SMART GOALS - SMALL CHANGE BUT A BIG DIFFERENCE

When was the last time you made changes in your life that made a difference? Chances are you don't know. That's because most people do not actively make changes in their life, they react to life and make what changes are necessary to the situation. When this happens the action that is taken is an action to stop change from happening because most people fear change, then they wonder why nothing ever changes in their life and complain about it!

When people think of change they think of big changes, when they think of setting goals they think it sounds too much like hard work. The key here is to change your perception of setting goals and making changes. A while ago I discovered the smart goals system and it is a useful way to help clarify what your goals, or smart goals should be.

Let me explain. Smart goals is a breakdown of what a goal should be and what it should mean to you.

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Attainable

R = Realistic

T = Timely

SMART GOALS EXPLAINED:

Specific:

Jack Canfield in his book, The Success Principles, states that “Vague goals produce vague results.” I could not agree more. When setting a goal you have to detail it, an example of this would be this,

Non Specific Goal - I will lose weight

Specific Goal - I will, from this day, Monday 13th October 2008, lose 20lb by 29th December 2008. I will do this by eating a balanced, healthy diet, walking for 30 minutes every evening and swimming at my local pool 3 times a week.

Do you see the difference. You now know what the goal is and what you have to do to achieve it!

Measurable:
Can you assess your progress? You have to be able to measure you goal and your progress as you go along. Take the goal above about losing weight. This is measurable because you can assess the amount of weight you want to lose, and using the timescale you can break it down and measure your progress. Example:

You want to lose 20lb by the 29th December, that is 10 weeks, which means you have to lose 2lbs per week and by weighing yourself every Monday morning you can measure your progress!

Attainable:

Having goals that stretch you is important, but you also need to create goals that are realistic for you. Many people make the mistake of setting their goals and dreams so high that they are just not very realistic. As a result, they never seem to reach their dreams in life.
Creating goals that are not attainable is very dis-empowering and will only serve to demotivate you in life. Remember to set challenging goals, but be realistic about them. On the same note, goals that are too easily accomplished do not stretch you or make you grow as a person because they are not challenging enough. You will want to find that right mix of goal that is challenging, but not extreme.

Relevant Goals:
Goals have to relevant to you, to your own life and circumstances. There is no point in setting goals that on the surface sound good but within you there is no motivation to move towards them. Before setting a goal think about who and what you are as a person and who and what you want to become. Make the goal in line with you and your personality and your dreams.

Timely:
Timing of your goals is crucial. You have to be sure you are ready to put in the effort and carry out the actions that are required to achieve your goal. Planning the start of your goal is just as important as the goal itself. Take the weight goal above, did you spot the deliberate mistake? go back and look at it.

If this was a goal that you set down then chances are you would start off well but then start faltering soon as this would be the festive season and there is too much temptation around that time of year. The timing of this goal would be better set at the beginning of the year 2009 once the festive season is over.

So there you have it, the Smart Goals system. You can now start to set your goals down and make the changes in your life that you know you want.

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