Here we go again - almost ready to ring in the New Year, while blurred visions of unfulfilled past resolutions still echo in our ears. As a global marketing executive, I've had my fair share of business success, but my number one resolution this year is to turn my life into my most successful business venture yet! I (like many others) have sometimes confused having a good career with having a good life. This year, I'm going to make it my business to take action on what really matters most, not only in my career, but in pursuing my personal goals and dreams as well. However, making good on our New Year's resolutions, or achieving our personal goals is no easy task. In fact, it's often an arduous journey. Having said that… here are a few thought-starting tips to put you on the right path to achieving your personal goals and dreams: 1) Get Up Close and Personal Make sure your goals (also think resolutions) are personal as well as career oriented. Many people focus on setting goals in their career or professional life, but don't take the same time and energy to set them in their personal lives. To achieve a life that offers personal enrichment, balance and meaning, it's important to focus equally on both the personal and career sides of your life. In fact, they are often joined at the hip. I might want to buy that dream country house or that shiny new SUV, but it will take me a lot longer to accomplish if I don't receive that year-end bonus, increase my salary or earn that higher commission check. Make no mistake about it: realizing your personal goals is inexorably linked with achieving your career goals. 2) Give Yourself a Deadline Don't set goals without quantifiable deadlines! Personal goals as well as career goals should always have numbers and time attached to them. A good example of a quantifiable goal would be: I'd like to lose 10 pounds in the next 8 weeks and keep that weight off forever. Here are a few more examples of personal goals to get you off and running: I would like to improve my time in this year's Los Angeles Marathon by at least two minutes. I will finally start writing my book and finish the first draft over the next twelve months. My goal will be to increase my financial portfolio by 8% over the next year. 3) Stay Focused Once you've defined your goals and dreams, you need to stay totally focused toward achieving them. Here are some action steps that will help you keep your eye on the ball: Write them down. First and foremost, write your goals down. You can write them down in the back of a daily planner, or in a separate book that you can readily access on a daily basis. Clear, well-written goals are the basic staple of high achievers. A study of Harvard graduates found that after twenty years, the 3 percent of graduates who had recorded their goals in writing went on to achieve more financial success than the other ninety seven percent combined. Put them where you can see them. Place your written goals on your refrigerator or another highly visible place. It might be in the form of an inspirational quote that reaffirms your commitment to achieving your goals. Recite daily affirmations. Each day, repeat an affirmation statement consistent with attaining your goal. For example: "Today I will continue to move toward the completion of my book." Go public. Tell someone whom you respect or admire that you are in the process of achieving a personal goal or dream. It puts some pressure on you, but it also focuses you on the task at hand. It also adds to your support group. Use motivating symbols. Place symbols of your end goal in your office or in your house. For example: If you want to move to Carmel, California, show a picture of the waves crashing against the region's distinctive coastline. If you want to take a trip to Venice, Italy find a picture to motivate and inspire you to actually take the trip. Visualize success. See yourself succeeding by mentally rehearsing the accomplishment of your goals. Try visualizing yourself achieving your goal in your mind's eye long before it actually happens.