Go-Get-Em Goal Guide

News flash: The rules for Goal-Setting (and achieving) have changed, and the latest research offers insights that will help anyone make ambitious dreams come true.

- By Leslie Goldman

No matter your starting point or life stage, we've got an intention-tackling strategy that'll work for you. Try one, try 'em all. The only thing we guarantee: You'll become a professional GOALKEEPER with this advice....

GOAL GETTER

"I created a vision board, but with a twist."

Creating a manifestation board helped me pass my Pilates certification exam. I filled it with personally meaningful mantras like "I affirm that each new creative endeavor I take on is successful." Many people use magazine clippings, but I found that physically writing out my goals made me feel like more of an active participant. I set a timeline of one to four months and noted that on the board too.

Kabrena Williams, 32, behavioral analyst and self-care advocate at KBinbloom.com, Sarasota, Florida

STRATEGY 1

PLAN FOR YOUR OBSTACLES

If you've tried manifesting your way toward a goal only to come up empty, it may be time to add some problem-solving into the mix. While a sunny outlook may give you all the feels, it tends to make goal-setters overly comfortable and complacent, as if they've already nabbed that corner office or saved up enough money to travel for months, says Gabriele Oettingen, PhD, a professor of psychology at New York University and author of Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation. (Positive thinking, she says, sets off a body-wide relaxation response, which, while great for heart health, may not be the best strategy for achievement.)