOAL SETTING is a critical step in attaining any level of success. When you identify your goals, especially those that are connected to your dreams, you will begin to discover new ways to accomplish them. The mind is a wonderful thing. As you open your mind to new possibilities, you’ll start seeing things differently. Maybe something you hadn’t considered before will occur to you. Or perhaps opportunities that you might have overlooked before, you will now find ways to take advantage of.

When you set your goals, you are actually plotting out your road map to success. You are taking your dream, perhaps, of becoming a leader in your business and earning a six-figure income, and giving it the legs it needs become your reality.

If you will follow the steps outlined below in planning your business or personal goals, you will be well on your way to achieving your dreams. Use this outline as your ROADMAP to SUCCESS! Happy traveling!!!

1. First make sure that your goals are SMART. Smart goals are goals that are:

a. Specific - You need to detail exactly what you want to accomplish. Don’t be general, be detailed and exact. Think about it and make sure that your goals are what you really WANT to accomplish. It’s also helpful to know WHY you want to accomplish the goals that you set and HOW you plan to go about it. This kind of detail will not only help you stay focused but it will also help ensure that you are faithful and diligent even when it gets hard. As you detail what you plan to do, use action words such as: direct, plan, increase, build, develop, etc. Your goals should be crystal clear. Suppose you are planning to lose weight. Instead of making "to lose weight" your goal, make your goal specific: "to lose 10 pounds" or "to walk 5 miles a day". Your goals should be so specific and clear that you can visualize them… seeing yourself accomplishing them and enjoying the results of achieving them.

b. Measurable - There is an old saying that goes like this "You can’t manage what you don’t measure." In other words, how will you know that you have reached your goal if you have not established a perimeter of measurement? If you want to become an Old Testament Bible scholar, you won’t set a goal to just read the Bible more, because that can’t be measured. You might, however, want to set as one goal to read one chapter in the book of Genesis weekly, and to write a synopsis.

c. Achievable - Make sure that your goal is challenging enough to keep you interested, but easy enough to not discourage you. A goal should cause you to stretch, but it should not be out of reach. You need to SUCCEED in accomplishing your goals because your successes help keep you motivated to continue.

d. Realistic - Set reasonable and practical goals for who you are and where you are in your life right now. This does not mean that you don’t have high expectations, because you should. Shoot for the stars! But it does mean that you have realistic expectations. Perfection, for example, is not realistic. Another example of an unrealistic goal is, for example, if you have just joined a network marketing business like YTB, and your goal is to start making $10,000 a week immediately while only devoting 2 hours a week to the business. For 99.9% of the people, this goal is unrealistic. When setting realistic goals, you might also want to limit or avoid using terms like "always", "every" and "all" etc. because these words may not allow you any margin for error. Remember, to err is human.

e. Time-Bound – Don’t leave your goal open ended when it comes to time. Set timeframes in which to accomplish each goal. So if you plan to lose 50 pounds, you need to determine a date by when this is to be accomplished. One way to ensure that you achieve this goal might be to plan to lose 2 pounds a week over the next six months, for example.

2. Write your goals down.

When you write your goals down, you are more inclined to see them, reflect on them and remember them. Your goals should inspire you. Write them and put them in different places where you will see them and review them daily: on the bathroom mirror, on the dashboard in your car, on the refrigerator, on the desk or on a computer where you work. Writing your goals is a crucial part of your success. Make your goals a part of your every day start and every day routine. When you see your goals, you will be more committed to doing the specific activities that you have also written down, to accomplish them. Remember, your written goals are your road map to ensure that you reach your destination. Plus, you are giving your conscious and your subconscious mind a set of instructions – an outline -- to follow.

3. Write your goals in the positive and visualize your completed goals.

Always write what you want, not what you do not want. Give yourself a goal to look forward to and to visualize. When you visualize your completed goals by "seeing" the end results, you start the mental process of creating whatever is necessary to reach them. In other words, your mind begins to ingeniously fuel you with the ideas you need to ensure that you reach your goal. If when you accomplish your goals you will be a slender sized 10, start to visualize yourself at that size: see what you look like, how you dress, what you eat, where you go and what you do. As you do this, your mind will begin to shift your actions and give you the ingenuity, the power and the discipline to do the work. What if accomplishing your goals meant that you could purchase a new $350,000 house? Visualize everything about that house and see yourself living in it: what it looks like, the neighborhood it is in, how it is furnished, etc. As you see yourself in your new environment, you will also be more motivated to do what it takes to get there.

4. Let your words confirm your goals.

When you speak, your words should affirm and not contradict your goals. Support your goals by what you think and especially by what you say. For example, if your goal is to improve your health by eating 5 fresh fruits and 10 fresh vegetables a day, when you talk about your health, you should speak positively. For example, even if you are on the heavy side, instead of talking about how fat you are, begin to talk about how healthy you are getting because of the healthy lifestyle changes you have begun making. Talk about how by changing your diet and increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, you are getting healthier. This self-talk will help you to take your goals more seriously and to stay on track with accomplishing them.

5. Align your decisions with your goals.

Every time you make a decision during the day, ask if it is in line with your goals, Ask, "Does it take me closer to, or further away from my goal?" If the answer is "closer to," then you've made the right decision. If the answer is "further away from," you need to re-think that decision. In fact, you need to abandon it.

Now let me make it personal. I believe that with God all things are possible, and without God, it doesn't even matter. So all of my goals are made prayerfully, seeking God's assistance and blessing. I believe that trusting God is KEY to succeeding in life, PERIOD. So all that I have stated above is with the unspoken understanding that God is a part of this process. This being said, I believe that if you follow this process everyday you will be on your way to achieving unlimited success in your life as your make and reach your goals.