How To Live A Life You Love By Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Why is goal setting important?

Setting a goal is incredibly important for a number of reasons. The entire process of establishing a goal, working towards it, and accomplishing it is a hallmark in helping to define one’s self and shape your life. By creating and achieving goals, we better ourselves and are left improved beyond what we once were. Setting goals allow us to produce new habits and new results that help us gain in any number of ways, such as physically, spiritually, or even financially. The true mark of success is arguably the ability to master goal setting and following through.

Where do you start by creating a goal?

It’s simple. The first step to any goal, regardless of what shape, size or length of your objective, is to write it down. Creating something that you can visualize, and regularly connect to or be reminded of helps keep the target first and foremost in your mind. When you establish a goal on paper or even typed up on a word document, then you have already taken an important step in seeing that goal into existence. It is critical that you form something concrete that you can reference consistently as you embark on your journey to achieve your goal.

How to be S.M.A.R.T about your goal?

A goal management concept currently in existence today is referred to as S.M.A.R.T. This acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. While it may sound like a lot of steps, this process is very efficient and unpacking what each step means can help you achieve lasting goals time and time again. Work the plan, and the plan will work.

When setting a goal, be Specific.

This is the first step of the goal-setting process for a reason. Being specific in your goal is essentially the foundation for which you will build the rest of your work and progress. Without a proper bedrock to build upon, you will work much harder to reach your goal, and likely run the risk of never achieving it. This is not meant to be discouraging, but it is intended to be realistic. If you build the proper expectations and make the proper specifications with your goal, then you will have already increased your probability of accomplishment.

This is where writing down your goal, or taking some other step to physically visualize your goal, is important. But that act alone will not translate to instant success. Your goal has to be specific and sometimes narrow in scope or detail. You need to make sure your goal is not too general or lacking definition, because then that makes it difficult to move forward with the following steps of goal setting. So it is important to ask yourself, what specifically you wish to accomplish, why it is important to you, and what obstacles and resources exist.

Is your specific goal to earn more money? Is your goal to open up your own business by a certain time in your life? Are you wanting to return to school and earn a degree? Ask yourself exactly what it is that you want, and by when, and how.

When setting a goal, make it Measurable.

An important piece of any goal or process is having benchmarks. These are little marks or phases along the way that help you truly measure your success and growth, and ultimately progress towards your goal. Instead of just focusing on the start and finish, having clear and measurable pieces of your goal will help you work harder, and feel more accomplished, as step after step towards your goal is completed and you can look back and reflect on your accomplishments along the way.

Having measurable aspects of a goal is also a great way to keep you focused and working on your goal in a timely manner. If you set specific measures based on time, then you will be driven to make sure you meet your own deadlines you’ve set for yourself. Ask yourself, what things need to be done, acquired, or learned in order to fully realize your goal. If you wish to open your own business, do you first need your college education and a degree? Is your second measurable step to draw up a business plan? Is your third benchmark to acquire financial backing or financing?

Be sure to include the steps you will need during the path towards your goal. You may be able to check off integral stages of your journey by understanding what is required of you to get to where you need to be. Remember to focus on the small steps along the way, which as you complete them all, you will build on both your momentum and pride.

When setting a goal, make it something truly Achievable.

One of the biggest built in failures of setting a goal is when people make it too unrealistic. An important part of this process is your ability to be truthful to yourself and others, and while there’s no harm in shooting for the moon, you must always be realistic in what you hope to accomplish. A true goal is something that is not always easily in your grasp, but with the right amount of focus and tenacity it can be achieved by just pushing yourself a little more, a little longer, and stretching to hit your goal.

If you are truly seeking to create a goal that is achievable, you need to be able to ask yourself what steps are needed to hit it, and has it ever been done before? Does the goal require resources outside of your means? Because of finances, is your goal achievable? Because of your location, is your goal achievable?

A goal that is not realistic is highly deflating to anyone when it becomes clear it cannot be achieved. This can often have a ripple effect that could diminish your passion and persistence and keep you from ever wanting to strive for another goal again. With that in mind, you need to make sure goal is created with more of your control in mind, and not leaving it to the decision or control of others, essentially putting you at the mercy of someone else. You need to own much of what will determine the outcome of your goal.

When setting a goal, be Relevant.

Not only is it imperative that your goal be specific, measured, and achievable, but you need to ensure that what you’re aiming for is something that is truly relevant to you or the lives of others. Because setting a goal and working to achieve it can often be such a time consuming and sometimes exhausting effort, you need to make sure you have fully considered the impact of achieving said goal, on you and those around you.

Is your goal driving you forward? Is it moving you towards something better you had envisioned? Would you consider such a goal worth your time? Speaking of time, is now even the right time? Is it too late to start that goal, or perhaps you’re initiating it too early. Time and money are two resources that are very important and limited in supply, especially time. When you go about setting a goal and working towards it, you must make sure that it is truly worth taking up your focus and time.

If your attention is placed upon an irrelevant objective, then you run the risk of being left feeling unvalued or undervalued, having spent a piece of your life driving towards something not worth it in the end. While it’s never too late to make a goal, sometimes it can be too late for specific goals. Make sure whatever you decide is pertinent to your life and makes sense.

When setting a goal, give it some Time.

Last but not least, the timepiece of the goal-setting process is perhaps one of the most important components. Time is a highly sought commodity that is limited in supply and is truly invaluable. Where you put your focus, and where you spend your time is irreversible. Per the cliché, time is not on your side. This is why making careful decisions and calculations when it comes to setting goals is beyond significant.

Deadlines make progress truly measurable and in time, achievable. You need to make sure that you are considering exactly how long a specific goal will take to complete, and how long each step along the way will be as well. Attention to detail and time will help make sure that you are truly spending said time on working towards your goal. If what you are doing is not taking you closer to the end result, then you are not spending your time wisely in regards to your goal.

Make sure that you ask yourself, when can I start on this goal? When can I expect to finish it? What steps am I taking today, in the present, to work towards the end goal? If benchmarks are made and unfortunately not met, what sort of time frame will you afford yourself to extend your deadlines by? How much time will you allow in between steps, and truly, once a goal is met, how much time until you begin a new one?

Conclusion:

Successful people throughout history often have one thing in common. It is their shared ability to form goals, visualize them, and strategically take the right steps to achieving the goals. It is also to be said that not all goals need to be lofty in size or scope. Sometimes small goals can make a huge difference in your life, giving you the confidence and experience to begin to pursue larger goals. It is not uncommon for one goal to open the door to another goal, and it continues to go from there.

While there exists a plethora of examples, processes and even success stories and testimonials on goal setting, there is no clearly defined right or wrong way. You must not be afraid to commit to a process, give it a fair amount of time to succeed, but also be willing to admit when something is not working, and take additional steps to change your approach. As indicated previously, time is one of the most important pieces of the process. There is no, as the saying goes, turning back time. So you have to always reflect on your choices and your goals, and make sure they are properly aligned with what you’re seeking to attain, and you’re successfully utilizing your time and resources in the best manner.

There is no greater feeling than achieving a goal. There comes a vast deal of pride and sense of triumph when going through the process of setting a goal and hitting a goal. Regardless of rather or not the goal is big or small, the entire process of it all is not an easy feat. So remember, when setting your goals and accomplishing your goals, make sure you are always fair to yourself and to others. Make your future what you will of it.