[acb-hsp] Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals

[Kenneth Semien, Sr.]

Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Specific

Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

Specific - A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished
than a general goal.  To set a specific goal you must answer the six "W"
questions:

*Who:      Who is involved?
*What:     What do I want to accomplish?
*Where:    Identify a location.
*When:     Establish a time frame.
*Which:    Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why:      Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

EXAMPLE:  A general goal would be, "Get in shape." But a specific goal would
say, "Join a health club and workout 3 days a week."

Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the
attainment of each goal you set.

When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates,
and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to
continued effort required to reach your goal.

To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as..
How much? How many?
How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable - When you identify goals 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.  You
begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to
the achievement of your goals.

You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and
establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps.  Goals that
may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become
attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand
to match them.  When you list your goals you build your self-image.  You see
yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality
that allow you to possess them.

Realistic- To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which
you are both willing and able to work.  A goal can be both high and
realistic.  You are the only one who can decide just how high your goal
should be.
But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress.

A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal
exerts low motivational force.  Some of the hardest jobs you ever
accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.




Timely - A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame
tied to it there's no sense of urgency.  If you want to lose 10 pounds, when
do you want to lose it by?  "Someday" won't work. But if you anchor it
within a timeframe, "by May 1st", then you've set your unconscious mind into
motion to begin working on the goal.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be
accomplished.  Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to
determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask
yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.

T can also stand for Tangible - A goal is tangible when you can experience
it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing.

When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific
and measurable and thus attainable.