Pre-reading task

You are going to read an article about setting goals. Before you read， think about the following questions： How do you usually set goals in your personal and professional life？ How do you come up with a plan？ What helps you stay motivated？

We all have personal and professional ambitions， whether these include wanting to run a marathon， enter a poetry contest， learn to cook or make a career move. According to Forbes magazine， only 8 per cent of people actually achieve their New Year’s Resolutions. Why are so few of us successful in completing the steps between wanting and doing？ Your success may depend on the very first stage： setting your goals. Unless you know where you’re heading it’s hard to know if you’re on the right track. Effectively setting goals can be very motivating and can make the difference when it comes to achieving your objectives.

A

First of all you should question your motivation and incentives. Is it really something you would like to do？ You need to do some soul-searching and ask yourself why you really want to climb that mountain， or paint it， or move it for that matter. Do you want that challenging position because of the external rewards like money or status， or because you will find it interesting and exciting？ If the answer to this question is simply ‘Because I want to！’ you need to dig a little deeper， as not having a clear motive will just end in frustration.

B

Whatever your motivation， in business it often helps to be SMART. This is an acronym that can be used to guide you when establishing your goals. Be：

· Specific， not general. Don’t just say ‘better’， specify how.

· Measurable. Decide at the start how you will measure your success.

· Attainable. It is not an impossible task for you.

· Relevant. Ask yourself how it fits into your future plans.

· Time-bound. Having a clear time frame will help y