Setting Goals That Stick: Part VII

In previous blogs we’ve looked at the process of setting SMART goals. SMART goals are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant
Timely

In this, the final blog in this series, we will look at making them SMARTER.

SMART becomes SMARTER

Later workers in the area of goal setting have extended the idea of SMART goals to making them SMARTER. The additional letters stand for:

Evaluate
Re-evaluate

The Scottish poet Robert Burns in his 1785 poem “To a Mouse” put it nicely:

“The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men,
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!”

The loose translation of which is: Things don’t go according to plan and you get hurt.

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Setting Goals That Stick: Part VI

In these blogs we have been discussing SMART goals. These goals are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Timely

In this blog we look at making them:

Timely

Dreams aren’t goals. Dreams are missing something to make them a goal.

To turn a dream into a goal it needs a date.

Dates have urgency. Dates are real. By setting a date to achieve a goal you make yourself accountable. Setting a date – and don’t ever forget to include the year when you set the date – means you can set a schedule for making it happen and put daily tasks or processes in place to make sure it does.

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Setting Goals That Stick: Part V

In previous blogs of this series we talked about setting SMART goals. To once again refresh your memory SMART goals are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Timely

We are up to discussing how to make a SMART goal:

Relevant

There is no point setting a goal if it doesn’t mean something to you. A goal you set for yourself has to have some fire in it, something with a strong draw or desire. It needs to be something you have a burning desire to attain or something you aren’t happy about and want to change or stop.

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Setting Goals That Stick: Part IV

In the first three blogs of this series we talked about setting SMART goals. These goals are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Timely

In previous blogs we discussed how to make a goal Specific and Measurable. In this blog we look at making them:

Attainable

Any goal you set for yourself has to be more than something you think you can achieve. It has to be something you believe you deserve. We’ll say more on this second, very important point later. For now, let’s focus on making sure it is a goal you can both achieve and control.

Setting a New Year’s Resolution of running three Ultra-Marathons before the end of January when you’ve never run before and don’t own a pair of decent running shoes is just unrealistic. It is a goal you cannot possibly achieve because you’re not ready.

Likewise, winning the lottery or picking the numbers in the top prize pool is not a goal as the only control you have over it is how many tickets you buy! Achieving a goal isn’t due to good luck; it’s about good management.

So with the simple stuff out of the way, let’s look at the idea a goal has to be something you believe you deserve.

Remember the buzz a few years ago about writing positive affirmations and sticking them all around the house: On the fridge; on the bathroom mirror; on the wardrobe in the bedroom. “I am strength.” “I am abundant.” “I am loved.” “I have self esteem.” The idea was by the power of conscious will you could speak to and reprogram the subconscious mind to give you what you desired. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way because your subconscious mind is much more powerful and has more control over your life than your conscious mind does. Much more…

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Setting Goals That Stick: Part III

In the first two blogs of this series we talked about setting SMART goals. To refresh your memory these goals were:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely

In the last blog we talked about how to make a goal Specific. In this blog we look at the second requirement on the list:

Measurable

A goal is not a goal unless you have some way of knowing how far away from achieving it you are or when you have achieved it. You know this by asking and answering the questions: How Much? How Many? How Often?

What is the end point for your goal? Can you picture yourself in that situation? Can you define a specific event or action, which means, without any doubt, you have achieved your goal?

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