This is the time of year where you are probably considering your New Year’s goals. Maybe they have to do with goals you made last year but lost interest in or just gave up on over time. Maybe you accomplished last year’s goals and are looking for new accomplishments. Either way, you’re now facing the beginning of another new year and a whole new set of goals.

The great thing about the New Year is that even if you’re less-than-thrilled with your follow-through, it brings with it amazing opportunities that can last a lifetime. All you have to do is to be smart as you set your goals and make them exciting enough to follow through on.

Here are some ideas you can use to help you to successful complete the goals you set in the coming year:

1. Select Areas You Would Really Like to Improve

One thing about goals is they can last a lifetime. So choose New Year’s goals that truly matter to you. Maybe you would like to improve your health by losing a few pounds, maybe you would like to learn a new language or start a new career. Figure out what it is you really want to improve on, ideally something you want more than anything. This will help keep you focused on accomplishing your goal.

2. Make Your Goals Specific.

Your mind is too smart to go toward a generality. You’ll hear people say, “My New Year’s goal is to get in to shape” or “My goal is to work less” or “I want to spend more time with my family this coming year” Your mind listens to this and says “Huh? What does that mean?”

In order to turn your goals into a reality they need to be specific. Here’s how to be more specific:

Let’s say you have a goal to become healthier. The best way to set goals like this is to give your mind more details of exactly what it is you want to accomplish. Specifics, such as, “I want to reduce my weight by 20 pounds. This will help my waist to be 2 inches thinner” or “I gain a half inch of muscle on my biceps and can see my abdominals” gives your mind something to image or shoot for.

3. Make Your Goals Measurable.

A goal without a measure is nothing but a dream. As I pointed out in number 2, you need to have specific goals. Once you have specified what you want ask yourself, “How can I measure my results?”

Let’s look at the goal “spending more time with my family”. This could be quantified and then measured by making your goal “I work 4 hours less per week,” or “I don’t work on Saturdays, starting January 1″ or “I eat dinner with my family 3 nights a week.” By setting measureable goals you can give yourself feedback as to how you are doing.

4. Set Mini-Goals.

Most goals are complex and can take time, even a lifetime to accomplish. In order to make your goals more achievable cut them down into smaller, separate goals. Set mini-goals that take you down the path to accomplish your overall goals.

For example, maybe you’ve set the goal to lose 30 pounds. In the past you’ve struggled with this because the goal seemed much too large. You can set mini-goals to help break your large goal into smaller pieces. Instead of making “losing 30 pounds” your goal, make it “I reduce my weight by 3 pounds a month for 10 months.”

Notice 2 things about this goal. One, it allowed you enough time to achieve your goal without worrying about it constantly and two, it broke your goal into smaller achievable monthly goals that you can measure.

5. Set Realistic Goals.

If you’re like most people once you begin setting goals you set a lot of them. The problem with this is it might not be possible for you to accomplish everything you want in just one year. In fact it will take your whole lifetime to accomplish all the goals you set for yourself. So look at your goals and your mini-goals and set challenging but realistic timeframes for accomplishing them. This will keep you motivated and focused your New Year’s goals.

Be Smart – Focus on Your Goals

When selecting your New Year’s goals, focus on what matters to you. It doesn’t matter how much your significant other wants for you to do something, unless it’s what you really want to do it will probably not even get started let alone accomplished. It’s just not smart to even try to accomplish goals you’re not really invested in.

Remember to make your goals specific, as detailed as possible and give yourself a method to measure them. Break your large goals, the ones that can take a lifetime to accomplish, down into smaller, easier to achieve mini-goals. And make sure your goals are realistic in the timeframe you establish and in conjunction with the rest of the goals you set.

There is no more powerful thing you can do in your lifetime than setting goals. Just remember it’s a process, not just a goal. This will make your goals more likely to succeed. The great thing about success is that it breeds success. As you achieve one goal, you’re more apt to set more next year and accomplish them also. Be smart, set goals and make this your best one ever!

Wil Dieck is the founder of Total Mind Therapy, a system that uses NLP and Hypnosis to help people rewire their minds so they can transform their futures. His office is located inSan Diego,California. This system has helped thousands of people, just like you, lose weight, quit smoking, reduce stress and achieve more in their lives. You can find out more information about Total Mind Therapy by following this link.