Annabel and Erika are college freshmen taking up a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy. Whereas both of the girls have exemplary records in their respective high schools (both of them graduated on top of their class), anyone who has read the girls’ assignment on their respective goal in college could easily predict that Erika will do better. Compared to Annabel’s “I’m gonna do well in class” goal, Erika bravely has her eyes set on the goal of “Managing my time well to be able to get a 3.4 grade-point average in all my subjects”.

Obviously, Erika knows about educational smart goals. Just an FYI, SMART goal is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound goals. Here are a few examples of educational smart goals:

• Educational smart goals are specific—there is no room for vague goals which are overwhelming and unachievable. Your goals need to be detailed, concise and clear. Instead of saying “I’m going to study better”, an educational smart goal says “I will devote 2 hours every night to do my schoolwork”. The educational smart goal version of “I’m going to finish my term paper” is “I will begin doing my term paper a month before the deadline.”

• Educational smart goals are measurable. Time frames, dates, amounts – anything that could measure your success – are essential as they provide the means to help you determine whether you have attained your goal. Rather than aiming for “better grades”, target a particular grade-point average by the end of the semester.

• Educational smart goals are attainable. Take action not a reaction—in short, be realistic in your goals. Graduating on top of the class may be unlikely if your consistently on probation or if your average is just 2.2. Try aiming for a 3.0 instead—with a lot of effort that is more realistic.

• Educational smart goals are relevant. Goals need be set up with a clear purpose. If your goal is to ace your mid-term exam in biology that is four days away, don’t get distracted by starting on your home reading report that is not due for another week.

• Educational smart goals are time-bound. Goals need to have a starting point, a time frame and an ending point. Working on a detailed thesis paper is praiseworthy, but not if you only have one week to finish it.

If you want quality and consistent improvement in your life, goal setting is a process you must master. And students are not exempted from this fact. Knowing how to set goals is an indispensable capability for students. But what is even more essential is that students make their goals smart. Indeed, goal setting is an important skill students must have—and it is a most daunting thing to master. But taking time to make your educational goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound might make all the difference. Here we have more smart goals examples to give you a better idea of how you can apply this to your daily routine.

Manuel is definitely the office clown. Manuel is gifted with the ability to make anyone laugh so hard that tears begin to fall down his/her cheeks. Manuel can make you roll on your stomach faster than you can say schizophrenic.

But whereas Manuel is known for his horsing around, he is much more sought after for his being a great motivator. What is his secret for motivating others and himself? His collection of joke motivational posters. Yep, joke motivational posters practically cover every inch of his room. He even made them into bookmarks as giveaways to friends. Here are a few of the phrases on Manuel’s joke motivational posters:

• Relationships: Sure there are plenty of other fish in the sea. But you’re not anywhere near the sea. You’re in the desert. Alone.

• Cloning: Because you’re socially awkward.

• Wishes: When you wish upon a star your dreams can come true. Unless it’s really a meteorite hurtling to Earth that will destroy all life. Then you’re pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. Unless its death by meteor.

• Remember that you are unique. Just like everybody else.

• Underachievement: The tallest blade of grass is the first to be cut by the lawn mower.

• Incompetence: When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there’s no end to what you can’t do.

• Potential: Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up.

• Adversity: That which doesn’t kill me postpones the inevitable.

• Perseverance: Do or do not. There is no try.

• Success: Sometimes being full of hot air is all you really need.

• Achievement: You can do anything you set your mind to when you have vision, determination, and an endless supply of expendable labor.

• Irresponsibility: No single raindrop believes it is to be blamed for the flood.

• Blame: The secret to success is knowing who to blame for your failures.

• Change: When the winds of change blow hard enough, the most trivial of things can turn into deadly projectiles.

• Cluelessness: There are no stupid questions. But there are a lot of inquisitive idiots.

• Compromise: Let’s agree to respect each other’s views, no matter how wrong yours may be.

• Despair: It’s always darkest just before it goes pitch black.

• Dysfunction: The only consistent feature of all your dissatisfying relationships is you.

• Indifference: It takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile, but it doesn’t take any to just sit there with a dumb look on your face.

• Limitations: Until you spread your wings, you’ll have no idea how far you can walk.

• Church: Where to turn when Google can’t answer your questions.

• Church of God: There are some questions that can’t be answered by Google.

There you have it—a few examples of joke motivational posters, because getting motivated can be as simple as getting a good laugh much like being inspired by motivational quotes.

Bruce Hemingway has two things in common with Batman. One, he shares the same name with billionaire Bruce Wayne, the Dark Knight’s “alter ego”. Two, he rescues people, but the only difference is that while Batman does this with his Batmobile, Batcave and martial arts, Bruce Hemingway does this by being a life coach.

Life coaches like Bruce Hemingway or Tony Robbins dedicate their life to the craft of guiding, educating and training an individual or a group of people with the aim to achieve a goal or develop a skill. Exactly what do life coaches do? Read this to find out:

• Life coaches lend a hand to clients in determining and achieving personal goals by applying methods such as mentoring, values assessment, behavior modification, behavior modeling and goal setting.

• Life coaches play the part of a “sounding board”. Clients see life coaches as people who listen to them and give them sincere feedback.

• Life coaches are motivators—they are ready to offer support when clients need a self confidence boost and be a lamppost to guide them which direction they should be taking.

• Though some coaches have a background in counseling, they engage their clients in a process that is different than a therapy session. Whereas therapists delve into the healing of past wounds, life coaches motivate you in examining your present situation and moving your life forward. Moreover, therapists aid the problematic whereas life coaches help the healthy people perk up their lives.

• They help you take the time out to evaluate your life and open your eyes as to why your life is not working the way you want it to.

• They help you create inspiring goals, locate and throw away hidden beliefs that limit your potential, keep you focused and positive.

Does your life need a coach? If amidst all your responsibilities, projects, activities and accomplishments you still feel a void in your heart and if there’s a tiny voice that tells you, you are going the wrong way then you definitely need a life coach to guide you to the right track. But remember, life coaches are only there to help you—you are in control of the coaching process, YOU ARE IN CHARGE of where your life will be going.

Do you need cash bad? Well, don’t fret. There are actually many people in the world who find themselves in the same quandary. In fact, once upon a time, I was in your position. Then I discovered how to become a millionaire and earn easy fast money. If you want to know how, then read the following:

• First and foremost, erase from your brain the idea that there exists a sure-shot way on how to become a millionaire. Such notion is like the proverbial needle-in-a-haystack. You think it’s there, but you cannot really find it. The truth is, unless you win the lottery, you’ll have to earn becoming a millionaire and the best way to start this is to save while you’re still young. If you’re no longer that young, well then, the more that you should start saving. While you’re at it, you might like to look into stocks, CD accounts and investments as they can help you.

• You could ask me “how do you start saving money when in the first place you have no way of earning it because the economy sucks?” Well my friend that is where you are wrong. Despite the downturn of our green bucks, there are several ways to earn easy fast money. For instance, if you have a car, you can offer to do your neighbor’s food shopping or other errands in exchange for a little fee. Not only will you be doing them great service, you’ll also have extra income – the quick way.

• If running errands is too time consuming for you, then here’s another way to earn easy fast money and it is composed of four letters – EBAY. Take an inventory of everything you have and sell whatever you don’t need (or don’t like that much) online. It’s fast, it’s easy and it’s money.

• Okay, so maybe you don’t really feel comfortable with having to share information about yourself online when you sign up for an EBAY account. If so, then do a yard sale or join local flea markets. Your junk may actually be treasure to someone else. In the end, they will be happy with their purchase and your pockets will be full.

• Finally, use your talents and skills. If you can write, then take online writing jobs but make sure that the pay you’re getting is adequate compensation for your talent. Some organizations may not pay well, but there are others that do. If your hobby is baking, then earn from it through selling your own products. Who knows, it may even be the start of your very own business.

Of course you won’t become a millionaire if you blow every single cent of your easy fast money. So it still boils down to one thing – save for your future. As for me, I’m holding up pretty well with the help of my 401K, my stocks and the money I earned from my online writing stints.

Everyone anticipates blockbuster Saturday – especially when it is Ernie’s turn to pick the films. Ernie simply has the talent to choose not-so-ordinary-flicks and true to his description, he did not fail us when last Saturday he decided on The Secret as our movie for the night.

The Secret movie was so good that we had to watch it thrice in a row. But what is the film all about?

• The Secret movie is about an idea that has been circulating around the world for ages and this idea is the law of attraction. When the power of this law was discovered, people who were in authority tried to control it. But great and famous individuals got around such control through hiding this secret law of attraction in their masterpieces and in literature, which experts later unraveled.

• The Secret tells viewers, in detail, how to control the law of attraction in order to accumulate wealth, recover or prevent diseases and ultimately, become successful in life.

• The film also informs us of our power to create our reality by modifying our mindset. According to those who practice the law of attraction, when we have clear intentions coupled with consistent action geared toward these intentions, we are encouraged to achieve our SMART goals.

• All of us use the law of attraction on a daily basis but many times we do it without necessarily noticing that we are doing it. Our thinking and our beliefs attract certain things, either good or bad, to our lives. For example, when we truly believe that we will be given a particularly elusive research grant, our thoughts tend to influence our behavior and thus in the end we act in ways that are directed at our craving.

• If we want to get the life that we really yearn for, we can ask the universe for it and the universe will provide us with the answer, which is generally aligned with our yearnings.

• We should visualize whatever it is that we want and take to heart this vision for it to materialize in reality.

• All of these however would not happen unless we have gratitude. We should thank life and its co-conspirators for the things we have been given. A grateful soul with a grateful heart is always blessed with more.

Putting it simply, The Secret movie, which is now my favorite, tells us that the law of attraction can be summarized by Henry Ford’s words “whether you think you can or you can’t, either way you are right”.

Have you seen The Secret? Have you discovered the secret the movie offers?