There's something to be said for spontaneity. It creates excitement and thrills! You should definitely make a place for that in your life. But when faced with a challenge, setting goals and planning ahead is very wise. That is, if you plan on succeeding at whatever it is that you're facing. For instance, if you want to succeed with writing frequent love letters then I suggest you define some clear objectives, plan ahead and be diligent.

On the next couple of pages, you will learn how to do just that, that is, you'll learn how to set and achieve your goals using a system that is full-proof, if followed with care.

Now this is not magic; you need to work at it. And if you do, you can use this system to achieve most anything you wish, from starting and completing "The Love Letter Challenge" to achieving yours dream of owning a beach house, getting that big job, or perhaps retiring early.

You can do it with this simple 3-step system.

Go get a pencil, a piece of paper, and a fresh cup of coffee. Sit down and get ready. You're about to plan your future and accomplish great things.

Step 1

"WHAT" are your goals? Think carefully. Define them. Be specific; remove all ambiguity. Make them measurable; so that you know if you're on schedule, behind schedule or ahead of schedule. And make them time-bound; set deadlines for them.

Bad goals: "I will start writing love letters." "I will be more romantic." "I will talk more with my wife."

Good goals: "I will write 52 love letters in 52 weeks and I will write my first love letter within 7 days from now." "I will write one love letter each week, on Sunday, by 7 PM." "I will set aside at least 1 hour each Sunday night to read a new love letter to my wife and to talk with her afterwards."

See the difference? Vague goals leave lots of room for procrastination, excuses and failure. Good goals are specific (e.g. "52 love letters..."), measurable and time-bound (e.g. "first love letter within 7 days from now..."). See, you know at the end of one week whether you accomplished your goal. And if you didn't - you know it and you can work to improve your tactics.

Before moving onto the next step, start thinking of some short-term goals, things you'd like to accomplish over the next six months, not just related to love letters either. What do you want to accomplish with your job, in your relationships, with your health?

List at least ten now.

Samples

1) Goal: I will write at least one love letter to my wife each week.

2) Goal: I will write my first love letter within 7 days from now.

3) Goal: I will read my love letters to my wife each Sunday night.

With your list of 10 short-term goals in front you, go to step two.

Step 2

"WHY" did you set those goals? What's your motivator? Why do you want to accomplish them? You must give this some real thought. Think. What keeps you up at night? What do you want most out of life? Maybe you want more money. Yeah - who doesn't? But what are you going to do with all that new money and extra time as a result of meeting your goals? Buy a boat and sail the high seas? Send your children to college? Give to missions? Travel? Spend more time with your family? What is it that makes you get out of bed in the morning? What is so important to you that you would be willing to step out of your comfort zone and change? Yes, you're going to have to change, grow and become a little better tomorrow than you are today.

Figure it out and then write down (at least) two "WHYs" - two personal benefits for each goal that you'll experience when they finally become a reality.

Do it now. Go ahead.

1) Goal: I will write at least one love letter to my wife each week.

a) Why: I want to make my wife happier.

b) Why: I want to develop a closer relationship with my wife.

So now, you have some goals defined and you know why you have them defined. But how in the world are you going to make them happen, make them become a reality?

Step 3

"HOW" are you going to achieve your goals? What's your plan? Brainstorm. Be creative. Be specific. Think of (at least) three activities for each goal that you will do - that will make the goal happen. Think of them. Write them down. Do them!

1) Goal: I will write at least one love letter to my wife each week.

a) Why: I want to make my wife happier.

b) Why: I want to develop a closer relationship with my wife

i) How: I will set aside 15 minutes each Sunday morning, before the kids get up - so I have no distractions - to write her a new love letter.

ii) How: I will buy all the necessary materials that I need (pen, paper, envelopes) to write her letters; so that I am never without the proper tools.

iii) How: I will use my journal and the Love Letter Handbook to find inspiration for my love letter; to remind me that there are unlimited things to say to my wife.

Summary and advice

This simple 1-2-3 method makes setting goals easy. But goals are meant to be accomplished. They are not supposed to sit on the shelf and gather dust.

Just get started. Do something, even if it's wrong. Try, today. Tomorrow, fix it. Keep trying.

Don't sit on the sidelines and watch, think. Nothing happens unless you take action, so stop saddling the horse and get on. Don't be afraid of failure. It's just part of the process. You will make mistakes. You will have failed attempts (probably many). The key is to learn from them, pick up the pieces that worked, add something new and try again.

Write your goals in granite and your course in clay. -- Edward A. Bordi

Here's the point. Sometimes, you make goals and you miss them. This may even happen a lot when you're just getting started. But don't be discouraged! It's okay. We don't always know what to expect when we're heading off into un-chartered territory. We made a plan, we charted a course, but we missed. Just revise your plan, re-chart your course (remember, your course is written in clay), adjust your timeline and keep going.

Never give up.

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. -- Michelangelo

Leaders aren't born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal. -- Vince Lombardi

You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there. -- Yogi Berra