Time has a way of flying by when you get settled in somewhere. Set goals to make sure that you are making progress. Sometimes your ultimate goal (a #1 hit, a Grammy, or a house in the Bahamas) can seem unreachable. Setting short-term and intermediate goals can help you stay positive and focused and keep you on track as you journey toward the big ones.

Keep lists of your goals; as you accomplish a goal and cross it off your list, you can replace it with a new goal. Examine the ways in which some goals support others. Here's a simplified example of a probability goal chain, where every step builds on the goal results from the last level to reach toward the next:

• If you put in the time and the effort, you'll learn more and write more.

• If you learn and write enough, you'll probably come up with a great song.

• If you write enough great songs and have enough publisher meetings, you'll probably get a single-song contract or a staff deal.

• If you get enough single-song contracts or work hard enough at your staff-writing job, you'll probably get some holds.

• If you get enough holds, you'll probably get a single.

• If you get enough singles, you'll probably get a hit.

• If you get enough hits, you'll probably get a #1 hit, a Grammy, or a house in the Bahamas.

See? It's easy. All you have to do is accomplish one set of goals to make the next set easier to reach. Of course, it still requires hard work and commitment, but focusing on your work allows you to go further and faster.