I want to wish everyone a very prosperous and Happy New Year! It’s that time of year when we set our goals for the year ahead. While I know most have health goals (losing weight, working out), we also have Business Goals…for example, how much are you aiming to increase your profits in 2007?

So here’s how to set your most important core goals, based on the SMART acronym:

S - Specific … Goals must be specific, defining exactly what you want to achieve.

M - Measurable … You must be able to measure if your goal is being achieved, to give you the clear feedback you need to stay on track.

A - Achievable … Goals should be ambitious but they should also be attainable. You have to possess the belief that you can achieve the goal in order to

R - Relevant … Your goal must be personally important to you in order to increase the odds that you will be driven by the goal to accomplish it.

T - Timeline … You must have a deadline date to completion, which focuses you on the steps needed and time required in order to fulfill your objective.

Monitor goals daily and change your plan if you’re not getting the results you expected. Try to focus on a small number of key goals to get focused and avoid petty distractions. And once you achieve your goal, celebrate your accomplishment - and then set another goal!

Happy New Year and all the best to you in 2007!