Do you know what you want from your life or are you just wandering from day to day and year to year? The mystery and uncertainty of your life is gone once you decide what you want to achieve during your lifetime and set goals to point you in the direction you want to go. Antoine de Saint Exupery said, "A goal without a plan is just.... a wish."� So quit wishing and get started. The big question is, how does a person go about figuring out how to set goals?

1. Figure out what you want your life to be as an elderly person

At that point, what will be important to you? Consider these areas: Spiritual and ethical, family and home, financial and career, physical and health, social and cultural, and mental and educational. To have a well-balanced life these should all be considered. What would make you happy so that you can die in peace? Consider what you want, not what you want to leave behind.

Pray about it

Take the time to pray and ask for guidance and inspiration. God expects us to study things out on our own and make good decisions. Ask for confirmation of your decisions. If you don't have a good feeling about it you may want to reconsider.

Make goals

Consider each area separately and write clear and measurable goals.

Write it down

If you feel good about it, write it down in a positive way. Don't write what you don't want, but keep everything positive. Writing everything down makes it concrete. These are your lifetime goals, your destination.

2. Look at where you want to be five to 10 years from now

What can you do in this time to achieve your goals in each area? This should keep you on the path to your final goal.

Include detail

You know your destination but it always helps to get where you want to go if you have a map. Fill in your road map with more details. What do you want to have accomplished by this time?

Gather support

Share your goals with those around you. Find your support group and stay in close touch with them. Do not let the negative attitude of family, friends, and neighbors drag you down and away from your goals.

3. Decide where you want to be three years from now

What can you be doing so that you can reach your ultimate goal? You will experience more progress the more detailed your goals are.

4. Then, create a one-year plan, six-month plan, and a one-month plan

Make a plan of progressively smaller goals that you should reach at this time in order to achieve your lifetime goals. Each of these should be based on the previous plan.

5. Now, make a to-do list for the day or week

• Be specific.

• Measure your goal by effort, not by results. There are many things out of a person's control.

• Make sure they are attainable but not too easy.

• Reward yourself for larger goals attained.

• Track your accomplishments.

6. Review and adjust

Learn from your experiences. Re-evaluate your action plans whenever needed to see if they are still consistent with your inner desires and life's vision. It is easy to get off on a side road.

Don't just put your goals away and forget them. Look at them each day and see what you can do to accomplish them. Work and then check the progress you made. Listen to a mentor such as Napoleon Hill. All 13 of his messages can be found on YouTube at Primeau Productions.

You now have your long-term vision and your short-term motivation. If you find things did not work as you had expected or planned, don't be discouraged. Try again tomorrow. Make sure you stay on target. Stay positive. You have mapped out your life. You may have to find an alternate route when you run into a detour, but stay on track and you will be successful.