Have you ever looked at other people and envied their lifestyle? Wish you had that new car? What about that sprawling house with the land to match?

The truth is, you can have all these things without being saddled with a huge amount of debt. The key to it all – the key to getting everything you desire in your life – is to set worthwhile, meaningful goals all through your life.

This doesn’t just apply to monetary gains. It can also apply to achieving things which make you feel happier, healthier and more rounded as a person.

Take your spare time, for example. Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough time to achieve what you really want to in life? If you do (and many of us are in this situation right now), now is the time to sit down and discover what we really do with our time.

Keep a diary for at least a week. Break each day into sections which will reveal how you spend your time. How many hours do you spend doing things which will ultimately lead to a better and more prosperous future for you and your family?

The answer can be quite sobering.

Even more sobering is how you feel when you realise how many hours are simply wasted by activities like watching television. Fair enough, we all need and want to relax, but if you spend two or three hours every night doing it, and you were to transfer those hours to the pursuit of a goal that will benefit you and your family for years to come… would you do it?

I think you would.

I used to be that person. I still do watch my favourites, but for the last year I have devoted a couple of hours every day to earning some cash from my freelance writing and online business endeavours. I set a goal to earn some additional income from these avenues, and gave up some of my free time to pursue it.

Those hours have repaid me well. I now earn a useful second income from my efforts - an income which is increasing and developing into additional income streams for the future.

Not a bad trade off for sacrificing a couple of hours of television each night.

No one else will invest in your future except you. Set yourself some goals today and start taking small steps towards them. Your future will thank you for it.

By Allison Whitehead