Setting SMART goalsSet SMART goals- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. SpecificSetting SMART goals means that your goals should be well defined. Having clear goals tells you exactly what to do next. If your goals are vague you will not have direction. Without direction you will find it difficult to achieve your goals. It is the ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions that can help you set specific goals easily. For instance if you want to stop a bad habit, ask yourself:- “What are the steps I am going to take to stop this habit?”
By doing this you are setting specific goals, and not a vague goal like ‘break my bad habit’. Being clear and concise also means being certain you want to achieve your goals. Don’t say “I would like to stop my bad habit… maybe by the end of the year”. This kind of statement shows that you lack the passion and discipline to achieve your goal! Instead use words like “I will stop this bad habit by the end of the year”. MeasurableMake sure you can measure your progress. The importance of this is to keep you on track and it also evaluates your performance of reaching your goals. For instance, if you want to improve your reading speed, make sure the goal is measurable. ‘Improving reading speed’ is not measurable goal. Set measurable goals like ‘read 1000 words per minute’.When it is measurable, you can break it up into sub-goals. Instead of looking at achieving the target of reading 1000 words per minute, you can aim to read 200 words per minute by a specific date. Subsequently increase it to 300 words per minute, then 400 words per minute until you reach your target of reading 1000 words per minute. AchievableYou need to formulate your own strategy to achieve your goal (i.e. you need to have established measurable steps as mentioned before). You will have more focus and direction if you know what to do next if you have a target and plan, instead of having the “what will be, will be” thinking. This way your goals naturally are more achievable.Let’s picture this, you plan to lose 20 kg, if you have a strategy, you would know what to do to lose 2kg, and the next 2kg, and so on. You will repeat the steps you set out to lose 2kg until you reach your target of losing a total of 20kg. Can you see this is more achievable than thinking of losing 20kg immediately? This is the power of making your goals measurable; remember the illustration of setting your goals to read 1000 words per minute? The objective is to make your goals measurable so you can break it down into doable steps. If you follow these steps you will begin to notice that you will figure out what ways you can take to make your goals come true. Goals that seem beyond your reach will become more attainable because YOU will develop your own abilities and skills to achieve your goals through your own achievable plan. You will be totally in control when you know how to set achievable goals. RealisticSetting realistic goals does not mean setting low goals. You can target for high results by setting high goals. In fact, setting high goals will push you harder and give you that extra motivational force if you truly desire it.Let’s take the example of losing weight again. You can target to lose 2kg or 20kg. Which sounds more challenging? Of course 20kg, but setting your goal to lose 20kg in a week is rather unrealistic and can make you overwhelmed! You have to break it up into several measurable and achievable steps. When you make your goal more realistic to achieve, you will find yourself attaining results faster. The point of setting goals in the first place is to achieve them, and not just dreaming about it. Ask yourself whether you will achieve the next short-term goal you set, if the answer is “no”, then you should change your strategy of achieving your goals; make it more exciting but realistic. Most importantly believe in yourself! In the article dealing with difficult people , there were techniques shown on how to deal with any naysayer from dragging you down from achieving your goals, even if your goals sound impossible, YOU can make it real by accomplishing them with your plan. Time-boundSet a deadline for your goals and see your goals in a time-frame, if today is June 20th are you going to complete your goal by “July 1st”? By doing this you put your goals in a 12 day time-frame. You can roughly estimate how you should carry out the tasks to achieve your goal. The reason for setting a deadline is that it will give you a sense of urgency to complete a task.One Last Thing To RememberSetting SMART goals are a good way to remember it. But in reality not all goals can be time-bound or measurable. Goals like ‘becoming a better parent’ or ‘be more spiritual’ can be difficult to measure, and can’t even have a deadline. These kind of goals cannot be approached with the ‘quick-fix’ method. And you want results for the long-term, not by a certain date.So no matter what goals you set, being specific is extremely important. Remember the ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions? Ask “what steps I can take?” and “how do I carry out the steps?” Just remember SMART goals will aid you to reach your goals easily. But make sure you don’t keep your Goals in your head! Set your SMART goals in writing or use goal setting software . But most importantly, review your goals! Whether it is on paper or using a goal setting software, you must review your SMART goals periodically to measure your success. "A goal properly set is halfway reached." - Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln sums it up best, if you follow this simple process you will undoubtedly find yourself achieving the anything you want in every aspect of life!
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