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Goal Setting the SMART Way
Hanif Khaki
Goal Setting the SMART Way
Goal setting is a task that is often overlooked until the New
Year, when people decide to set resolutions. However, these
resolutions are nothing more than wishes and are far from what
we would call "goals". Hence these "so called" goals have very
little chance of being realized. Just ask any fitness club owner
when the greatest number of sign-ups occur and when the greatest
number of drop-outs occur. Clearly, these "resolutions" don't
work! So just what does work?
When it matters and you really want to accomplish your task, you
will want to use tried and true goal setting techniques. Among
the more successful methods is the SMART method of setting
goals. SMART=Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic
Time-sensitive.
Goal setting starts with making sure that your goals are indeed
SMART. Let's examine this briefly shall we. A goal cannot be
something general. It must be substantial and detailed. The goal
must answer the questions who, what, where, when, how, and why.
As an example, if your goal is to get a raise, this is not
specific enough and doesn't meet our criteria. If your goal is
to get a 10% raise within 6 months, this is specific. Measurable
means exactly that. Your goal must be able to be measured or
quantified. In the above example, a raise is not quantifiable,
but a 10% raise is definitely quantifiable because the 10%
number can be counted and verified.
A goal is attainable when it is realistic or feasable given your
skills and resources. If you wish to be a pilot in 2 days and
you have no money and no one to teach you, this may be
considered "unattainable".
Realistic refers to your goal being "reasonable", meaning you
are not 35 years old and setting a goal to have 3 kids before
you turn 36! Your goal must be reasonable or surely you will
have no chance of achieving it under any circumstances. This
doesn't mean that goals that are "impossible" to achieve should
not be attempted. History has shown us that what seems
"impossible" to achieve for most people is indeed quite possible
for others to achieve under the proper circumstances.
Lastly, "time sensitive" refers to all goals having a completion
date. This is what separates goals from activities, activities
do not require an end date. This is a very important distinction
between a goal and an activity. Using our previous example,
obtaining a 10% salary raise during your lifetime is not the
same as a 10% raise within 6 months.
We certainly hope the above information will aid you in setting
and achieving more goals during your lifetime. For further
information, be sure to check out the many goal setting
resources available to you online. In fact, make that your first
goal!
About the author:
Hanif Khaki is the acclaimed author of numerous business
related articles and the founder of the popular business help
site www.setting-goals.expert-knowledge.com
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