Each New Year, we go through the time-honored tradition of making resolutions. Often, we confuse resolutions with goals. Resolutions can be vague, and statistics show we tend to abandon them by mid-February. Goals, on the other hand, require specific targets with concrete end dates.

I suggest a different approach to goal setting—one that I have practiced with great success for a number of years.

Set Personal Goals on Your Birthday

I have found this to be very powerful. Think about it. Many people take stock of their lives on or around their birthdays. For my 50th birthday, we rented a home on the water in Nassau, Bahamas—one of my favorite places in the world.

As I sat alone on the deck watching the sunrise on the morning of my birthday, I reflected about what I wanted to achieve by the time I was 55 and again at 60. I am talking about life-altering goals. I will spare you the details, but nowhere on that list was anything related to my current job.

Set Professional Goals in August

You have very little control over when clients travel. As a salesperson, you can influence when they book. We know the travel sales year runs from September to August, not the calendar year. Since suppliers judge your performance based on the calendar year, setting your goals in July or August for the upcoming selling year will help you set yourself up for higher commissions, co-op funds and other support from your preferred suppliers.

Create 30-, 60-, and 90-Day Action Plans

It is difficult to achieve any goal without a clear path to follow. Action plans will help you stay focused on your priorities and on the path with achievable milestones to reach your goals. Make sure they are readily accessible so you can refer to them regularly.

I am not a fan of resolutions. I am a goal setter. If you tie your goals to important milestones in your life and business—and execute an action plan—your likelihood of achieving them increases exponentially.