Climbing a mountain is much easier than one would think. You start at the bottom, you progress towards base camp, you hit the middle of the mountain, and then you reach the summit.

As climbers ascend, they come into contact with different elements such as thinner air and colder temperatures. If they climb the mountain too quickly, they will not be used to the new environment, and they will be out of their comfort zone. The same principle holds true for those of you who are climbing your own mountains, and striving for goals. As you climb higher to reach your goals, you will experience a different feeling.

You may feel anxious, like the mountaineer feels at the bottom of the mountain, knowing that his journey has only begun. You may feel overwhelmed like the mountaineer who is at base camp, knowing that he has many steps to climb. You may feel excited, like the mountaineer who has just hit the middle of the mountain, knowing that the peak is within reach. You may feel proud of yourself, like the mountaineer who has reached the summit, knowing that he obtained his goal.

So, How Can You Climb The Mountain To Your Goals?

1. Start at the bottom establish what your goals are.

* Write down your goals.

* Avoid generalizations such as I want to be happy or I want to be rich. WHAT would make you happy or WHAT would make you rich?

* If you want to be happy, write down how you will accomplish this. Will you take up a new hobby? Will you go back to school? Will you spend more time with friends or family? The more specific you can be, the better your chances of achieving your goal.

* If you want to make more money, list details such as wanting to increase your income by 10% next year.

2. Climb to Base Camp devise a plan to obtain your goals.

* Set a specific time period in which you want to obtain your goals not just someday because someday leads to a town of somewhere.

* If you want to earn a degree, knowing how long the program is and how many courses you need to take each semester is a great start.

3. Take steps to reach your goals

* What steps would you take to earn a degree?

* Perhaps taking one to two classes to begin with would give you a good idea of what to expect.

* Knowing what courses are offered indicates if the program is for you or if the classes you would be taking would interest you.

4. Achieve your goals, reward yourself!!

* Once you've earned (or achieved) your goals, be good to yourself. You've earned it!!!

* If there's something that you've always wanted to do or wanted to buy, do it now!!

* Be proud that you achieved your goals. This is quite an accomplishment.

Just like climbing a mountain, realizing goals will not happen in one day. But, you can realize them over time. Although your summit may seem too high to climb at the moment, know that starting will be the hard part, and reaching the summit will be your reward.