Why are you reading this?
It’s April, we’re 3 months in the new year and you’ve probably forgotten about your December resolutions / January decisions about making 2015 a great year, maybe your best year so far. If I’m right, you’re not the only one; so did so many other people – and this is NOT a consolation!
Then again, you are not like other people, you are different because you have a choice, the choice of changing this patters of setting goals and not achieving them, to setting goals, taking action and achieving each and every one of them.
People fail at achieving their goals because:
They halfheartedly believe they are going to achieve them in the first place
The goals are not important enough for them – they choose to be busy with other activities / duties they must do because otherwise… [you fill in the blanks] – Read more about juggling too many things and not focusing on what’s important to you here.
They don’t define their goals well enough for that internal drive to kick in and have them reach the desired destination
What are SMARTER Goals?
Whenever you set a goal, it isn’t enough to just think about it. You need to actually put that goal into words, to express it, to make it even more compelling than it already is, in such a way that it maximises your chances of achieving it. And the way you do this is by following the SMARTER criteria.
Specific / Simple
Specific because whatever goal you have, you want to achieve precisely that goal, not less and not different to what you have in mind, you want to achieve that specific goal!
Simple because whatever you have in mind, the simper it is to imagine, the simpler it is to express it too. And a goal expressed it’s a goal one step more tangible.
Measurable
Because you want to know you have achieved it! If you can’t measure it, how can you know you’ve achieved it?
Achievable / Attainable
Do you know if it’s achievable? Has somebody else achieved that before you? If yes, you know for sure you can do it too. If not, you can be the first person who does it!
Realistic
Realistic to you, not to somebody else.
Time-bound
By when specifically are you expecting to achieve your goal? And setting yourself to achieve your goal “by next month”, is not a time-bound objective.
Ecological
Is your goal moral / responsible?
Recorded
Have you visualised your goal? Have you written your goal down?
How to achieve your goals?
Clarify your goal by going through the steps above. Make it compelling, think about how it will feel when you’ll have achieved it. Then think of the actions you are to take in order to achieve your goal! And then focus and take massive action!
What if your goal doesn’t seem to fit the SMARTER criteria?
Sometimes we don’t think our goals are realistic (“I can’t do this” or “I’m not good enough” or “I don’t deserve to have / do this“, etc). This is because we might have a limiting belief around what we can or cannot do. By busting the limiting belief or changing it into a belief which is positive and empowering, your goal becomes smart.
Or sometimes we set goals for other people (“I want William / Marie to go on a date with me“), goals which most often are also un-ecological. Unfortunately we can only set goals for ourselves AND we can work around a goal, to make it compelling, ecological and ours.
Do you want to take your goals to the next level?
Read also HOW TO WISELY MASTER YOUR FUTURE – PART III
To learn how to bust your limiting beliefs and how to set and achieve your goals, book a one off session with me to work together on one of your goals!
