“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours,” said writer-philosopher Henry David Thoreau. In his view, a life goal is essential for success and happiness in life, yet is different for everyone. To Thoreau, living devoid of technology and material possessions, simply soaking up nature and simplicity in an isolated cabin was his dream. To someone else, advancing the corporate ladder, getting a raise and being able to purchase comforts and status symbols might be a goal. To begin imagining your dreams, all you need is a quiet place, a pen and a piece of paper.

The first step to establishing a life goal is to do a little life planning. You might want to write down the basic categories of life, such as health, relationships/family, career, hobbies, finances and behavioral/personality traits. Then you can write down three sentences for each, stating where you have been, where you are now and where you’d like to be. So, for example, under your work goals, you might write… “Where I’ve been: I worked as a secretary at a law office. Where I am now: I am finishing my last year of law school. Where I’d like to be: I want to be an attorney at a law office firm.” You can feel good about where you’ve come from, but you can also brainstorm five short term goals that can help you reach the long term goal of becoming a practicing attorney. You might then list finishing school, taking bar exam study classes, passing the bar exam, interning at a law firm and updating resume.

Once you have everything written down, one predominant life goal will likely emerge. Have you put career first and let your health languish? Or have you been so preoccupied with your relationship that you lost sight of your career goal of running your own business? Look at some of your long term goals and list the short term goals you must accomplish to get there. Then determine an appropriate timeline in which to meet your objectives. For instance, your long term goal might be to run a five-minute mile. First, you must set up a training schedule of 5 days/week. Then, you must try to run a mile without stopping. Then you can try to shave off a minute here and there to reduce your time from 10 minutes down to five. You can try training with weights to feel lighter or change your diet slightly to include more protein and energy-boosting foods. Whatever your plan of attack may be, looking at manageable, written goals will help you accomplish them.

An important part of achieving your life goal is staying motivated. Once you mark down your long and short term objective, you will want to write a list of reasons why you want to make this change. Later, when you feel your motivation waning, you can look at your list of reasons and remind yourself why you must keep working toward your personal goal setting task. Think about why the change is needed and what would happen if you did not change. Think about how much your life will improve once the change has been made and you’ve reached your goal. Keep these lists handy for whenever you need them. It’s also important that you’re honest with yourself and keep a positive frame of mind.

Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed anxiety therapy as well as tips on the various anxiety disorder medications available at anxietydisordercure.com.