So you have packed up the car full of everything you need for a cross country adventure. You have gone down your checklist and have everything you need for a successful trip. You take off down the road and head to the highway. You have many places in your head you want to visit on your journey and you are so looking forward to getting to each spot. Everything is great except for one thing, you don't have a map for your trip. What do you think the odds of you being able to get to the places you want to go without knowing how to get there, probably not very good. The map is nothing more than where you are going and how you are going to get there, written down.
Unfortunately most people leave their house every morning with out their map. They go day to day and wonder why they have not gotten to that place they have been wanting to go for years. They just have not gotten the written directions on how to get to their dreams. Written goals are much more than things jotted down on paper. They are complete and focused, just like a road map.
It is easy to tell you what goals are but showing you how to create and implement them is the tricky part. Everyone in the world knows what a goal is but not everyone knows how to achieve them. This is where you separate yourself from the pack. First, let's look at how you should define your goals.
When you sit down and start thinking about your goals they are going to need to make since. You can say "my goal is to make $100,000 a year" that is spectacular but is it a real goal or just a fantasy? Has your goal been defined by the S.M.A.R.T system?
S – Specific: Goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen.
Specifics help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do. Specific is the What, Why, and How of the SMART goals. WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate, lead, develop and plan. WHY is this important to do right now? What do you want to accomplish? HOW are you going to do it? Ensure the goals you set is very specific, clear and easy. Instead of setting a goal to lose weight or be healthier, set a specific goal to lose 25 lbs. or to walk 5 miles at a challenging pace.
M – Measurable: If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.In the broadest sense, the whole goal statement is a measure for the project; if the goal is accomplished, the is a success. However, there are usually several short-term or small measurements that can be built into the goal. Choose a goal with measurable progress, so you can see the change occur. How will you see when you reach your goal? Be specific! "I want to ride my mountain bike 3 miles a day before July" shows the specific target to be measure. "I want to be a good bike rider" is not as measurable. Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you will stay motivated, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goals.
A – Attainable: When you prioritize goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them happen.You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of those goals. Goals you set which are too far out of your reach, you probably won't commit to doing. Although you may start with the best of intentions, the knowledge that it's too much for you means your inner self will keep reminding you of this fact and will stop you from even giving it your best. A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real commitment from you. For instance, if you aim to lose 20lbs in one week, we all know that isn't achievable. But setting a goal to loose 1lb and when you've achieved that, aiming to lose another 1lb, will keep it achievable for you. The feeling of success which this brings helps you to remain motivated.
R – Realistic:Realistic does not mean easy, it means obtainable. Your goals need to be something that you know you can accomplish. For instance, I know I can never be President of the United States but I can be President of a smaller organization. Devise a plan or a way of getting there which makes the goal realistic. The goal needs to be realistic for you and where you are at the moment. A goal of never again eating cookies or chocolate may not be realistic for someone who really enjoys these foods. Maybe it would be better if your goal was to eat more fruit instead of sweets. You can say “My goal is to eat an apple after lunch instead of a candy bar for a month and see how I feel.” Be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! If it is too difficult then you set the stage for failure, but too low sends the message that you aren't very capable. Set the bar high enough to satisfy your inner self.
T – Timely:Set a time frame for the goal. You can't achieve something if you don't put a dead line on it. How often does your boss give you a task to complete and doesn't give you a dead line for it. If you don't set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time. Without a time limit, there's no sense of urgency to start taking action. The time frame must be measurable and realistic.
Now that you understand the basics ofSMART goalsit is time to start examining the aspects of our lives that are important to us. The goals you set should effect many places in your life. A lot of times we do not take the time to see the different aspects we hold beneath us. Most people think about setting goals for our professional life or our personal life but we tend to go much deeper than that. Here are some examples of goal areas. These questions and statements should help you start getting things on paper.
- Artistic- Many of us have an artistic goal that we just don't realize yet. Think back to something you wanted to accomplish. Did you ever want to be published and share your thoughts with the world ( like I did ) or just paint a simple picture that you could pass on to a loved one. These would be considered artistic goals.
- Public Service- Many people want to leave the world a better place. If helping the unfortunate is your passion then decide how you will do that.
- Pleasure- Guys, life isn't a dress rehearsal. Some of your goals should be for the enjoyment of yourself. Don't worry, it doesn't make you selfish.
- Physical- Do you have some athletic goals or just want to become healthier so you can have a few more years to spread some joy?
- Financial- How much do you want to be earning by what stage in the game?
- Family- Set goals for your family. Will your kids go to college and if so will you pay for it? Do you even plan on having kids and if so how many?
- Career- What kind of work do you want to be doing 5 years from now and how high do you want to go?
- Education- Is there any knowledge you want to acquire or a subject you want to learn about. Education doesn't have to be going back to school but maybe just picking up a book and reading.
- Attitude- Is there something about you you want to adjust?
Now you can see there are different aspects to our lives that we may have never even realized. As you are writing down your new goals I have some tips for you to remember to make things easier and more likely for you to achieve your goals.
1.A goal can not be a contradictionto another one of your goals. Example: You can not have a goal of buying a million dollar home when you set a goal of making $50,000 a year. Those two goals contradict themselves. If this is indeed your goal I hope your other goal is to marry a very very rich woman. Make sure your goals compliment each other.
2.Set goals for ALL walks of life.So many times people set their professional goals. They carry on and conquer what they set out for just to realize that their life is one sided. They are successful and have become what they always wanted in the business world but their personal life is in shambles. If you set a professional goal make sure you set a personal one as well. That way when it is all said and done you will have a balanced life ahead of you and there will be no need for back tracking. You can set goals for your professional self, your spiritual self, your sociable self and of course your financial self.
3.Be very detailed when writing your goals down.This is very important. When I write down goals they are typically accompanied by what I call "sub class" goals. Meaning that my goals are some what complicated and it takes the accomplishment of several smaller goals to achieve one large one. It is easier to stay on course to that larger one when you keep knocking out small ones along the way.
4.Don't share your goals.The first thing people want to do when they take the step to goal setting is share what they have learned.DON'T!Sure, you can tell people you set goals but there is no need to share them with anybody. Sharing goals with others just leads to others knocking them and discouraging you. These are your goals and nobody else's. When you accomplish one, shout it from the roof top but until then just keep it to yourself.
5.Put it on paper.In my mind a goal is just a dream if it isn't written down. If you make your goal the written word then you will derive more benefits from it. You should read your goals before you go to bed and when you get up in the morning. I have even gone so far as to put some of my loftiest goals into a picture setting so I can see them all the time when walking through the house. Some people put their goals in their PDA's to constantly view. How ever you decide to place your goals for view is your choice but remember...what you think you will become.
6.Don't get discouraged if you miss a goal.I am not saying be easy on yourself, you must hold yourself accountable but give yourself a second chance to reach that goal. It could take a few tries but if you are determined and if the goal is truly important to you I know you will be able to achieve it. We are all capable of great things.
I hope this brief writing will help some people start to achieve the things that are important to them. I know once I started on this path the world opened up and if I can help open somebody else's world up then one more goal of mine is completed.
Copyright © 2008 by ScottHuey.com.
