Specific: "I will increase my sales by 15 percent compared to last year." Be as specific about your goal as possible. "I will start my own catering business" is a lot stronger than "I want to go into business for myself."

Motivational: Challenging goals are motivating. Set goals that will push beyond what you usually think you can accomplish. Remember to set a deadline. A goal without a deadline is simply a dream. Attach a realistic yet challenging deadline for accomplishment, and post this where you can review it regularly.

Action-oriented: Phrase your goal in the present tense and assume success. Don't say, "I want to," say "I will." This tells your subconscious that you have already achieved your goal, which means it will go to work at helping the goal become a reality. It will attract the people, places and situations you need to achieve that goal.

Relevant: Put your goals in writing. This simple act helps you clarify your goals and will allow you to visualize them more effectively. I recommend that you record each goal on a separate index card and review them twice a day – once in the morning (when you first wake up) and again before you go to bed. This process reinforces your goals, acts as a reminder and drives your goals deep into your subconscious. In fact, this is one of the most powerful strategies you can use to achieve your targets.

List the benefits you intend to receive by achieving each goal. This will keep you focused and strong, particularly when you face the inevitable roadblocks and barriers. The more benefits you can list for your goals, the more motivating those goals will become.

As you review your goals each morning and evening, picture yourself achieving each of them. The more you can "see" success in your mind's eye, the more likely you can translate this into reality. Create a perfect picture in your mind and replay it frequently. Developing a picture board can help with this. This is a very effective tool that allows you to see the visual impact of achieving your goals.

Time-bound: Take action. Don't procrastinate. All the planning in the world will not help you achieve your goals. You must take action. Once you have determined a goal for yourself, take action within 24 hours. This will set the wheels in motion and create the necessary momentum you need. Someone once said, "We are either moving toward or away from our goals." Develop the habit of taking action on a daily basis.

Anticipate the challenges you will encounter and plan how you will overcome them. This will prepare you for them and make them easier to overcome, and with less stress. In fact, the simple act of planning for obstacles will often prevent many of them from occurring.

Surround yourself with successful, motivated people who also set challenging goals. I share my goals with several friends and associates. When we get together, we motivate each other by talking about our success, our challenges and our goals.

Achieving greatness and a higher level of success is not that difficult. However, it does require discipline, focus and a clear idea of what you want to accomplish.