As the wonderfully funny Tim Gard says 'Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.' If you want to be the luckiest person in the world, you need to be well prepared and work steadily towards your goals. It's amazing how lucky you become when you take the time to plan and set your mind to a task worth doing!

Life goes on as the poets say, and it's up to you which direction it will go next. Up or down, you make the choice. If you choose 'up' then be prepared to do some work to get there. This doesn't mean that the journey to success has to be boring, tedious and depressing. Far from it! The journey to success is full of discovery, wonder and joy. Discover a bigger and better you. Be filled with the wonder of your own strength and ability. See how much joy your life can hold.

Time to make your wish list

There is only one way to make your dreams come true - turn them into goals. Goals are, after all, only dreams with a plan. The process is really very simple. Dream a dream. Write it down. Commit to it. Create a plan. Go for it! What could be simpler?

So start today! Sit down right now, grab a piece of paper and a pen, and list your dreams. Write down as many of them as you can. Don't worry if the list looks too big or daunting, you'll only be tackling one item at a time anyway. Just keep on writing until you run out of ideas.

Pick a goal, any goal

Your next step is to pick one of your dreams and turn it into a goal. Why not stop calling it a dream right (dream sound so unattainable and vague), and start calling it a goal. Goal somehow implies that you'll get there one day if only you do all the right things.

So, pick a goal. Why not make it a B-HAG? (That's a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal for the uninitiated.) Go on, challenge yourself. Write this goal on a big piece of paper in bold, thick marking pen. Now make a list of all the things you will need to do to achieve this goal and add them to your piece of paper.

When you consider the things you need to do to achieve your goal (your actions) try to be as detailed as you can. Keep the steps in chronological order as much as possible. Don't skip a step because it sounds too basic. Put it in so your plan is complete. This way you'll know exactly what actions you need to take well ahead of time. Dreams can be vague, but action plans need to be firmly anchored in reality.

What about deadlines?

Don't forget to add deadlines. Without deadlines you can procrastinate for ever! When do you want to achieve your dream? Is that realistic? Is it challenging as well? If you answered yes to both of these questions, add that date to the B-HAG. Then work backwards from this date and add a deadline to each of your action steps as well. As you add each date ask yourself the same two questions over and over again. If you find yourself answering 'no' to any of them, then re-think your time line.

Finished? Hooray! How do you feel now? Motivated? Excited? Empowered? Then take full advantage of that adrenalin rush. Look at your list, grab step one with both hands, and 'just do it'. That's the Nike approach to goal achievement, and I've always found it's the only way.

Action is the key to success

Don't just sit there. Stick your piece of paper on a blank wall where you'll see it every day and start on step number one RIGHT NOW. Remember, even the longest journey starts with a single step.