Getting through life requires several things from us.  Determination, Concentration, Perseverance.  Times come that test us in those three areas and many others.  How do we make it through?  Some just have that natural “Get It Done” attitude.  Others need goals.  I think that no matter how you do it, there are always Goals.

I’m learning Internet and Affiliate Marketing to make some extra money.  In all the material I’ve read, listened to and watched they all say the same thing.

Set Goals.  Make Them Realistic.

Setting Goals
This is usually the easy part.  I’ve never met anyone who couldn’t set a goal.  Even if it was a simple “I wish I had <insert item here>”.  The problem with the “I Wish…” goal it isn’t usually realistic or attainable.

I used to say “I’m going to have a 10,000 square foot house.”  Why?  Because I couldn’t imagine living in such a huge house.  And, if I could attain that house then all my financial worries would be gone.  In and of itself there isn’t anything wrong with a goal that big as long as there are smaller milestones along the way.  The first goal could be to attain a 2,000 square foot house.  But, for some, that might still be too big.  Let’s look at some ways to get that 2,000 square foot house.

How much would the mortgage be on the 2,000 sq. ft. house?  Quick research in my area shows a house this size would go for about $180,000 at this time.  An online mortgage calculator estimates a monthly mortgage at about $1,300.

The next question is can you pay that mortgage now or will you need to earn more money?  If you’re like me, you would need to make more money.  This will either come from a raise in your primary job, getting a part-time job to earn more money, or (as in my case with Internet Marketing) finding something completely different to make money.  The next goal could be to earn an extra $500 a month to save up, or add to your current income.  Again make it attainable and realistic.

Make Them Realistic
Goals don’t do much good if you can’t meet them.  Setting Realistic Goals will help you meet them.

With our $1,300 a month mortgage, we need to set an initial goal of $500 per month through some means of additional income.  I’m working on Internet and Affiliate Marketing.  My first long term goal is to make $500 a month by the end of August.  My first short term goal to meet the $500 goal is to make $100 by the end of June.  Then $300 by the end of July.

Everyone I have talked with in Internet Marketing has said those goals are realistic and attainable.  One other aspect with realistic goals that many people don’t talk about is that you may need to adjust them.

If I make it to the end of June and haven’t made $100, do I adjust it lower for July?  Probably not.  I’ll keep heading for the $300 in July.  Again, the object is to make attainable milestones that you can meet.

Putting It All Together
To get to any big goal, you need smaller goals that are realistic and attainable.  Don’t be afraid to start small and adjust to bigger goals.  Also, don’t be afraid to adjust down a small bit if needed.

Make sure all goals are realistic.  Trying to earn $10,000 in your first month of anything will only set you up for failure.  Make sure you can meet the goals.  Then adjust upward as you meet them.

Feel free to leave comments about your goals and goal setting below.  I would love to hear your stories.

Image by Foto43 used with permission through a Creative Commons 2.0 Generic license