Setting SMART Goals

1. Setting SMART Goals

2. SMART goals are a sure way to achieve goal setting success. S.M.A.R.T goals is an acronym for how to set goals. By writing down goals and making them SMART goals you develop a critical skill for success. • Every year, millions of people set goals as they make their New Year's resolutions with the best of intentions...only to make the same resolutions the following year! Why do so many people set goals with the best of intentions only to fall short in the achievement of them? Elite athletes, business professionals, and students almost all set goals. To increase their chances of success, they should evaluate them to see if they are 'SMART goals'.

3. SMART goals is an acronym for goal setting success! • Now there are many variations of the acronym but I find that this one works:SpecificMeasurable Action based Realistic Timely

4. Two Common Goal Setting Errors • Are your goals vague? • "I want to get better at sports","I want to be rich", or "I want to be successful" are vague goals. • Goal setting theory and research advocates the importance of setting specific goals. • Another common error is to 'set and forget' goals. Goal setting involves reviewing and updating your goal target. These goal setting strategies ensure that you constantly review and adjust your goals.

5. Setting SMART goals • Setting SMART goals creates a bridge between today's dream and tomorrow's reality. S.M.A.R.T goals is an acronym for goals that are:

6. Specific • You maximize your chances of goal setting success if you set specific goals that focus your attention and energy on what you need to do to achieve your goals. • For example, "I want to lose weight and become fitter" is too vague and could be more specific by stating "I will lose 6 pounds and run 3 times a week for 20 minutes each time."

7. Measurable • If you can't measure your goal how will you know that you have reached it? A goal that you can measure establishes concrete criteria that allow you to measure your progress. • Having measurable goals is important as it gives you benchmarks which, when reached, give you the satisfaction of achievement. This is a great boost to your confidence and spurs you on to greater effort. • For example, rather than setting goals such as "I will exercise today" or "I will read my notes tomorrow," set more measurable goals such as "I will walk 5 miles today" or "I will read chapters 1 and 2 tomorrow."

8. Action steps: Goals are an active process! • Having clear action steps to achieve your goals is critical to goal setting success. You must ask yourself the following questions: • "How am I going to reach my goals?" • "What steps do I need to take and what resources do I need to achieve my goals?" • For example, suppose you want to lose 5 pounds in six months. How are you going to achieve this specific and measurable goal? • Are you going cut out your mid-morning snack? • What about getting up earlier to exercise or walking 2 miles at lunch time? • Both are actions that support your goal!

9. Realistic • Setting realistic goals does not mean the goals are easy but you do need to challenge yourself so that you focus to achieve your goals. • For example, I am a bit of a chocoholic and I know that I can't do (will not do!) without my chocolate, so setting a goal to not eat chocolate for the rest of my life is clearly unrealistic. • However, a more realistic goal is to reduce the amount of chocolate I eat to one bar a week.

10. Time-based • When you set a deadline to achieve your goals you create a sense of urgency to take action today! • Whether your time frame is today, tomorrow, or in five years, setting a time to achieve makes your goals a priority.