Goals should be SMART!

S -> Specific
M -> Measurable
A -> Attainable
R -> Relevant (Risky and Rewarding)
T -> Time-Bound

Specific: 

Goals should be specific and unambiguous. Describe and quantify your goals as clearly as possible.
A clear, quantifiable and unambiguous goal will be necessary when determining the success or failure of the project/task.
  
Measurable:

Goals should be measurable. The measurability of your goal is derived from and dependent on how clear and specific the goal is.
Goals which are not specific and measurable has no basis to provide guidance and direction to the efforts and activities involved in the project/task.
Any goals which are not measurable (and specific) cannot provide the baseline to determine whether the project is successful or not. 

Attainable, Relevant, & Time-Bound:

Goals should be attainable, relevant and time-bound. Goals which are not attainable and relevant (risky and rewarding) has no fundamental basis to demand
from you your engagement in the project. The project/task would simply be a waste of your Time, Effort and Resources if the goals are not attainable and relevant to begin with.
Goals should be time-bound (time-specific or time-limited). Set a time frame or end point for the goal. Without a time frame, your commitment to the goal would be half-hearted and sloppy. Without a time limit, there is no urgency to start taking action now. The time frame will also prompt you to manage and look into the availability of the required tools and resources to be able to achieve your goal.

Again, make SMART Goals!

Very IMPORTANT Goal Setting Requirement:

When you already have in mind your SMART Goals, write them down and make them visible to you each day. Having the goals written down and visible to you each day will be a powerful reminder to keep your daily efforts and tasks directed towards achieving your longer-term goals.

Goal Setting Quotes:

Below are some very helpful motivational quotes which summarizes the guidelines discussed on goal settings above: 

"If you don't have the time to write down your goals and action plans, where will you find the time to achieve your goals?" - C. Pulsifer

Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind. - Seneca

A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline. - Harvey Mackay

The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score. - Bill Copeland

Progress has little to do with speed, but much to do with direction. - Author Unknown

In life, as in football, you won’t go far unless you know where the goalposts are. - Arnold H. Glasgow

Goal Setting

G --> Goals. Set Goals:
R --> ...
O --> ...
W --> ...

Why is Goal Setting important?

In any purposeful human undertaking, before anything else, the most important first step is the setting of Goals or Objectives for the human endeavor.
As a matter of logic and practicality, the setting of Goals actually goes beyond being important. Goal setting is a fundamental, necessary First Step
to any human endeavor. The reason for this can be best demonstrated by the question below:

How can any human undertaking or activity be important if there is no reason or objective for the activity to exist in the first place?

Below are some helpful statements which creatively emphasize this point.

> You can't hit a Target you cannot see and you cannot see a Target you do not have.
> Goals establishes the picture of what success will look like.
> Goals provides the focus where the individual tasks should all be directed.

Basically, for any purposeful human activity, we should begin with the end in mind.

Growth and Money Management...

First Steps in Money (or Income) Management

The most basic, important first steps in personal money management can be summed up by the anacronym <GROW>. Sounds like a very fitting description on how to achieve GROWth in your financial life don't you think?

Well let's look at what the letters stand for:

G --> Goals. Set Goals: Identify your (financial) goals in life.
R --> Reality or Reality Check: What is your current (financial) situation? What is your current (financial) reality?
O --> Options: What are your Options that will lead you to your Financial Goal?
W --> What next? Where next? Who next? :  Among the Options considered and evaluated in the "O" step, what is your next course of action?

Hope this brief entry will motivate you to seek further information and education to equip you in your journey to Financial Independence. I will be sharing more details in my next posts. Thank you.