Do you have some dreams that you would like to become realities? Are you willing to create a plan to get there? Your plan will consist of several goals. Although some people have dreams many never get past the dream stage because they have no goals. A goal is really a dream with a timetable. First, let’s build the dream and then create the goals to get there.
Do an inventory of your dreams and write them down. Can you visualize them and verbalize them? Visualizing and verbalizing your dream will create the motivation to achieve. In fact, a burning desire to make your dream a reality will create the urgency to make your dreams come true. If you have made goals in the past and have not achieved them, you probably did not have the burning desire to achieve them. New Year’s resolutions fall into this category many times.
When you think about your life, your daily journey, how well do you plan and organize it? Your life’s journey is the MOST important trip you will ever take. So why is it that most people spend more time planning a two-week vacation than planning their life’s work? Our life’s work would include a balance between personal goals and career goals.
A balanced approach might include personal goals in areas such as mental development, ethics, family, physical, financial and social. The career and business goals might include the following: productivity, time management, people skills, and influencing skills.
Now let’s discuss SMART Goals. Let me add WHY to make them WHYSMART Goals as follows:
W – Goals should be Written.
H – Goals should be Harmonious with you purpose and dreams in life.
Y – Goals must be Yours and reflect your personal vision and burning desire.
S – Goals must be Specific. Vague goals cause confusion and frustration.
M – Goals must be Measurable. Attain annual sales of 4 million dollars is a measurable goal; developing a goal of increased sales is vague and not at all measurable.
A - Attainable goals spark excitement and action. Goals that are beyond reach produce frustration and discouragement. Attainable goals should also provide a challenge.
R – Goals must be Realistically high and results oriented. Challenging goals stimulate creativity and commitment.
T – Goals must be Time bound. Goals that do not specify target dates will have a tendency to get lost. “Goals are dreams with deadlines.” – Diana Scharf Hunt
If you do not set “achievement dates” for your goals, you’ll get caught in the trap of “someday.” As in, “Someday, I’ll do that.”
Take a look at your calendar. You will find: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. What you will not find is Someday. So not only does someday never come, it doesn’t exist!
WHYSMART is an excellent criterion to make sure that you are maximizing the goal setting process to your professional and personal advantage. Make sure that all of your goals, tangible and intangible as well as short or long-term, are evaluated against WHYSMART, and you will see a distinct difference in your ability to accomplish anything you desire. For a similar post on our web site see TURN YOUR DREAMS INTO GOALS.
Would you like to be successful in your goal achievement process?
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