Author Basil S. Walth once said, \u201cIf you don\u2019t know where you are going, how can you expect to get there?\u201d These are words well spoken, because whatever you\u2019re working toward, you will need a roadmap.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cGoals also build self-confidence by helping you grow as an individual\u201d<\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Goals are indispensable. They provide\u00a0direction, long-term vision and short-term motivation. They separate the important from\u00a0the irrelevant. Goals also build self-confidence by helping you grow as an individual. In fact without setting solid goals you are meandering along the path of failure, do you think that Bill Gates achieved his success from simply guessing at what was required\u00a0on a day to day basis? Or would Richard Branson have got where he is today by leaving things to chance? No I very much doubt it, so why would you want to either?<\/p>\n
Olympic athletes, business people, and just about every successful person in the world are goal setters. You aspire to greatness too, don\u2019t you? If you do, and you\u2019re not already setting goals, now is the perfect time to start.<\/p>\n
Five Things to Remember When Setting Goals:<\/h2>\n
1.Write Goals Down<\/h3>\n
Always jot down your goals-this is powerful. The process of physically seeing your goals helps crystallize them in your mind \u2013 often referred to as the \u201cbuy in process\u201d, without this they might as well be somebody else\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Interesting Fact: A popular Harvard Business School study once found that only 3% of the population records their goals in writing. Another 14% have goals but don\u2019t write them down, whereas 83% do not even have clearly defined goals. More interesting is that this 3% earned an astounding ten times that of the 83% group!<\/p>\n
2. Make Goals S.M.A.R.T<\/h3>\n
Specific<\/h3>\n
The first term stresses the need for a specific goal over and against a more general one. This means the goal is clear and unambiguous; without vagaries and platitudes. To make goals specific, they must tell a team exactly what is expected, why is it important, who\u2019s involved, where is it going to happen and which attributes are important<\/p>\n
\n
- What is it you want to achieve?<\/li>\n
- What is the benefit for completing the goal?<\/li>\n
- \u00a0Who else will be involved?<\/li>\n
- Identify a location.<\/li>\n
- Identify requirements and constraints<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Measurable<\/h3>\n
The second term stresses the need for concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of\u00a0the goal. The thought behind this is that if a goal is not measurable, it is not possible to know whether a team is making progress toward successful completion. Measuring progress is supposed\u00a0to help a team stay on track, reach its target dates, and experience the exhilaration\u00a0of achievement that spurs it on to continued effort required to reach the ultimate goal.<\/p>\n
\n
- \nHow much?<\/address>\n<\/li>\n
- \nHow many?<\/address>\n<\/li>\n
- \nHow will I know when it is accomplished?<\/address>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Attainable<\/h3>\n
The third term stresses the importance of\u00a0goals that are realistic and attainable. While an attainable goal may stretch a team in order to\u00a0achieve\u00a0it, the goal is not extreme. That is, the goals are neither out of reach nor below standard performance, as these may be\u00a0considered meaningless. When you identify\u00a0goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. The theory states that an attainable goal may cause goal-setters to identify\u00a0previously overlooked opportunities to bring themselves closer to the achievement of their goals.<\/p>\n
\n
- \nHow can the goal be accomplished?<\/address>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Relevant<\/h3>\n
The fourth term stresses the importance of\u00a0making goals relevant. A relevant goal must represent an objective\u00a0that the goal-setter is willing and able to work towards. This does not mean the goal cannot be high. A goal is probably relevant if the goal-setter believes that it can be accomplished. If the goal-setter has accomplished anything similar in the past they may have identified a relevant goal.<\/p>\n
A relevant goal will usually answer the question:<\/p>\n
\n
- Does this seem worthwhile?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Time-Bound<\/h3>\n
The fifth term stresses the importance of\u00a0grounding goals within a time frame; giving them a target date. A commitment to a deadline helps a team focus their efforts on completion of the goal on or before the due date. This part of the S.M.A.R.T goal criteria is intended\u00a0to prevent goals from being overtaken by the day-to-day crises that invariably arise in an organization. A time-bound goal is intended\u00a0to establish a sense of urgency.<\/p>\n
A time-bound goal will usually answer the question:<\/p>\n
\n
- When?<\/li>\n
- What can I do 6 months from now?<\/li>\n
- What can I do 6 weeks from now?<\/li>\n
- What can I do today?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Set attainable short-term goals that can be measured. This means setting quantifiable goals.<\/p>\n
Here are some examples:<\/p>\n
Commit to writing a certain number of articles each week<\/p>\n
Find two new markets each week
\nTake at least one writing course a year
\nAttend at least one writer\u2019s conference a year
\nMake your goals attainable so you won\u2019t get discouraged. The short-term goals above are attainable for me, but they may not be for you. Or maybe for you, my short-term goals aren\u2019t challenging enough.<\/p>\nGoals are very individual. You have to set your own goals\u2026remember, you\u2019re charting your own course to success!<\/p>\n
3. Create Deadlines<\/h3>\n
Without deadlines, your goals are merely dreams. Set deadlines for both short- and long-term goals, and I promise, you\u2019ll get there sooner!<\/p>\n
Remember that deadlines can be flexible. Life changes and so do goals. Never be afraid to adjust the time frame for a goal. What\u2019s important is to keep moving forward.<\/p>\n
4. Look at your goals everyday!<\/h3>\n
Visual aids are an effective way to program your brain.<\/p>\n
Reading and re-writing goals are two very effective visual aids. By physically rewriting your goals and pasting them in places you regularly frequent, you make them more real in your mind.<\/p>\n
I read an article in this month\u2019s Shape magazine that inspired me. The author mentioned that before Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of the bestselling book & Oprah Pick Simple Abundance: A Daybook\u00a0of Comfort and Joy (Warner Books, 1995) became a bestselling author, she pasted her name on the #1 spot of the New York Times bestseller list and posted it on her computer. Visual Aids like these give you that extra ammunition that will make a difference.<\/p>\n
5. Make Goal Setting a Routine<\/h3>\n
Begin every morning with a \u201cTo Do\u201d list. This will help you organize and better manage your time. Plus, your goals will be right smack under your nose every day. Do not get discouraged over any unfinished items. Simply transfer them to the next morning\u2019s list.<\/p>\n
The above said, keep your goals front and forward in your mind. Remember\u2026you only get one chance to live your dreams!<\/p>\n
In the words of Cecil B. De Mille: \u201cThe person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n
As always comments are appreciated and encouraged, cheers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Author Basil S. Walth once said, \u201cIf you don\u2019t know where you are going, how can you expect…","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1756","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blogging-tips","7":"cs-entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heerentanna.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heerentanna.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heerentanna.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heerentanna.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heerentanna.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.heerentanna.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heerentanna.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heerentanna.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heerentanna.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}