Having clear goals and purpose is one of the key ways to achieve higher levels of success in any field. They focus the mind on the desired result and put it to action to assemble the resources necessary to achieve your target. The SMART method was first created by Peter Drucker as a way of structuring goals for maximum results. By following this method in your own goal setting you will increase your level of achievement.

What doesSMARTstand for?

S - Specific

M - Measurable

A - Attainable

R - Relevant

T - Time-Bound

Lets look at each of the individual items and set sample goals on each.

S - Specific: Jack Canfield in his book, The Success Principles, states that "Vague goals produce vague results." There is no place in your life for vague goals. Your subconscious mind will fulfill whatever it focuses on and if your goals are ambiguous or incomplete, then you will achieve results that are also ambiguous or incomplete.

Example: A statement like "I will earn some money this month" is too vague. How will you know if and when you've reached your goal? Saying, " I will earn $6,000 this month" is more specific.

M - Measurable: Set goals that are measurable in some way. You need to establish a measuring stick for assessing the progress towards your goals because if you can't measure it, you can't manage it.

Example: You might make the statement: "I will bring in some new leads into my business each day." A clearer objective is "I will bring in 10 new qualified leads each day. You will now be able to measure your result at the end of the day and determine whether you reached your goal or not.

A - Attainable: Creating goals that are not attainable is not empowering and will only serve to demotivate you in life. Try set high goals, but be realistic about your goals. Additionally don't set your goals too low as you won't stretch yourself.

Example: Setting a goal of "making $1,000,000 by the end of the month" may not be realistic but "making 1 million dollars over the next two years by growing our product line into multiple streams of income" may be much more attainable.

R - Relevant:Having goals is great, but what is the underlying purpose for those goals? Your goals should be in-line with your purpose in life.

Example: you may set the goal of owning a quality sports car (e.g. a Maserati) but if owning such a car doesn't match with your core purpose of supporting your family and building your assets then you should reconsider the goal. A more relevant goal might be to "rent a Maserati for a special day".

T - Time-Bound:Every goal that you create must be time-sensitive. Not having a time element attached to your goal encourages procrastination. Without an end date there is no sense of urgency, no reason to take any action today.

Example: "I will have earned $25,000 by July 31st" - You now have a sense of purpose attached to the goal.

Make sure to apply these 5 principles and you will create high quality goals in alignment with your purpose and increase your levels of achievement and satisfaction.

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