Now that January 1 and the resolution hype are behind us, take time to set SMART GOALS for 2007 and guarantee that you have a terrific real estate year -- a year in which dreams turn into reality for yourself and your family.

Resolutions are statements of behavioural improvement that usually focus on ending bad habits like smoking and over-eating. Goals are projected, desired results that can guide daily actions and decision making toward significant improvements in any, or all, aspects of life. But, merely wanting to change the way you do things, or wishing for appreciable improvement does not mean you'll succeed in either case.

The following SMART Approach to Achievable Goals, one element in my Breaking Patterns: The Key to Self-Leadership Program, may be applied to any situation where there is "room for improvement." Here, we'll concentrated on real estate and its role in your future. My SMART acronym represents a simple, memorable tool for ongoing fine-tuning that highlights the essential elements of doable goals. The SMART summary below should get you off to a good start:

• Specific

  Define your eventual success. Create vivid, detailed, clear written descriptions, so you know exactly where you are headed. Do you want to own waterfront property or acreage in a location of your choice? Do you want your real estate to generate income? If so, how much? Continually, keep your goals "top of mind" by displaying and carrying key words written on small cards, but don't share all the details until your goal is achieved.

• Measurable

  Breakdown the goal into doable steps. Know how you will benefit from each. How many real estate properties, each with its own reasonable amount of appreciated value, stand between you and the waterfront, rural or income property you desire? Would shared ownership of some or all of this real estate accelerate your progress?

• Accountable

  Commit yourself to your vision of the future. Be responsible for the results. How will you discipline yourself to avoid failure and to consistently make progress? Are you prepared to take charge of impulse spending and other personal actions that may undermine goal achievement?

• Realistic

  Create attainable goals that are a challenge, but not overwhelming. Don't let others decide what you can and cannot achieve. Counteract the obstacles, costs and trade-offs, in advance, with practical strategies. How will you overcome shifts in the real estate market or interest rate fluctuations along the way? Overcoming problems that undermine others will earn you a reputation for resourcefulness that may prove useful when facing the challenges ahead.

• Time-Oriented

  Set realistic deadlines that you can, and will, keep. Create a schedule that takes you forward to your goal, but re-evaluate the timing regularly. Be patient, but persistent. The impossible may just take a little longer.

Obstacles and roadblocks naturally arise along the path to our goals. The greater the goal, the bigger the roadblocks and the louder the nay-sayers. Anticipated hurdles can be relegated to becoming merely steps along the way. Obstacles mark our progress. They are not reasons for failure or excuses for giving up unless you want them to be.

Reference to the simplicity of the SMART Approach does not mean that setting or achieving goals is necessarily simple for everyone. The level of personal commitment involved in applying the SMART acronym to hopes, dreams and the appropriate action is more effort than many people seem ready to invest in their futures. However, doing nothing is a decision, too, perhaps not the best one, but a decision to be lived with none the less.

Locating highly-competent professionals who place your interests before their own can be a key step for achieving goals. If you lack the "how-to-succeed" real estate or financial knowledge, why not tap into the wealth of information and experience that real estate, mortgage and related professionals must acquire to gain and maintain their licences and professional credentials? Dodge the sales hype and learn about Agency Law, which defines the legal commitments real estate professionals owe their clients. Buyer Agency and Seller Agency relationships offer more protection than other consumer sales situations. Invest time understanding how a real estate salesperson or broker places "the client's interests above all else, but the law" and you'll find your goals even more achievable.

We are what we think, what we believe. That's "the box" that can limit our view of what the future might hold. A committed professional can expand your horizon of possibilities, often with little investment beyond your time.

Source: Breaking Patterns: The Key to Self-Leadership

Published: January 2, 2007

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Futurist and Strategist PJ Wade is "The Catalyst" - intent on "Challenging The Best to Become Even Better." PJ earned this title by translating the dynamic impact of Boomers and their multi-generation families into relevant insights that start people thinking and taking action—in business and in life. Author of 8 books and more than 1800 published articles, PJ encourages individuals to become their own futurist. PJ writes and speaks about the insight, knowledge and solid decision-making skills that professionals and their clients need to live and work in this vortex of change. For instance, since PJ knows that home is headquarters for the new decades-long "unretirement," she wrote the popular book "Reverse Mortgages: Best Friend, Worst Enemy...Your Choice!", which is filled with suggestions and cautions on protecting, building and managing home equity. Her new business book, "What's Your Point?: Cut The Crap, Hit The Mark & Stick!" will be published in 2012. As The Catalyst, PJ provides strategic communication, client appreciation and advanced education services to the financial, tourism, lifestyle and service sectors - and the clients they serve. A frequently-quoted financial and business commentator, PJ is a thought-provoking strategic speaker who offers practical, real-life suggestions on leaving "the box" behind and embracing Forward Thinking - a talent she regularly demonstrates in this column. For more on keynotes, blogs, books and information on a range of 21st-Century topics, visit TheCatalyst.com.