S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Goals, Part 1

I highly recommend you set Goals, Not Resolutions in 2016. Additionally, you should strive to make sure all of your real goals are S.M.A.R.T.E.R. I’ll go over the 21 attributes for truly successful goal setting this month. Each letter in the word SMARTER represents three different ideas.

For the next few Wednesdays, I’ll outline how this works (schedule below); however, here is a basic outline of what every single major life and business goal should include:

S – Specific, Significant, and Stretching (Today)

M – Measurable, Motivational, and Meaningful (January 13, 2016)

A – Ambitious, Attainable, and Action-Oriented (January 13, 2016)

R – Results-Based, Relevant, and Responsible (January 20, 2016)

T – Time-Bound, Tangible, and Thoughtful (January 20, 2016)

E – Ethical, Exciting, and Excellent (January 27, 2016)

R – Roles, Recorded, and Reviewed (January 27, 2016)

The first three attributes are:

• Specific: The more specific your goal, the more likely you are to achieve it. For example, imagine if your goal was simply ‘to make more money’. If I gave you a $5.00 bill, this goal has been completed; yet, it is unlikely this is what you mean. A better goal would be ‘I will increase my annual income by 10 percent’.
• Significant: Goals are your life’s work. You should strive to make your goals important, at minimum, to yourself. Goals that also positively impact family, community, and the world are the fastest way both to achieve and produce a legacy.
• Stretching: Albert Einstein once said “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Great goals produce real growth. The help you go further than you can today. When planning, consider how you could extend your grasp and stretch farther than you ever have before.

Next week, we’ll look more deeply at M (Measurable, Motivational, and Meaningful) and A (Ambitious, Attainable, and Action-oriented) and how these qualities set the stage for successful achievement.