I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and that you are looking forward to a prosperous, healthy, and blessed New Year.

Since 2013 has started, I want you to think about the positive impact that setting goals, putting them in writing along with a plan to achieve them can have on your life.  Setting and achieving your goals not only impacts you but your family, friends and loved ones as well.

That's pretty cool when you think about it.  The time that you take and the commitment that you make to formulate and achieve your goals affects you and so many other people around you that it should serve as an impetus to get a goal game plan together for 2013.

Almost every day, goals are set, sometimes without thinking about them, in order to achieve certain objectives throughout the day.

You program your car's GPS navigation system in order to get from your office to your prospect's office for your Monday morning presentation.  Goal – get to prospect's office for meeting…Plan – enter in prospect's address into the GPS system…Achievement – arrived at her office for the presentation.

You bought a chicken and all of the ingredients so you and your family will have a great meal this evening.  Goal – have dinner ready by 6:00 PM…Plan – purchase chicken and ingredients and throw in crock pot…Achievement – hot, delicious dinner.

If we can set these types of goals on almost a daily basis along with a plan to achieve them then why in the world don't we take the time and make the commitment to do the same for our personal and professional lives?

Don't believe the advocates who say goal setting has a serious downside unless you plan to poorly set goals, become cynical, waste your time, and have the wrong intentions in order to achieve your goals.

Are you that person?  I don't think so since you're reading this blog.

The next time somebody tells you that setting goals is a waste of time then ask them why so many successful business invest a great deal of time and resources into formulating a business plan along with a plan to achieve those objectives?

What's the difference between creating a business plan and your goal plan?  There is none.

So here are some steps for you to consider in order to get your goal game plan in motion.

There are also some great sites that provide additional insight that you can incorporate into your goal plan like Mindtools, Goal-Setting Theory, Simple Goal Setting, Goals in 7 Steps, and Financial Goal Setting just to name a few.

Here is a quick overview of what you should be thinking about before you start setting your goals.

1. Decide what you want.  Is it personal, business, financial or all three.  Take time to sort these out in a place where you won't be distracted so you can concentrate on the task at hand.

2. Think of baby steps before you run.  Don't try to conquer the world but also make sure that your goals will stretch you a bit.  If you set goals that are too far out of your reach, you may set yourself up to fail.

3. ‘I will' vs. ‘I want'.  The mind is a powerful tool, especially when you use it to set goals.  When you tell yourself ‘I will' there is a much better chance of getting to where you want to go.

4. Go for it and lose your fear.  Lofty goals are often achievable unless you let the fear of failure enter into the equation.  Believe in you and what you want to achieve and it will be yours.

5. Every goal is worth another look.  When you decide to write down your goals, include everything that comes to mind no matter how silly they may seem and make a plan to revisit your goals at another time to tighten up your list.

6. Review your progress.  On occasion, goals need to be tweaked so make sure that you revisit your goals from time to time in case anything has changed from the time you created your goals and the time that you review your progress.

So what are you waiting for?  It's your year so make it a great one!

The Importance of Setting Goals is just one of the areas addressed in my new educational workshop for hotel sales managers called ‘Mapping the Course‘.

Tom Costello is a business owner, consultant, and author whose career encompasses more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality and travel industries that includes startups, strategic business planning, P&L management, branding, sales, marketing, social media, e-reputation management, technology development, channel distribution, vendor and third-party relations. As the Principal of Groups International, a meetings and events management company, Tom drives the strategic growth of the company in the areas of sales, marketing, brand image, social media, and vendor relations.

www.igroupadvisors.com