What Are You Waiting For?
 Forward progress should be an essential element of your life every day
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​​This is a question I find myself asking A LOT when I am trying to figure out why the traffic in front of me is not moving even though the light is green and the path is otherwise clear.  Invariably, a driver somewhere up the line is distracted by the text they are reading or sending and they haven’t looked up from their mobile phone.
 
For some reason, we are conditioned to think that it is rude to beep the horn at someone, so we all just sit politely while the distracted driver continues in his oblivion until he realizes that he hasn’t been paying attention.  Eventually, we will all move forward again, but why should I be delayed because someone else isn’t paying attention?  What is wrong with a friendly tap on the horn to snap someone back to reality?
 
As far as I’m concerned, the whole thing is unacceptable.  The broader topic of distracted driving and the safety hazards it can create are well documented.  I am speaking specifically about the delay in forward progress caused by one person’s distraction or lack of priority…unacceptable.
 
When I am behind the wheel of my car, I have a singular purpose and that is to get from point A to point B as safely and quickly as possible.  I am in the car to go somewhere.  I believe that if everyone felt that way about their travels, there would be a lot of happy commuters with more time on their hands to spend in other ways besides unnecessarily waiting for someone who doesn’t share the same set of priorities.
 
Allowing someone or something to delay your forward progress should be unacceptable under any circumstances, whether you are measuring it on the road in traffic or on your journey through life!
 
Forward progress should be an essential element of your life every day.  If you are not moving toward the achievement of a goal or the completion of a task, what are you doing and why are you doing it?  Do you make it a point to learn something new on a daily basis?
 
Even when you are relaxing or enjoying a holiday, part of the value of those times is re-energizing for the next round, the next challenge, or the next commute.
 
In some cases, you may even be your own worst enemy and the one most likely to delay your own attempt to move forward.
 
So, what do you find yourself waiting for?  At work, for instance, are you waiting for something to happen or are you making something happen?  I’ll give you an example.  How often do you find yourself waiting for someone to call you back?  When you placed the call, did you leave a clear message stating the purpose of your call?  Did you indicate when you would like to hear back from the person?
 
If you are waiting for something to happen, you may be coasting on the mere fact you placed the call.  If you are making something happen, you made the call with purpose and you know exactly how long you will wait before you call that person back, or give that person a friendly tap on the horn, so to speak.
 
Here is another example.  Are you waiting for your boss to notice the good work that you are doing or are you making your good work known?  If you are fortunate enough to work in an environment that is collaborative and one, in which, you receive feedback about your job performance and where you are headed career-wise, be sure to take advantage of that good fortune by sharing your views and insight.  If you wait until your merit review rolls around to do so, you may very well be disappointed.
 
Even if you have a manager who is switched on and interested in helping you to develop, he or she will only be as good as what they know.  If they don’t know how you feel or what is important to you, they will be left to rely solely on their own experience to determine where your best fit is.
 
In other words, if you are interested in managing people someday, be sure to let your boss know so that you can be evaluated on that basis.  If you really enjoyed a certain project or you were disappointed not to have been included on a new initiative, be sure to share your views with the people who were instrumental in making those decisions.
 
You can’t expect to stay silent and wait until your annual review hoping to be recognized as someone who is upwardly mobile.  It may work out, but your chances of positively influencing how you are recognized and what you are recognized for are far greater if you do not wait to get actively involved.
 
What would happen if the police simply waited for the bad guys to turn themselves in?  Or, what if your doctor told you just to wait until you felt better before you came in for a visit?
 
If you concentrate on the many, many times it is not acceptable to find yourself waiting; you will realize the importance and power of being proactive.  When you are in a proactive mindset, you will be far more likely to be actively engaged in the management of your own life and the direction it takes.
 
The next time you ask yourself what you are waiting for, the answer may very well be…you!
 
Remember that what is important to you is very rarely as important to someone else, just like the distracted driver, who apparently has nowhere to go and all the time in the world to get there.  Your purpose for being in the car takes a back seat if you don’t make it known, in an appropriate way, that you do have some place to go and you do not have all the time in the world to get there.

This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

If change is going to take place regardless of how you feel about it, why not be the one who is taking an active role in effecting change, as opposed to being the one to whom change is happening?

​Decision Points are part of Scott Arney's online educational series, The Serial Decision Maker.

Make Saving a Habit
When you begin to make good decisions on a consistent basis, you will often discover your own brilliance in the simplicity of the plan you develop around those decisions.

It is possible for you to save money even if you feel as though you live paycheck to paycheck and your wages are totally committed to paying your bills.  Saving money is a matter of habit, not finances.
 
If you allow yourself to believe that saving money is a habit and that habits are derived from your own mindset, you will overcome the main obstacle you face in beginning to accumulate a savings account.  If you continue to believe that your ability to save is only a product of the amount of your income, you are thinking like a victim and not like someone who makes your own choices and takes charge of your own financial destiny.
 
Remember that stress, particularly stress associated with your finances, is only created from what you do not understand or what you cannot control.  You can absolutely take steps to better understand and control your finances and become a saver.
 
There are multiple ways that you can begin effective saving habits regardless of your level of income and without necessarily needing to make more money.  They include, but are not limited to:

• Direct Deposit
• Proper withholding alignment
• Contributions to employer sponsored saving plans
• Roth IRA’s

 
The most basic form of saving is to establish a regular savings account at your local credit union or bank.  Credit Unions will typically provide you with an easier route to a savings account because they very rarely charge fees or impose limitations, whereas most banks will require minimum balances and/or restrict your usage and charge you fees if you do not meet those requirements.

Direct Deposit

One way to start a savings account is to set up a direct deposit into the account straight from your paycheck.  This simple step can, many times, mean the difference between being a saver and being a spender.  While some of you may tend to spend money you do not have, most of you will find a way to live within your means.  If your money is taken out of your check before you receive it, it is much easier not to spend it.  While you will still have access to it, the mere fact that the money is not sitting in your checking account ensures that you will need to take additional action to use those funds.  If you are not currently a saver, or if you are convinced that you need every cent of your wages to pay bills and cover your spending needs, start small.  Take $10 out of your paycheck through a direct deposit to your new savings account and forget about it.  You might be surprised how easy it is and because you are setting your own savings goal, there is no need to feel any pressure to increase the amount or reach a certain savings level.  At this stage, it is important just to concentrate on the act of saving, no matter the amount you save.
 
If you require a little bit more motivation or an extra reason to save, try to identify a specific goal or reason for saving.  You may want to start a “new car” fund or a special “vacation” account.  This can be a particularly helpful step if the goal for your savings account represents an amount of money that you would previously either borrow or simply not have access to prior to establishing your saving habit.

Proper withholding alignment
 
If you find that you are struggling even to identify $10 of savings in each paycheck or if you are looking for ways to increase your savings, take a close look at your income tax withholdings.  If you are committed to saving, your money is always of more use to you in your own hands than it is in the hands of the government.  You may be one of the many people who routinely overpay their taxes during the course of the year and look forward to a refund the following year.  While you could make an argument for the validity of this option as a forced savings plan, keep in mind that the government does not pay you interest while holding your money.  Properly aligning your withholdings with your real tax liability is yet another step toward taking charge of your finances.

Contributions to employer sponsored saving plans

Another key to making saving a habit is to contribute to your employer sponsored savings plans, whether they are of the 401(k), 403(b), or 457 varieties.  Doing so creates another avenue of saving that takes place before you receive your check.  This type of savings contribution uses pre-tax income so that when you begin contributing you receive the additional benefit of reducing your income tax liability.  In fact, of all of the ways in which you can save, this is the most advantageous regardless of the amount of your income or the size of your contribution.  Not only will you benefit from saving on a pre-tax basis, but many of these plans include provisions for employer contributions as well.  As you save and your employer contributes to your account, your savings will grow tax-free.  Because of this, this type of saving will also provide you with the most immediate and meaningful results.  It is an excellent way to build wealth in preparation for your retirement and the younger you are when you start to contribute, the more money you will have when you typically need it the most.
 
Roth IRA’s

An additional alternative is to open up a Roth IRA savings account.  IRA is an acronym for Individual Retirement Account, of which there are many different types.  The Roth IRA, however, is somewhat unique in that you use after-tax dollars to establish it and, therefore, you have greater access to those funds.  In other words, because you have already paid taxes on the dollars you invest in a Roth IRA, there are fewer restrictions in place should you decide that you need the funds for another purpose.  Roth IRA’s will typically produce a higher rate of return than a regular savings account and you can contribute to them in a variety of ways, including via direct deposit.
 
You can begin using any of the aforementioned savings methods without increasing your income.  By establishing your saving habit before your wages increase, you will be better prepared to save and save at a higher level when you do earn your next raise or promotion.  Should your wages increase, you can seize the opportunity to save a few more dollars.  At this point, you will have already proven to yourself that it can be done.
 
It is always a good idea to seek professional advice from a trustworthy professional when you are making decisions about your finances. The savings options and methods mentioned here, however, are straight- forward and can almost always be accommodated by your primary financial institution.
 
The act of saving can be as simple or as complicated as you would like to make it and you can more easily talk yourself out of the need to save than you can convince yourself that it is important to do so.  Just remember that you will encounter less stress and generally find yourself in a better position overall when you make decisions that are rooted in reality and that are aligned with your needs and goals.
 
When you begin to make good decisions on a consistent basis, you will often discover your own brilliance in the simplicity of the plan you develop around those decisions.

This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

​Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. – Dwight Eisenhower
 
It is much more rewarding to lead people who want to make their own contribution, than it is to lead people who are just told what to do.

​This post is part of Scott Arney's series, entitled "Arney's Notable Quotables"

Your financial legacy is not created until after you are gone, but the only way to ensure it is an effective representation of you is for you to take steps and make decisions while you are here.

Decision Points are part of Scott Arney's Serial Decision Maker educational series. 
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A New Use for an Old Cliché: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine 
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This is one of my favorite clichés of all time because it highlights the power of proactive action.
 
The only problem with this cliché is that it is a little dated.  I don’t know too many people who sew anymore, so the reference has lost some luster.  The idea behind it, however, is more important than ever.
 
You could make a strong argument that it is safer to react than to proact.  A reaction, by definition, is taking place after something has already happened.  If something has already happened, it is a known matter so there is less risk that the action that you take will be deemed as unnecessary.  Conversely, when you act before an event occurs or as it is occurring, but before the outcome is known, you run a higher risk of taking the wrong action or making the wrong decision.
 
A decision based on facts and certainties is always less risky than one that is made in preparation of something that may or may not occur, but you cannot ignore the power of timely action that prevents a disaster from happening, stops a crime from occurring, or prevents a war from escalating.
 
On a lesser scale, you are presented with opportunities to act or not act daily.  Whether those opportunities involve decisions regarding home repair, your job, or your family; you are faced with a choice as to whether you should do something, say something, or gather more information.  You will be in the best position to make a good decision if you have taken advantage of previous opportunities to gain insight, observe conditions, and take note of the outcomes.
 
Sound and consistent decision making takes practice and that is especially true for proactive decision making.  Through that practice, you will learn not to be paralyzed by a fear of making the wrong choice.  You will learn what strong decision makers already know and that is that they are not any better at predicting the future than anyone else, they are simply the best at determining what to do with the information and circumstances they have in front of them.
 
Now, I just have to come up with a more relevant cliché to relate to today’s society and future proactive decision makers.  A tap of an app saves the need for a map?  A minute of Googling saves hours of doodling?   This may take more time than I thought.
 
By Scott Arney, Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union.
This article is part of Arney's new series, entitled A New Use for an Old Cliché.
This installment is part of Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

Oblivion is My Enemy
I have yet to find a more direct route toward living a fulfilling and purposeful life than to make oblivion your enemy and to commit to learning as much as you can 

I have always been what I consider to be a deep thinker.  When I was young, my deep thoughts didn’t always lead me to logical conclusions or ensure that I could preserve order in my mind.  As I have gotten older, my deep thoughts still tend to swirl around a lot, but I have gotten a little better at identifying where those thoughts lead and figuring out what I can do with them.
 
To that end, I have come up with some tenets that are front and center in many of my thoughts and ideas. I use them as a foundation to build from so that I at least feel as though I am headed in the right direction as I continue my travels through life.  Three of them are relevant here.
 

• I try to never stop learning
• I work on understanding the world and the people around me
• I am aware of myself and how I fit in that world and with those people

 
Each of these foundational planks has a common enemy: Oblivion.
 
Every day you learn something, your life is richer and more purposeful.  You are exercising your brain and spending time doing something worthwhile even if what you learn doesn’t end up being all that useful down the road.  Learning is essential for forward progress in life and the process of learning is often as important as what you learn.
 
Oblivion, deliberate or otherwise, is the opposite of learning.  It requires no thought and demands no engagement and it can trick you into thinking that your life is satisfying.  Of course, when you do not have any expectations of yourself, goals to achieve, or people to get to know, you may feel satisfied because you probably will not experience much stress or worry.  All that has occurred, however, is that you have performed down to the lowest level of potential and fulfillment: Zero.
 
Developing an understanding of the world and people around you is an everyday challenge.  That understanding will constantly evolve as a result of the progression in your thoughts and of the changes in your perceptions as well as the events and circumstances taking place in the world around you.  Just like a commitment to learning every day, your efforts to understand people and society and all the complexities that comprise them will be an-going, never ending process.
 
Oblivion, on the other hand, will ensure that you have no interest in others or the world.  It will mandate that you stand in one place with no clue of what is happening nor interest in finding out.  Simple?  Yes.  You will fall short, however, on any scale that measures the value you have created for your environment or the contributions that you have made to others.
 
Self-awareness is essential for you to have a healthy perspective of who you are and what you stand for.  It is also an essential piece of your understanding of the world around you.  You cannot develop a thorough understanding of anything else without being fully aware of where you fit and where you can or cannot relate to the people, places, and events that surround your existence.
 
Life is infinitely easier to navigate when you know who you are.  That knowledge will help you to develop purpose and direction in your life.  It is much easier to know why you are here and where you are going if you are familiar and comfortable with the person who is asking those questions.
 
Oblivion prevents you from even considering who you are or how you may be perceived.  Purpose and drive have no place in oblivion.  Being oblivious is a cop out, but it doesn’t have to be a life sentence.
 
When you set lofty goals, especially ones that require non-stop attention and will most assuredly cause you to fail regularly, you are undoubtedly also signing up for a lot of work and time spent reflecting on your actions or lack thereof, analyzing information, revising your plans, and probably questioning every step you take along the way.
 
Your rewards, however, will be ample and I have yet to find a more direct route toward living a fulfilling and purposeful life than to make oblivion your enemy and to commit to learning as much as you can, understanding your environment, and determining who you are and where you are going.
 
​This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

Surround Yourself With Good People
Every single success story involves an entire network of people who joined together for a common cause

The most important step you can take toward ensuring that you maximize the quality of your life, next to having a strong self-awareness and being personally accountable, is to surround yourself with good people.
 
No one is better equipped to take care of you or take more responsibility for your actions than you are.  You are the person most responsible for the direction that your life will take.  It is too easy to let yourself believe that whatever is happening in your life has very little to do with you and is more a result of what others are doing or not doing. You have the power to choose the attitude with which you will live your life and the behavior you will demonstrate.
 
So, the question is, how do you make sure you don’t stray from that path of self-awareness and personal accountability?  The answer is simple.  You surround yourself with good people.
 
There are just as many people who believe that it is a sign of weakness to seek other people’s help and guidance, as there are who think that their lack of fulfillment is somebody else’s fault and none of these people are correct in their thinking.
 
Human beings are social creatures.  You are not meant to live as a loner.  You were born into a family.  Together, we live in neighborhoods and communities.  We go to school together and we go to work together.  Why then, would you try to go it alone in order to achieve success in your life? 
 
Every single success story involves an entire network of people who joined together for a common cause and even those who are recognized as the leaders of that particular cause or event became leaders with the support they received from others every step of the way.
 
Every one of you is a sum total of your own life experiences.  How you perceive yourself is due, in part, to how you have chosen to act and react to the happenings in your life.   Additionally, you have undoubtedly experienced difficult times, turmoil, and controversy.  Without good people around you to remind you that you can achieve your goals despite these occurrences, it is too easy to succumb to these negative influences.
 
Surrounding yourself with good people will not only help you to absorb the blows that life inevitably deals you, it will also help you to grow as a person at a more rapid rate.  Experiencing something new is one of the joys of life, but it can also be quite intimidating if you don’t have someone to talk to who has already experienced something similar.  New parents can learn a lot from their parents.  New employees can learn a lot from veteran employees.  A younger brother can learn from an older brother.
 
When something great happens, it is always more meaningful when you have people to share it with.  Their excitement for you only serves to deepen and enhance your experience.  When something bad happens, it is easier to get over it with the help of others.  During sad or difficult times, it always helps to be reminded of good things and good people.
 
Achieving individual success has its benefits, but achieving team success is so much more rewarding because so many more things and people had to come together in order to achieve that success.
 
It is one thing to understand this concept and agree with it, but you may have already discovered that finding good, successful people isn’t always the easiest thing to do.  The trick, then, is to develop skills that help you to identify these people.  Here are a few do’s and don’ts that I have learned along the way.
 
If you are fortunate to have a loving and caring family around you and/or a select group of trusted friends, start with them.  Nobody will know you better or be in a better position to support you.  Talk to them about how they have gone about building relationships with their own friends and family.  Reflect on your own experiences so that you can draw out the reasons you feel a closeness or an admiration for certain people in your life.  If you can zero in on the specific traits that you respect in others, you will be better able to look for those same traits when you meet new people going forward.
 
If you are typically someone who has not made it a point to collaborate with others or to seek out other options or opinions when you are making a decision, choose a subject matter that you are comfortable in discussing with a person or people and start a dialog.  All of you are capable of helping others whether you realize it or not and most of you appreciate being asked about your opinion so you may receive some valuable ideas from people you never counted on as confidants.
 
From there, try to broaden your horizons by attending events where you will meet new people.  One of the ways that you can ensure you grow as a person is to create new experiences for yourself, particularly ones that you can learn from or develop into additional opportunities.  Networking is not easy for most people so seek out an event where you are likely to have a common interest with other attendees, such as a local meeting of alumni from the college you attended.
 
Getting involved in a neighborhood or community project is another great way to meet people in an environment where you will be more likely to gain insight into someone’s character.  Project oriented work also creates an opportunity to share opinions and ideas with others, which will help you to gain valuable insight into people’s decision-making process.

You will have a much better chance of finding people that will be more likely and willing to help you if you first identify your own goals and then specifically seek out people who have achieved success in related areas.
 
Don’t just concentrate on the title or status held by someone.  It is much more important to find people who have truly experienced life and learned from their experiences along the way.  Many times, there is a direct correlation between a person’s status and their accomplishments, but focus first on the person’s accomplishments if you want to increase your chances of meeting someone with whom you will benefit from knowing.
 
Even if you think of yourself as a social, outgoing person, chances are there are some things that you could do to improve the breadth and depth of your personal network and your efforts to be collaborative for the purpose of expanding your ability to achieve goals and live a fuller life.
 
However you do it, make sure that you make it a point to surround yourself with good people whenever and wherever possible.  Whatever effort you put forth will be rewarded many times over in the value you will receive.
 
This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

Ready or Not

You are undoubtedly familiar with the original golden rule, “treat others as you would like them to treat you.”  I say original because the golden rule has been appropriately modified over the years to now read, “treat others as they would like to be treated.”
 
Treating others as they would like to be treated does make more sense than just applying your standards to everyone, but it is much more difficult to accomplish.  When you subscribe to that rule, you are dedicating yourself to getting to know each and every person that matters in your life, their strengths and weaknesses, preferences, values, and purposes.  That is no small undertaking.  The original golden rule only required you to know yourself, which is much easier to do by comparison.
 
When you aspire to be an effective leader, the challenge becomes even greater.  Not only do you need to treat everyone around you the way they would like to be treated, you also need to lead them in a way that helps them to develop and grow at a pace that is tailored to their individual abilities, personalities, and motivations.
 
The same is true in parenting.  Love your kids equally, of course.  Instill values and do the best that you can to give them the tools that they will need to grow into happy and engaged adults, you bet.  Raise them all the same, no way.
 
The adapted golden rule intertwines with the belief that we are all unique and that our greatest attribute is the ability to be true to ourselves, to figure out who we really are and then focus on being the best version of that person possible.  No two employees are exactly alike even if they are trained in the same atmosphere by the same people for the same role just like no two kids are exactly alike even if they grow up in the same household, listening to the same parents, who are espousing the same values and virtues.
 
As a leader, parent, or anyone responsible for teaching, developing, and mentoring others, you will be much more effective in your role if you are aware that you are surrounded by people who are individually unique, individually motivated, and following their own individual time lines.
 
What does all of this mean to you?  It means that fulfilling your role to the best of your ability is much more about being alert to when your employee, student, or child is ready to take the next step then it is about when you are ready for them to take that next step.

If you were to evaluate an employee’s readiness for promotion based on how long it took you to be ready for that same promotion when you were coming up through the ranks, you are doing that employee a disservice and ignoring that individual’s unique skillset and learning curve.
 
If you limit your parental decision making to what you were able to do or not do when you were growing up, you are also turning a blind eye to the changes that have taken place around you as you grew to adulthood and ignoring the many things that have evolved in our society during that time.
 
Time on the job is important.  Gaining experiences in life is only something that can happen with time, but career tenure or age cannot be the only factors that determine how capable a person is or how mature they are.
 
Many CEO’s spend years learning a business and working their way through good times and tough times in order to hone their skills enough to be qualified to lead an organization.  Many, but not all.  There are plenty of examples of leaders who had the requisite skills and confidence to lead a business with very little time on the job or even proof that they had the experience to be effective in the role.
 
The law states that a child becomes an adult when he or she reaches the age of 18.  I certainly know plenty of people who are considered an adult in age only. Conversely, there are absolutely people who are considered a minor because of their age but are mature and capable well beyond their years.
 
A strong leader is ready to lead regardless of circumstances or the skillset of his or her employees.
 
A dedicated parent is alert and ready to be there for their kids regardless of the time of day or night or the nature of the need.
 
Effective leaders and parents also know that their job is never really done and that it certainly does not stop when they think the employee they are developing or the child they are raising is ready for the next step.  One step evolves into the next and the objective for all of us should be to continue to learn and to challenge ourselves to improve upon what we know, add to our strengths, and continue to address our weaknesses.
 
Accepting that, if you do your job well as a leader or as a parent, you will continually help your employees and kids to grow and prosper, just don’t fool yourself into thinking that it will be accomplished entirely on your timetable.  In fact, if you really do your job well, your employees and/or your kids will be ready for more before you know it.
 
Will you be ready?

​This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.

The Importance of Goals and Incentives

In case you haven’t noticed, most of the world surrounding you is moving toward or already using a goal oriented, incentive based system.  The reason is simple. It works.
 
Credit unions and banks often provide incentives in the form of reduced lending rates or increased savings rates to their members and customers for using more than one of their products or for using a specific service.  Credit card issuers reward you with airline miles, cash back, and a host of other gifts when you use their credit card to make your purchases.  Grocery stores discount certain items if you carry their check-cashing card.  Most employers have created a merit-based, incentive-laden environment that rewards employees for adapting behavior that is consistent with organizational goals.
 
For the most part, incentives are the rewards you receive for reaching your goals. In the same way that people are much more likely to achieve their goals if they are written and specific, businesses have found that they are likely to do more business with customers who are incented to do business with them.
 
Knowing how to establish your goals is the most essential aspect of developing any useful and relevant plan and there are several key ingredients of successful goal setting.
 
Understand the Purpose

When you set out to establish your own goals, you should begin the process by defining what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it.  Understanding the purpose of your goals will help you develop a plan and to stick to it accordingly.
 
In fact, understanding the purpose of anything that you do will lead directly to increased personal awareness and perspective as well as the gratification you experience when you understand your role and how it relates to the world around you.  Remember that stress only comes from what you don’t know or cannot control.  If you understand your purpose and you follow the plan that you create to achieve a desired outcome through effective goal setting, you will absolutely reduce, if not eliminate stress in your life. 
 
Be Specific

Your goals should be specific and personalized to you and your individual need or aim. Being specific will ensure that your goals remain relevant during the time period they are in place.  Personalizing your goals will help you to stay motivated and engaged in your pursuit of achievement.  Relevancy and personal motivation cannot be underestimated in a world in which you continually face a host of new challenges and are subject to getting side-tracked, losing focus, or losing direction.  When something remains relevant to you, you are more likely to persevere and see things through to a positive conclusion.
 
Establish Measurements

Setting goals that are measurable will help you be able to determine whether or not you are successfully achieving your goals, whether they are short-term or long-term in nature.  Establishing measurements that are applicable at the onset, up through and including the completion of your goal, will help you to maintain your motivation and enthusiasm for achieving the goal.  In most cases, the more tangible and quantifiable your measurements are, the more helpful they will be.  Examples of useful measurements include, but are not limited to, numeric references, timelines and deadlines, and benchmarks.
 
Make them Attainable

Even if you successfully complete all of the other steps, you will waste your time if you do not ensure that your goals are attainable..  Setting attainable goals does not mean setting them so that they are easily achievable, rather that they are realistic and rooted in reality.  In determining the attainability of a goal, you should make sure that you would experience a sense of accomplishment if the goal were achieved.
 
Align Incentives Accordingly

Goals and incentives are further related in that they are both indicative of deliberate behavior associated with a specific plan and their value applies to any situation you will encounter.
 
You will increase your chance for success in any situation if your goal oriented behavior is properly lined up with incentives designed to encourage you and keep you focused on achievement and forward progress.  Just as businesses have found out that people respond positively and consistently to incentives, you will find that if you include your own meaningful and personal incentives in your planning and goal-setting, the whole process of achievement will be even more worthwhile and rewarding.
 
Just as is the case with the goals that you set for yourself, incentives must be understood and carry personal significance for you.  Once those elements are established, incentives can be as elaborate or as simple as you would like them to be as long as they are reflective of the achievement you have earned.
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You should never hesitate to celebrate your successes and reward yourself for your accomplishments no matter how small you feel they may be or what step along the way they represent.  Sometimes, the small celebrations are the most important because they help you to build momentum and develop better habits. They also invariably lead to bigger celebrations!
 
Positive recognition is always a part of any useful incentive, even if that recognition is something you only give to yourself.  Incentives can be monetary or non-monetary.  They can include a night out, time away, or extra time off of work.  They can be activity based or relaxation based.
 
Ideally, the amount of reward you earn from your pursuits in life is equal to the amount of effort you put toward those same pursuits.  The simple act of setting goals and determining incentives will set the course for anyone to live their life in that manner.
 
When you take the time to regularly set personal goals and balance them with worthwhile rewards, you take a big step toward creating more opportunities and greater freedom of choice.  It is the type of freedom only felt by those that have taken command of their life by creating and following their own plans and making their own decisions.

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​This article is part of Scott Arney's educational series, entitled The Serial Decision Maker.