As we start a new week, I am reminded once again that today is called the present because it truly is a gift from God. Today is an opportunity to do better than I did yesterday and to make my mark on THIS day. When I curl up in bed tonight, I want the satisfaction of knowing that if I don't live to see tomorrow, I gave all that I had to today.

Setting goals is one way that I accomplish what I set out to do. It doesn't matter how small the task is, I write it down and list my plan of attack. Not only does it hold me accountable, but it is also a great tool for me to track my successes and failures. If I don't reach my goal(s) for today, all I have to do is go back to my list and identify where I got off track or what went wrong, go back and tweek those areas and hop right back on railroad to success. Before my cancer diagnosis I tended to be a perfectionist procrastinator in the sense that all of the stars had to be aligned before I my goal(s) could be accomplished.  Now I'm in the mindset of taking the small steps that lead to big victories.

Maybe you want to drop a few pounds or get your house organized. Perhaps you are trying to get out of debt or you want to plan your retirement. Here are some tips to get you going the right direction.

• WRITE IT DOWN
• When you start, VISUALIZE yourself at the finish line
• Put some dates next to the goals
• Start small and work your way to larger goals
• Enjoy the journey

This is life, and it's meant to be enjoyed. Remember there's no failure in not accomplishing your goal, the failure comes from not getting back up and trying again.