Everyone needs a goal to achieve — a golden carrot — in order to truly succeed. Goals are what draw us ahead when times are tough. They are what help us overcome resistance and problems. The most important of these are personal development goals.

Setting personal development goals is easy. The tough part is reaching them. One reason that people fail to meet their personal development goals is that they aim for blurred images rather than clear goals. Other people set too many goals, or place their target dates for accomplishment too far into the future.

To best set your own personal development goals, you want to sharply define what it is you want to achieve. Good for you for wanting to lose weight, but you must set a clear goal at the outset. Choose how much weight you will lose, and write down that as your goal. Pick an exact number of pounds or kilograms, and be sure it is really an achievable goal. Otherwise, you can set yourself up for failure. After you have chosen a goal of, for example, ten pounds, go ahead and create an exercise and diet plan that will aid you in accomplishing your goal.

Secondly, meet your new challenge clearly by setting parameters. You have determined that you wish to lose ten pounds. You’ve got a diet and exercise plan in place. Now, set a time limit for yourself. For example, if you wish to lose those pounds in two months, that means a month should see you lose five pounds. That seems manageable, right? So with your clear target, and a realistic time frame, you will be able to focus well on your path to achieve your goal.

You have accomplished the first step! You established personal development goals, and you are on your way to achieving them.

Don’t set your personal development goals too high or too far out of reach. If you set unattainable goals and you’re not successful, you’ll feel like a failure. This feeling can have a negative affect on your self-esteem, and on your life in general. Don’t go there.

Next, reward yourself once you have achieved your first goal! Rewards make the hard work and accomplishment stand out in your week. No need to spend much money on your reward, or eat a huge pizza. That might start the weight gain process immediately. Instead, go for a walk on the beach, take in a movie, or have some fine wine with a tasty, but small-portioned dinner. The point is to reward each goal you achieve, before you set another one, and look forward to the next reward day.

Once you’ve achieved your first personal development goal, you’ll be ready to take on another. Remember to set your next goal in the same manner as the first: achievable, clear, and with a time frame. And then, there’s no turning back. Who knows where your life will be in 5 or 10 years from now? After accomplishing a series of small, doable goals, you might be amazed where you will end up. All it takes is setting and accomplishing that first, small goal, and you are on your way.