If you decide to go on a holiday (which is a goal in itself), you have likely planned where you are going and how you are going to get there, before you start your holiday. Why do we not apply the same ideas to the goals that we set in our own lives?

All of us have had goals from time to time. Whether they be goals to lose weight, or save for your first home, or career goals associated with earning a higher salary.

However, if you are like most goal setters, you are not a systematic goal setter. In fact, if you were to ask a hundred people whether they have any long range goals, probably only 2 percent of people would have written long range goals. Why don't the other 98 people have long-range goals?

Some common reasons include: "I don't have time to set goals", "I am not a goal-orientated person", "I don't like setting goals".

However, systematic goal setting has a number of important benefits.

Goals provide a snowball effect of success As you achieve your short-term goals, you start to see your life transform into a record of success. That success will continue as you achieve more successes. This is the beginning of the snowball effect in action.

Goals give you a sense of direction. I am always reminded of the story Alice in Wonderland, in which Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. "Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" was the Cat's response. "I don't know," Alice answered. "Then it doesn't matter" said the Cat. How many of us have encountered our own fork in the road? A clear set of goals can make these decisions much easier. Without a sense of direction it can be hard to know if you are living a purposeful life - for example you make be climbing a mountain, only to reach the top of the mountain and see that you have climbed the wrong peak.

Goals get you to focus on those really important things. We live in a complex world in which many activities and people compete for our time. Think of the number of things that you could do on the weekend. If your weekend is anything like mine then there are hundreds of things that you could do. You could choose to go walking, wash the car, do shopping, take the kids to the movies, visit friends or just sit around and relax after a busy week. The point is that we have a huge number of choices available, and if we don't take charge of what is important, then someone else will. Goals are the single most important thing that gets you to prioritize those things that are most important to you.

Goals aid decision making Just as you allocate time and effort on important things, you also make decisions that move you a step closer towards success. This is a double-edged sword though, as every decision that you make can also move you in the opposite direction. Having goals will help you make the right decisions, by focusing on what is important to you.

Summary Goals provide you with direction in which you can structure your time towards those things that are most important to you. Goal setting creates a standard by which to achieve, and foster expectations of success. By succeeding on the small goals, you create a snowball effect in action. Goal setting is your pathway to success and achievement.