We can define goals as objects of a person’s ambition or attention towards a desired result. Most of us have some goals set out for ourselves to improve our lives.
And with it being the new year, there’s no doubt a few of us have some resolutions we’ll be trying out best to stick to.
We can relate often our goals to personal or professional progress. Either way, without goals, there’s not much room for advancement. And without the challenge of reaching a goal you’ve set for yourself, life would be stagnant.
But the process in which we set goals for ourselves matters.
SMART Goal Setting
Although, you are responsible for whether you follow through with the goals you’ve set for yourself, how you set them has a hand in determining how successful you’ll be in achieving them.
The term SMART Goals refers to a process in which you set your goals that will give you greater success.
SMART is an acronym that stands for:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant and
Time Bound.
The SMART goals method will help you with your organization, focus, and clarity with your goals. Research has shown that using the SMART goals method can save you time and simplify the process of reaching your goals.
Because I don’t know about you, but whether due to fear or my brains subconscious action of trying to protect me, I usually end up overcomplicating things or finding reasons why certain goals may not be attainable. Fear of success, anyone?
Any who, SMART goals are easy to implement and can be used by anyone with the desire to improve their life by setting and achieving goals.
Why SMART Goal Setting Works
The SMART Goals method of goal setting works because it lays each step out for you.
The S stands for specific, meaning the goal needs to be clear and specific. When setting a goal for yourself, you must steer away from generalized or vague statements. The more precise your points are towards achieving the goal, the better.
M is for measurable. Measurable goals refer to tracking your progress. Your goal will be easier met if you can assess progress along the way. This will give you more motivation and focus toward your ultimate ambition.
Next, A.
The A is for attainable. Although your goals should help stretch you outside of your comfort zone and push you to the next level, it’s important that the goals you set remain achievable.
For example, say you want to start investing. Having a realistic goal for your portfolio, say 1 year after starting would be best rather expecting to hit the ground running and build a multimillion dollar portfolio in under a year as a novice.
R, relevant goals are imperative to your success. This means that the goals you set should be important to you. It should align well with your life and other goals you have set for yourself.
Finally, T, for time bound. Your goals should have a deadline to achieve them. This will help keep you on track and stay focused. And will also give you opportunities to celebrate your small wins along the way.
By implementing the SMART Goals system, you will gain the ability to achieve your goals, faster and with a higher success rate.
So, what do you think? If you’re tired of the way things are going and ready to make some changes that’ll improve your life why not get started now with our 7 days of SMART Goals Challenge.
Its free to start and all you have to do is follow the mini-challenges as they are released with their respective blog posts here on Audacity to Strive.
Give yourself enough time to brainstorm how to plan and put each lesson from each post into action!
And if it makes you feel any better, I’ll be doing the same with my goals.
I already started the brainstorming process, narrowing down which ones I would like to focus on for this challenge. After all, many a wiseman have said, “There’s no better time than the present.”
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