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SMART Goals

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Setting SMART Goals

smarter than SMART goalsWriting your goals down makes it much more likely that you will achieve what you set out to do because writing them makes it more real to you.  (However, if goal setting isn’t your forte and it hasn’t worked for you in the past, click here for the Get The Results You Desire Without Setting Goals Strategy). Or…  just give goal setting another bash, and follow the instructions below.

What makes for a good, smart goal? Keep the acronym SMART in mind.

Powerful goals are:

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound.

Specific

Set precise, unambiguous goals. For example, it is not enough to say that you want to make more money in your business, because if you make five cents more, you have reached that vague goal. Set clear targets which then make it easy to satisfy the next requirement of a good goal.

Measurable

You have to have a way to know when you are making progress toward your goal and when you have reached your ultimate outcome, therefore there must be a way to measure your outcome. How will you know that you’ve achieved it?  Remember what gets measured, gets done!

Achievable

This means that the outcome must be something that you have the ability to control. It is pointless to set any goals that require other people to change. You have no control over what other people do, think, and say. Your goals must reflect things that you have the power to accomplish.

Realistic

Your goal must also be realistic, which really means that it must be something that you can believe in. Now, this does not in any way contradict the idea of dreaming big. Let your vision be large and outrageous and a stretch for you. And let your goals bring your vision down to earth. Break it into chunks that you can believe in. If your goal seems impossible to you, you will not be motivated to work toward it. (Note: Be careful not to get hooked into what other people think is realistic. Be governed by your inner guidance here.)

The R could also stand for Relevant – it must be relevant to you and the outcome you desire.

 Time bound

Set a deadline for achievement of your goal. Otherwise you may never get there. In order to reach your goals sooner rather than later, you need time boundaries. This is a good place to implement the previous principle – set realistic deadlines. Approaching deadlines can spur you to greater action. Just be sure not to focus on the fact that you haven’t reached your goal yet, because that will decrease your motivation and slow or halt your progress.

Links to Other posts about Goal Setting