Are you one of those people who follow through on their actions–or do you find that your good intentions fall to the wayside quickly? Regardless of which type of person you may classify yourself as, why not make this year the year which belongs to you?

While this may sound like a huge challenge, by breaking it down into smaller steps, the picture becomes much clearer. When it comes to setting goals, many people often make lofty goals–those that are almost unattainable or out of reach. It’s no wonder that these ambitions and goals are given up almost as fast as they were set.

So how do you set easy to reach goals that will lead you on the path of your dreams?

One of the first things that you need to accomplish is to think about what your goals are. Now, I don’t mean traveling the world, living out of fancy hotels. I mean goals that are going to help you lead the life you have always dreamed of. If your goal was to travel the world, though, what would be the steps you need to take to accomplish this?

By breaking down a main goal into smaller segments, you’re working towards your end goal. Building on the travel goal, what would you need to make this come true? Lots of money, for one thing. How would you get this money? This would become a smaller goal. Once you had the money, how would you travel? Where would you go? How long would you stay in each place? All of these steps are smaller goals that need to be determined.

Do you see how these smaller steps are building up to the main goal? Perfect–this is exactly how you can make this year belong to you.

First, define what your end goal is. Then, plan out all of the steps you need to take to get there. This might include earning more money, saving money regularly, learning a new skill or it might involve losing weight and getting fit.

Regardless of your end goal, once you’ve planned out your steps, you want to treat each one as a mini-goal. Then, take each mini-goal and work on it until you’ve reached it. Then, take the next one and build upon that. Repeat this process until you can see your end goal in sight.

Along the way, you’re going to come face to face with stumbling blocks and, of course, life will get in the way. All of these things are perfectly normal. What matters is the manner in which you deal with these road blocks.

For people losing weight, it can be difficult when you reach a plateau for weeks and weeks. It’s easier to give up and revert back to your old habits. Those people that are really determined and motivated to reach their target goal will look for ways to deal with these plateaus. These people are fighters!

When working towards a goal, you don’t always have to work hard on it every day. Sometimes it’s healthy to take a short break–just don’t let this become a vacation, though!

You may find it easier to schedule certain days of the week to work on your goal so that you don’t become overly focused or obsessed on it. Working on a new goal means finding ways to fit it into your life without placing something or someone else in jeopardy.

With this in mind, you now have the tools and a plan of attack to make this year belong to you in any way you see fit.