SMARTER Goal's, now we've got you going

Defining our goal is particularly important because our subconscious requires very clear instructions of what we want.  Any vagueness or self doubt when defining our goals will result in a poor picture a weak vision of what you will achieve.  

 

'SMARTER' is a useful memory tool with which to remember the fundamental principles of effective goal setting, explore our goals more fully, and ensure that they are as clearly and precisely defined as possible.

Specific: Your goal or goals should be always be clearly and positively defined, the why you need to achieve it.  In this way, they should relate to outcomes and actions that are specific rather than ones that are general.  Rather than simply say that we are going to be a better manager or that we are going to get fitter, we should be looking to describe in exactly what way we are going to be a better manager and in exactly what way we are going to get fitter. Note if you are unable to articulate clearly the why, the likelihood is 'ITs NOT A GOAL'!

 

Measurable: Our goals should also be measurable such that we have a benchmark against which to monitor our progress on a weekly, daily, hourly basis...you get the idea.  In order to do so, we should be asking ourselves how we will know when we are a better manager and how will we know when we are fitter.  If we look at the goal setting process as a path that we intend to follow, we need to know where the path starts and where the path ends.  We also need to have established milestones along the way in order to ensure that we are not deviating from the path that we have chosen.

Attainable: Many people set goals that are completely out of reach for them or knowingly impossible to achieve.  Although this practice is clearly self-defeating, many people do this in order to have a built-in excuse for not achieving their goals.  We must always have a realistic chance of reaching our goals, combined with a belief that we can reach them, in order to stay committed to them.  This is the essence of “realistic” goal setting, although we must be careful how we use this term – extraordinary things are not achieved by realistic people!  The use of “fantastic” goals – those that relate more to the original dreams and aspirations that motivated us towards making our goals in the first place – can be extremely useful too.  Incorporated within our visualisation they can be extremely motivational and help support our realistic goals – so long as we employ them appropriately.
 
Repeatable: Your goals should achieve long term change.  Short-term and intermediate goals (sub-goals), meanwhile, provide useful “stepping stones” that can help us to maintain our focus.  In order to do this, however, our goals not only have to be measurable – they need to be repeatable too.  This also helps in monitoring our progress towards our goals.

Time-phased: In order for our goals to be measured in any real way they need to be time-phased.  All to often people have goals that they are going to commit to “someday”.  Goals such as these are very rarely achieved – and certainly not within the timeframe originally intended.  Having developed an action plan we should immediately place a “start” and “achievement” date on our goals and use this time scale to monitor our progress.
 
Exciting and Fun: Many people set goals that are so low as to present no challenge to them.  Often this is because their goals are ones that they feel that they “should” be working towards rather than ones that they really “want” to work towards.   Sometimes it is because they have borrowed someone else’s goals rather than deciding upon their own.  Goals should be motivating and, as such, need to be exciting.  If our goals do not excite us, we need to redefine and upgrade them or exchange them altogether. And remember to enjoy the journey.

Recorded: Recording our goals is extremely important – both by communicating them to other people and simply writing them down.  By doing so we provide ourselves with prominent permanent reminders of what we want to achieve and how we are going to achieve it.  In this way, the use of goal setting cards can be extremely useful in helping us to maintain focus on our goals, whilst written agreements, pledges and declarations can enhance our level of commitment by tying us into a “psychological contract”.

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, YOU’VE GOT THE HOW TO SET YOUR GOALS, KNOW THE LIMITATIONS YOU POSSESS AND NOW HOW, SO DO IT, MOVE YOUR LIFE FORWARD AND ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS. BE WHO YOU DEFINE YOURSELF AS!