Goals or To Do Lists

Day in and day out we hear ourselves, our coworkers or our family members ask about goals. What are your goals for 2010, what do you have planned, what are your going to do in 2010?

However, how do you define what a "goal" is, complared to setting a "to do list."

For example:
I am going to run the Sun Run.
Is that a goal? Or is that something you are going to do.

I am going to run the Sun Run in Sub 40min.
Is that a goal? Or is that something you are going to do.

I am going to earn $xxx in 2010?
Is that a goal? Or is that something you are going to do.

There is a significant difference in what your goals should be in 2010 and what you are actually going to do in 2010. A Goal “involves establishing specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-targeted objectives. It can serve as an effective tool for making progress by ensuring that participants have a clear awareness of what they must do to achieve or help achieve an objective. On a personal level, the process of setting goals allows people to specify and then work towards their own objectives — most commonly financial or career-based goals”

As 2009 is coming to an end, November is a prime time to set your ‘to do list” and your "goals" for 2010. However, remember to truly ask yourself… is this a “goal” or is this something that I am just going to do in 2010.