SETTING SMART GOALS
We’re almost there to second half of 2018, and I’m sure that most of us here have set our sights on our new goals for this year. However, for some people, setting goals could prove to be an overwhelming task. Many others set goals and then forget about it until the next year. And then there’s some who don’t even bother setting any goal for themselves. I believe that goals are important to our lives; hence, I will first highlight the importance of setting goals. Then, I will share to you some tips which you could use to set effective goals.
The Importance of Setting Goals
Why is setting goals important? Setting goals is fundamental to one’s long-term success because it is like our very own life roadmap. Goals bring us to where we want to be in the future just like how a roadmap brings us from point A to point B.
Think about it, if we do not have any goals, chances are we do not know what we want in life. It’s like getting lost in the woods, without any direction to follow.
SMART Goal System
As mentioned earlier, many people set goals for themselves, but how many of these goals are actually realized? Many people still have goals which they set 10 years ago! I will share with you how to set goals effectively via the SMART goal system. Why SMART goal? By setting SMART goals, you’re actually making your roadmap to your destinations shorter and easier.
Setting SMART goals simply means the goals you set must satisfy the following SMART criteria:
Specific - Your goal must be as specific as possible. It must not be vague. Here’s some questions to guide you to set a specific goal:
What do I want to achieve?
Why is achieving this goal important for me?
Who do I want to become?
When do I want to achieve it?
Where is the location?
Measurable - You must be able to measure the progress of your goal. It has to be quantifiable. For example, if my goal is to be a millionaire, I’ll know that I’m halfway there when I have $500,000, and I have achieved my goal when I have $1,000,000.
Attainable - The keyword for this component is ‘resources’. An attainable goal simply means you can achieve that using the resources (time, money, energy) that you have which allow you to stay committed to achieving this goal.
Realistic - Try to set a goal which is neither too challenging nor too easy. It has to make you feel excited and challenged at the same time. It is good to set challenging goals for yourself, but if it’s too a challenging goal, you might be discouraged and give up after some time. Likewise, a very easy goal might make you lose interest, and you don’t feel much fulfilled achieving that goal. A simple tip to do this is to break down your primary goal into smaller milestones. Achieving these milestones is not as overwhelming as having to achieve the big goal in one shot. Once you achieve one milestone, you will feel more motivated and fired up to achieve the next milestones.
Timely - Many people set wonderful goals for themselves, but they often miss this out – the time component. It is important to set a time frame or deadline for your goal. I cannot stress enough the importance of setting a time frame for each of your goals. Without a time frame, there is no sense of urgency and you might delay your efforts to achieve that goal. “Oh, I’ll do it later. Next week. Next month.” Some people even forget about it! This is why many people still dream of the same thing for the past 10 years!
The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step
Take Massive Action
That’s the SMART goal system for you. Now is the time to take some action. Start by identifying the goals and then write it down in a big piece of paper, and place it at somewhere near to you so you could read it all the time. Remember, nothing gets done unless you take action, because the bridge between dreams and reality is ACTION!!
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