5 Steps To Setting SMART Goals
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Goal Setting is an integral part of life – whether life goals, spiritual goals, income goals. You need something to work toward. Setting goals gives you something to focus your energy on for a desired outcome.
OK… So understand something about me:
I do goal-setting annually.
I do NOT endorse New Year’s resolutions. I made one resolution, and that was not to make any. I’ve held true to that one!
Back to goal setting.
The most efficient and effective way to set goals is using the acronym SMART
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Relevant
T – Timely
SPECIFIC –
Let’s look at the following example and determine which goal is specific and which is not.
A. I want to lose weight
B. I want to lose 5 pounds
Which do you believe is the specific goal?
Option B.
The answer is not Option A. Consider this. If you lose ½ oz, you’ve lost weight. Is that what you’re really going for?
Specificity aids in determining where you will focus your efforts and define what you are going to do.
MEASURABLE –
You can only manage that which you can measure!
Continuing with the previous example, which is measureable?
A. I want to lose 5 pounds in 2 months
B. I want to lose 5 pounds eventually
You will need to determine your criteria for tracking your progress toward the goal. Measuring your progress helps you focus, stay on track, and give you something to celebrate along the journey of reaching your goal.
ATTAINABLE –
Has anyone else done what you want to do?
If the answer is yes, then it’s a go.
If you can’t find anyone who has done what you want to do, that doesn’t mean your goal isn’t achievable. It just means no one has done it yet. You have to decide if you’re gonna go for it or not.
Everything is impossible until somebody does it. ~Bruce Wayne
RELEVANT –
The goal should be a part of your overall vision. What will this goal achieve? How will affect your overall mission? Set goals that are in line with your overall vision so that you have a reason to achieve this goal!
The key to this step is to have vision. Click here to discover how to create a vision for yourself!
TIMELY –
Simple – set a time frame! It creates a sense of urgency.
For business people, it’s usually an annual goal; however, it can be daily, weekly,… whatever, just set a time frame. It has been said that it is difficult to hit a moving target, but it’s impossible to hit an invisible one. So, if you miss a time frame… adjust the time frame (moving target), not the goal!
Want to see this in action? Join me on Thursday, November 7th at 7pm PST/ 10pm EST for my free webinar ‘Plan Your 2014 Like A Boss’!
Keep marching forward,
LuSundra