There is a huge gulf between the setting of a goal and goal achievement. Most goals don't proceed beyond the paper on which they have been written. A few that do fall midway. Very few travel the full distance.

If you want to achieve your goals then you need to keep the following ten points in mind:

1. You should have a burning desire to achieve your goal. Many a times we do things because of fear of failure or scolding. If this is what you are trying to do then you are destined to fail.

2. You must have faith in your capabilities. Nothing is impossible to achieve if you have the right attitude.

3. Written words have more power of coming true than spoken or imagined ones when it comes to goals. Be specific as to what you want to do and write down every goal, sub-goal and the way you are going to achieve them.

4. Write down all the benefits that will come your way once you achieve the goal. This is a great motivating factor, and will keep you moving forward.

5. List the skills that you need to achieve your goals. For instance, if you want to be a software engineer then you must know how to work with computers. Knowing where you stand today will help you plan your future steps.

6. Make a list of obstacles that you are likely to encounter. These may be shortage of finances, for instance. If that is so, then you must find ways to arrange the funds before the financial crisis actually hits you.

7. You must always set deadlines. These should be tough but achievable. If you fail to fulfill your task by the time allotted make changes and set another deadline. Don't just stop working if a deadline to finish a sub-task is not met.

8. Make a list of people who can motivate you to reach your goal. Their support can mean a lot when you are under pressure.

9. Picture your goals as vividly as possible because then you know where you want to reach and make the extra efforts to reach there.

10. Don't loose hope or give up. Failure will come but you have to take it in the right stride. That's the only way to move forward.