Set SMART Goals to Achieve More

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Set SMART Goals to Achieve More

Set SMART Goals to Achieve More

Are you having trouble achieving your goals, or getting through a period of no success? Then take the time to learn how to set SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Tangible.

Specific
Setting specific goals is the key to all sorts of success. Most folks know the story about the 1954 Harvard class where they measured those who made goals and those who did not. Each time they grouped the goal-oriented graduates into smaller and smaller groups: those who made goals every now and then, on a yearly basis, and on a monthly, weekly or daily basis, each subset of individuals ended up making more money, having free time and far more happiness than the others.

And guess what? The no-goal folks were left out in the cold and achieved almost nothing in comparison to those who set goals.

Measurable
The more measurable something is, the easier it is to see if we've achieved, or not achieved, the desired outcome. If you're vague in your goals, and don't have a way to measure it, how will you know you've achieved it? You won't, it's that simple. So make sure your goal can be measured, and you're done with step 2.

Attainable
When you set goals that are the most important to you, you will find a way to make them happen. That's a fact! You begin to find things that fit in with your goals, you develop a positive attitude, you work to develop new skills and abilities, and you somehow find the financial capacity to achieve them. You think of all the opportunities that you've left unanswered and you uncover new opportunities to help you achieve your goal.

You can do almost anything when you plan out the steps necessary to reach the goal, and set the time frame that holds you accountable to that goal. Things that never before were possible now are not only possible but are in fact probably, because you've learned and grown to match these tough goals. Listing your goals helps you feel better about yourself, as you learn to see yourself worthy enough to achieve these goals, that you deserve these goals, and you reach these goals!

Realistic
Do you want to aim for something you'll never reach, or for something that is within your power? Remember, you have to be willing and able to do something, so make sure you're realistic in your goal setting. You definitely want to stretch and not set something you could do without effort, but if you know that there is absolutely no way you can physically run a 4 minute mile because you have arthritis, then don't make that your goal. Now keep in mind that with the Internet, e-mail, and the globalization of the marketplace that you can achieve more than you ever thought possible, there still may be things that just aren't possible. Don't set these as goals, set these as dreams, and point towards those. But set the attainable goals so you can get satisfaction from achieving more and more of your goals.

Tangible
A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of your five senses. That means if you can can taste it, touch it, smell it, see it or hear it. When your goal is tangible, or when you tie an tangible goal to a intangible goal, you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus see it as more attainable to you.

So be SMART about your goal setting, read a book or 2 about goal settings, have others help you be more accountable to yourself for achieving these goals, and you will do more and be more than you ever dreamed possible!

Phil Gerbyshak leads a team as manager of an IT Help Desk in Milwaukee, WI, and finds that sharing his knowledge is a crucial component for in his success as a leader and as a person. Phil's personal philosophy is paraphrased from Tim Sanders' fantastic book Love is the Killer App: "Share your knowledge, your network, and your love. The rest will follow."

Feel free to contact Phil at http://makeitgreat.org or call 414.640.7445 anytime. To check out his frequently updated blog, check out http://makeitgreat.blogspot.com

In The News:

Forbes
Is Everest Climber's Death A Case Of Goal Setting Gone Terribly Wrong?
Forbes
But what about more quotidian examples of goal-setting and their effects on our well-being? Does choosing to metaphorically scale Everest make us stronger and more resilient or do pie-in-the-sky ambitions set us up for failure and disappointment?

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Focus Your Ambitions with the Lifehacker Hierarchy of Goals
Lifehacker
Once you commit to a framework to prioritize your goals and cut the junk, achieving your goals gets a lot more realistic. Here's one way to do it. If you're anything like me you have a ton of goals. Unfortunately, compulsive goal setting can be a major ...

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Goal setting is an art form
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By JAN KANTOR Goal setting is the art that makes everything else achievable. It gives you energy, focuses your talent and structures your time. To be successful, you must be goal directed. Once you have set goals, you have a script for meeting ...

Goal-line technology to be tested during England friendly
CNN
Forty-six years later, the same London stadium will provide the setting for a major test of pioneering goal-line technology (GLT), that could revolutionize the game of football forever. British firm "Hawk-eye" employ a series of cameras mounted inside ...

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US MNT Opens Five-Game 'Tournament' Against Scotland On Saturday, May 26
PaddockTalk
Clint Dempsey is coming off a record-setting season for a US international in England, recording his 50th English Premier League goal and setting a single-season mark for league goals scored (17) and goals in all competitions (23).

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AUA 2012 - The absence of goal setting in the dialogue between metastatic ...
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In this study, the investigators endeavored to understand how metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients and their physicians discuss treatment goals. In this study, the authors received institutional review-board approval, ...

Workers Can Showcase Goals and Accomplishments on Twitter, LinkedIn With ...
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
This latest release brings social accounts integration to the Personal Edition's goal setting and career management mix. With that, WorkSimple's Personal Edition now empowers you to showcase your accomplishments and impact via LinkedIn and Twitter.

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Washington Times
Dwayne De Rosario nears 100 goals in MLS
Washington Times
He's scoring goals, setting up goals, and as always, doing it his amazing unique style. At the moment, there is no better player in Major League Soccer. When De Rosario is on top of his game, he is a joy to watch. There's his bicycle kicks, ...

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Prep roundup: Record-setting Blazers 1 win away
Dubuque Telegraph Herald
The Iowa Class 1A top-ranked Trailblazers got a game-winning goal from Travis Gudenkauf in the 66th minute to give Beckman a 3-2 victory over Postville in a substate semifinal in Dyersville, Iowa. An online service is needed to view this article in its ...

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Goals first order of business for Galesburg City Council
Galesburg Register-Mail
By GARY TOMLIN The Galesburg City Council will address the somewhat contentious goal setting process and implementation at a work session tonight. The two item work session agenda is to discuss goals prioritization and review the 2013 budget calendar.
City Council Talks Goals TonightWGIL Radio News

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