At Career Intensity, Dave Lorenzo tells us that a simple and effective way of making goal attainment a core element of your life is setting a goal every single day and accomplishing it.  He suggests writing your goal down every morning, and check in with yourself at the end of the day to see how you did. Going through this process each day, according to Lorenzo, gets you into the habit of establishing targets and hitting them.  In addition to establishing daily goals, I believe in devising meaningful long-term career goals.  Formulate them by considering the following:

• What you’re going to do
• Why you want to do it and how it furthers your personal agenda
• When you’re going to do it
• How you’ll know when you’ve done it and how you’ll measure your success

After you’ve brainstormed what you think your goals should be, sit down with your boss and ask for his feedback on the list.  Do your personal goals align closely with your organizational goals, or the goals your boss has set for you?  Are your boss’s expectations practical given your level of experience and expertise?  Are your own expectations reasonable? 

Don’t sit passively by while your boss sets HER goals for you at your performance review every six months or year. Remember that no one cares about your career growth as much as you.  Take matters into your own hands and ensure that today’s work experience is preparing you for tomorrow’s promotion.