Being SMART About Setting Your Goals
So, here we are. The holidays have come and gone…. along with your waist line (even though last year you *promised* yourself that you would never eat that much again.)
2008 - you have planned for it to be a good year. You have lofty goals - your resolutions are really good this year. Not like last year - this year is going to be *different*
A lot of people create excitement around ideas, but then those lofty goals often fail to be achieved. Why? Let’s examine the common excuses we all use to justify why our goals fail. Notice, that I did not say “the reasons” why our goals fail - I chose those words carefully.
- I don’t have time / I’m too busy
- I don’t have enough money
- It’s (insert someone else’s name)’s fault
- It’s too hard / harder than I expected
- I’ll do it later
- I don’t know how
- It’s just not “the right time”
- First, I have to
These are not reasons — they are the excuses or stories that we tell ourselves so that we do not have to face the reality that we failed or were lazy in the commitments we made to ourselves or our business.
Let’s talk about setting goals. You have to be SMART about your goals.
SMART goals are:
- S - Specific
- M - Measurable
- A - Attainable
- R - Realistic
- T - Timely
Common Business Goals:
- Make more money (how much?)
- Generate more sales
- Meet more people (how many? / How?)
- Generate more leads
Common Personal goals:
- Lose weight (how much?)
- Save money (how much? / for what?)
- Be healthier (what does this look like for you?)
- Remodel the house (by when?)
- Learn to cook
What happens if you do not meet your goals? It is ok! Just take a realistic look at what happened, and set a new milestone date. Just don’t go back to the excuse list!
If you do not respect yourself or hold yourself in high enough regard, then why should other people? Learn to keep your commitments to yourself first, then you will be better prepared to deal with the commitments to others in your life - your clients, family, and employees. What how others start regarding you, you when you take yourself seriously.
What if you really do not have time? Oh right…you are *different*. The truth is, that everybody has time for the things that are important to them. If you do not have time, the maybe whatever ‘it’ is that you do not have time for just is not really a priority for you (that is OK!). If someone offered you a million dollars to do something you “do not have time to do,” would you find time?
Three key components to accomplishing your goals:
Write your goals down - tape them to your wall or carry them in a notebook. Look at them every day.
Tell other people - enlist others in helping to make you accountable. When you enroll other people in the exciting things that you are doing, you create a system that works for you in the background. When others are excited about what you are doing, or believe in your cause, they tell other people, who tell other people, and then all of a sudden, someone knows someone who knows someone who will be willing to help you out, or knows how to help you accomplish your goal.
Ask people for help - do not assume people know what you want or need. Try being direct it’s a rare trait these days.
Being SMART about your goals is the key to achieving them. Setting specific goals and then having an action plan, will make this year the best ever!
March 18th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
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