Dear Ariel,Bobby and Stephen from TrafficRoundup here.

Before we begin today's lesson here is your TrafficRoundup URL for earning credits: http://trafficroundup.com/start.php?username=dumaran

Last time we went over some ideas about why you should set goals (so you know where you are going and not just going with the flow), how to be specific in setting goals (e.g., knowing that you want money because it allows more time with your family rather than just saying you want lots of money), and the importance of writing goals down (making them workable projects instead of just wishes). - Setting Realistic Goals It's alright for a 10 year old child to set a goal of becoming an astronaut. However, this may not be a realistic goal for a 50 year old person who has never had training in that direction. Set achievable goals to avoid setting yourself up for disappointment. - Set Goals That Make You Stretch If you make your goals too easy, you will probably never see your full potential in life and you will develop or re-enforce a habit of always taking the easy way out. If your goal is to start working your business an hour a day, this isn't much of a stretch. Make the goal worthwhile and something that will make you proud. - Long Term Goals Long term goals are usually goals that are set out in a time frame of many years. Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? 10 years from now? Think about this now and write it down. - Intermediate Term Goals These goals are those you want to achieve in a matter of a few months to a few years. Maybe you want to be a manager in your department where you work, so you set a goal and create a plan to achieve that in 2 years. That's an intermediate goal. - Short Term Goals These would be things that you can do in a matter of weeks to months. Good examples of short term goals would be to lose 10 pounds, start reading a book a month, pay off a small debt, etc. - Putting Them Together Long term goals require short term and intermediate term goal setting as well. Let's say your goal is to own a house on the lake 10 years from now. The short term goal might be to get a better paying job or a promotion where you work. This might be achievable within a few weeks or months. The intermediate term goal might be to get yourself debt free so you can start saving money for your dream home. This plan might take a few years. The higher paying job, becoming debt free and saving money can fulfill the long term goal of living in your dream home. - Relating This To Internet Marketing Internet Marketing is also done in steps. You have to look at where you want your business to be in a month, next year, 5 years and so on, then work a plan to get there. Short term goals would include choosing the right business, doing some research about marketing and learning everything you can about it, and laying out a daily activity plan. Maybe your short term goal would be to start making $100 a month and you want to do this within 2-3 months or less. Your intermediate goal might be that at the end of your first year of marketing you want to be making $500-$1000 a month. Maybe the long term goal is that you want to be making $5000 a month in 3 years. These goals will be adjustable as you go along. If your first month brings you $100 instead of the second or third month, then you need to set a new goal. The next goal might be $300 a month by the end of the next month. If after 6 months of marketing you see that you are going to be no where near your $500-$1000 a month goal, you will need to re-think what you are doing and pick some new businesses or learn new strategies. Always be checking an adjusting the things you are doing to reach your goals. Don't bring the goal closer to you, adjust yourself to get closer to the goal. To summarize, set specific, reasonable and challenging goals (short, intermediate and long term), write them down, work hard towards them, keep checking your progress and making adjustments, and certainly, never quit. Next time: Tracking Your Campaigns Until then, Stephen Ayer - Owner Bobby Ivie - Admin TrafficRoundup.com 66 Thornberry Road, Winchester, MA 01890, USA