We have all felt the frustration of wanting more in our lives -- perhaps it is a desire to change a habit or weakness, or maybe it involves a life long dream of travelling the world. Wishful thinking or mere resolutions isn't as practical or useful as goal setting is in helping us move forward.
What are goals?
Quite simply put goals are targets or objectives that we want to achieve. They are different in their intensity than wishes or wants and as such are more tangible, more actionable, more measurable and more achievable. Having clearly defined and written goals will help us all to be more successful.
Why have goals?
People with goals achieve more than those without goals. We can all think of examples of highly successful people such as a successful sports personality. Do you think that any of them have succeeded without a clear and specific goal of what they want to achieve?
People with goals are more likely to achieve their goals than those without clear goals. It seems obvious that if you know exactly what you want it is far easier to achieve it than if you are vague or ambiguous but the truth is even more pronounced than that. Think of all of the people that you know who would like to achieve something but their goals are not big or clear enough and thus they constantly end up failing?
If you have a clearly written and specific goal it is relatively easy to create a structured action plan to achieve it.
In the 1950's a Yale University study did some research on the results of goal setting. The results they discovered over a 20 year period were astounding. 20 years later when they investigated the success of the graduates they found that the 3% of graduates with clearly written goals in the 1950's were worth more in terms of wealth than the other 97% put together.
They also had better health and relationships. It is worth noting that there were no other discriminating factors obvious.
How to set SMART goals
When setting goals it is important that they match certain criteria. Simply saying, "I want to be rich!" or, "I want a nice car!" is not enough. The Pneumonic SMART has been devised to aid the process of checking that a goal is as compelling as is possible.
Specific. Make sure the goals say what you want to achieve. The goals need to be as detailed as possible. "I want a brand new, red Porsche 911 with grey leather seats and a Clarion stereo!" not, "I want a flash car!"
Measurable. Goals need to be measurable so that you know when you have succeeded. Look to define specifically with what you will measure the goal i.e. quantity, quality, cost etc.
Achievable. Goals need to be challenging but they also need to be realistic. If you set goals that are unachievable you will always be de-motivated and unhappy.
Relevant / Realistic. The goal has to mean something to you. You need an emotional tie with the goal. Without this you will have difficulties finding the motivation to drive your efforts. You should also assess the resources you have available to you and make sure that the goal is realistic.
Timed. All goals must be timed. You need a start date and an end date. If the goal is huge then you may well need milestones to break the tasks down and each of these must match the SMART criteria and therefore must be timed.
Reviewing your goals
Review goals weekly. There is little point setting goals unless you review them regularly to see if you have made the necessary steps and to assess your progress.
Weekly is a good time period for reviewing your goals. Daily is better. As with many disciplines the philosophy of "little and often" gains the best results. Reviewing your goals as often as daily will allow you to regularly monitor and steer your progress with a minimal amount of time.
New Year's resolutions don't work. If you need any proof that reviewing is essential then consider how soon in the New Year most people give up their resolutions! There are many reasons for this - lack of commitment to the goal and the goals not being SMART tested are two - but one of the primary ones is that people rarely or never review these resolutions to assess their progress. Reiewing is a very quick progress and should only take 5-10 minutes.
Write It Down!
Written goals greatly increase your chances of success. Simply thinking about your goals is not enough, you must write them down. Doing so will greatly improve your chances of success.
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Gavin Ingham provides coaching, seminars and training for sales professionals, executives, entrepreneurs and dynamic teams. Article couresy of Media Peak.
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