How to set realistic goals for your home business

As I was unpacking my things after a house move recently, I found a piece of paper from a business I had started in 2004. On the piece of paper were listed my five top goals for the network marketing business, written at a goal setting seminar where I was told to dream big and pretend that money was no object. As I read them today I laughed because I finally realized that I had been sold a lie. The goals were neither practical nor realistic. This is what I have since learned about goal setting that has really made a difference to how I make things happen in my life.

1. Write the goals down and break them down into small achievable pieces. For example, the goal may be to gain a acquire a new skill that you need for the business. The goal may be written, "Acquire new skill. Contact training centers. Find out costs, times. Book a course. Pay for the course. Attend the course." As each of these small goals is completed, tick them off your list. Having to write down your goals causes you to do two things: Think about the goal and encourage yourself as you complete each step.

2. Surround yourself with things that remind of your vision. For example, your goal may be to earn enough money this quarter to take a vacation. Find pictures of the location you want to go to for the vacation. Write down how much money it will cost. Write down a date that you will achieve that goal by. Find interesting pictures or articles about that destination and stick them up with your goal. Then plot a time line and how much you need to make at points along that time line. Check off your progress by coloring in along the line as you reach each target. There is power in seeing the vision, in getting the finite details written down so you can consider all aspects of your vision.

3. Commit to a time frame. So many people say they want to do things but are too conservative to commit themselves to a time frame. A time frame can be a motivating force all by itself. Remember, plans are made to be changed but a starting mark will get your engine firing.

4. Set realistic goals. My goal to be financially debt-free and able to purchase a home within two years was a little unrealistic when starting out a business with no capital. I certainly didn't plan for my partner to have an accident and injure his back a short time into the business, meaning that I had to go back to work. Try to consider some of the things that may go wrong so you have a contingency plan.

5. Pace yourself. Not everything has to happen overnight. When you are setting the goal, imagine all the barriers to you achieving it, then put a time frame that is relevant to those barriers.

6. Have a plan. A plan is your way of measuring your progress. If the goal can't be measured, you are unable to measure your progress. For example, if your business is a modeling consultancy and you're a little overweight, your questions when goal setting may be: You want to lose weight? How much and by when and how much does that mean you'll need to lose each week and what can you do to make that happen?

7. Review your goals. If you don't know if your goals are realistic, get someone else to have a look and ask questions. I love the question, "How?" I have often said to my husband, "Nice idea. But how?" If he has thought the idea through and set real goals, he is able to tell me not only how but when and what the cost will be.

Goals can be tremendously satisfying or deathly disappointing, depending on whether you remember to make them SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound). Be SMART and reap the rewards of goals realized.