SMART Goals

In order to set yourself up for inevitable success you will want to set SMART
goals for yourself. You’ve probably heard of SMART goals but do you know what
the acronym SMART stands for?
Your goals should pass the SMART test. They should be:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time Bound
Let’s talk about how each of these criteria can be applied to your goals.

Specific and Measurable
When you set a specific goal that’s measurable, you’ll know whether you reach
it or not. A goal to become healthy is vague and non-specific. How do you
measure whether it’s been reached? A goal to lose 10 pounds in the next 2
months is specific and measurable. You’ve either achieved that by the deadline
or you didn’t.
Likewise, saying you want to grow your business is not specific nor is it
measurable. By turning that same goal into a statement that includes something
you want that is measurable that also indicates a growing business now makes
the goal smarter. For example, Saying you want to add 500 new email
subscribers in the next 3 months is both specific and measurable. You either
reach that number in 3 months or you don’t.

Achievable
Creating a goal that is impossible to reach is frustrating and demoralizing. You
want to set yourself up for inevitable success, not inevitable failure. Choose a
goal that is a stretch but achievable. For example, if you set a goal to make a
million dollars in revenue in a 3-month period when your current income is barely
hitting 4 figures, that goal may not be achievable at this time.
Setting a more realistic goal for now and working your way to that million-dollar
figure over time is perhaps achievable in the future. Remember, you are setting
yourself up for inevitable success. Make sure that your goal is achievable at this
time.

Relevant

You’ll want the goal that you’re setting to be relevant to your short term goals as
well as your long term goals—your vision or mission for the big picture.
Sometimes, a bright shiny object comes along that you think might be a great
new goal to attain, so you set a goal around it and start working towards making
that happen. And after spending a lot of time working towards this bright shiny
object, you realize that it’s taking you further from your long-term mission. The
fact is it was never relevant to what you’re ultimately trying to achieve.
Ask yourself if this goal will help move you closer to what you want to create
more of in this world. A relevant goal will bring you closer and you will easily see
how that’s possible. A goal that is not relevant will have you spinning your wheels
and wasting time without moving closer to fulfilling your long distance dreams
and mission.

Time Bound
A goal without a deadline is not a goal—it’s a dream. You want to draw a line in
the sand and give yourself a deadline by which to accomplish your goal. By
having a date on the calendar when this goal will be reached, you now have
declared it will actually happen—it’s no longer merely a dream.
By having a firm deadline, you now have a chunk of time to break down the
action steps necessary to achieve your goal and fit these into your calendar
between now and that end date. If you go through this last step and realize that
the goal will not realistically be met by your deadline, you now have a choice; set
a new deadline, delegate some of these action steps, or revise your goal.

Put Them All Together
SMART goals are specific and measurable. They are relevant to your overall
big picture—both in the short term and long term. Lastly, setting a deadline for
your SMART goal ensures that the goal is completed within a set time frame.
You’re more likely to hit the bull’s eye for your goal when your goal setting is
done with the SMART acronym.

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