A goal, whether something you want or need, is a destination, and you reach it by taking steps to get there. Goals keep you focused on the future, and they motivate you to accomplish your dreams. One of your goals is to graduate from college and you’re nearly there. Now it's time to start thinking of life after college.

By knowing exactly what you want to accomplish, you'll know what you need to focus on to accomplish your goals. Setting goals will give you a long-term vision as well as short-term motivation to organize your resources—time, money, talents-to achieve it.

Some of your goals may be related to money in one way or another; others may not. However, the steps you take to map out the steps to reach your financial goals can be applied to any goal, whether or not the goal has a price tag associated with it.

To capture your goals and make plans for reaching them: