Too hard? Amazon.com lists 113 books on subject of 'goal setting', so it must be complicated, mustn't it? The truth is, it's actually very simple.

We all know how to achieve goals. We have known since we were at secondary school and received our first assignment, sat our first exam or competed in our first sporting event. As we became adults and got our first job, we started achieving goals on a regular basis - writing reports, making patients well, designing or building things, completing projects. We achieved goals when we organised parties, weddings, Christmas dinners.

So why do we find ourselves setting same 'big' goals - getting fit, losing weight, getting organised, finding a new job - year after year? Because when it comes to these goals we break all rules that we intuitively apply to smaller goals in our everyday lives. In particular, we tend to be far too 'fuzzy' when it comes to defining our goals in first place.

A common framework for defining goals is 'S.M.A.R.T.' approach. This approach has been widely used for some time, with variations. It is simple and easy to apply, which is why I like it.

'S' stands for SPECIFIC. This is first hurdle at which we often fall. Day-to-day goals are usually implicitly specific: 'provide Christmas dinner for family', 'provide report to client'. 'Big' goals are often non- specific: 'get fit', 'grow my business'. A personal goal of mine is to participate in 7-day cross-country 'Great Victorian Bike Ride'. This is a more specific version of 'get fit', because I know that I have to be fit to achieve it.

MEASURABLE is a particularly important aspect of successful 'big' goals. Not only do we need to be able to measure final result, we also need to be able to set intermediate goals and measure our progress. If a business goal is to 'double turnover to $1 million in 12 months', monthly targets can be set over 12-month period, which step up to that level. While riding in Bike Ride can be measured simply on a scale of 'done or not done', actually achieving it will require capability to ride about 100 km per day for a few days in a row. Now I have something to plot my progress against.

The key here is that he didn't start out trying to change world with his business idea. Instead, he gave life to business idea. He started working it, and as a result he's reaping rewards. Simply put, find a need in your area, and look for ways to fill those needs.

Perhaps you opt instead to go route of continued education. In this case you might decide on adult education courses, certificate programs, correspondence classes, or even an online university to finish or start a degree. Who knows, a combination of some or all ideas might be your choice. The possibilities are endless. It's up to us to take advantage of them.