You Can be Great If You Really Want To

Goal setting is equal parts art and science. Many people create goals that simply don’t work. If you’re in business, you don’t have the luxury of creating goals that don’t work. You need to work effectively and you need goals you help you do it.

Here is a great way to create good goals that work… that keep you on track. They’re called SMART goals and the acronym SMART will help you to remember the things that each goal needs to be:

*  Specific: Your goal needs to be stated in a way that is clearly defined. Saying, I should work more, is not a goal that will be kept. However, saying, I am going to work a total of 8 hours each day, is a goal that is much clearer and specific.

*  Measurable: This is closely related to the above attribute except that it also includes a way to make sure you are on track. A goal setting that says, I want to make more money, isn’t measurable. However, a goal that says, I want to earn $6000/month, is a far more measurable goal. It’s easy to see, at the end of the month, whether or not you achieved it.

*  Actionable: This means that your goal should be something that you need to do yourself in order to accomplish it. If you want to increase your income this year, it’s not realistic to say, I’m going to win the lottery this year, because you have no control over whether you will win the lottery or not. However you might say, I’m going to increase my sales efforts by cold calling 10 people each day, which is something you can take action on yourself.

*  Realistic: Goals that are actually achievable are much better and far more motivating. You’ll feel better about yourself when you do hit goals than if constantly shoot for them and fall short. Realistic goals should not be so easy that you hit them every single time but should not be so hard that you never reach them at all.

*  Time-oriented: Similar to the measurable attribute, your goal should have a timeframe for you to accomplish it in. Deadlines help people achieve their goals. If you anchor your goal to a time, you’ll be able to watch your progress.

You can remember this with the acronym, SMART, so that when you are goal setting, you can create better goals for yourself. This is a popular goal-setting acronym in business, although occasionally the words are changed slightly to reflect the needs of the business.

When asked to write down their goals in life, many people hesitate because they think their goals are trivial compared to the Bill Gates and Anthony Robbins of this world.  Nothing could be further from the truth if their goals are based on one thing.
And what is that?  Well, simply put, every successful person begins with the “End in Mind” no matter what that end might be.  And the part that makes it worthy is it is THEIR end!  This makes it their personal mission and truly worthy no matter how
trivial it may sound.  This is why they call it PERSONAL goal setting.

Let me further explain for those that are not quite clear when I say the “end.”  In his book “The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People,” Stephen R. Covey explains this “end in mind” concept by having you picture yourself at your own funeral.  

If fact, why don’t you do this quick but powerful exercise now.  Visualize yourself laying in a casket with friends and family gathered to say their last goodbyes.  Everyone is dressed in dark colored clothing, mourning your death, as they
stroll past your casket viewing your body for the last time.  Now, everyone takes their seats and here comes the eulogy.

Listen to what the speaker is saying about the type of person you were, all the contributions you made, the impact you left on people’s lives, etc.  Did he/she not mention something you wish to be mentioned?  What was that specific thing or things?  

Well, luckily with the power of imagination, you can “come back to life” and are given a second chance to make all those things a reality.  This is the best explanation of beginning with the “end in mind” that I have seen and I hope it clarifies this powerful concept.   

This concept is very effective because it gives us a powerful purpose for doing things and it allows us to work backwards and figure out what we need to do to get “there.”  Now, as I implied earlier, it does not matter if your goal is to revolutionize the way we do business or if it is to be the best parent to your kid(s).  As long as you know what YOUR optimal life looks like, you will have no problems coming up with worthy goals.

If you have no idea how to get “there,” unless your optimal life is truly unique, there are lots of resources that will show you how to get to where you want to go.  So your first goal could be to go to Amazon.com and find the top selling book in your area of interest.  Then go to your local library and borrow it (or pick up a copy for yourself if you like to mark notes in your books).

You will find things that the author did that helped him/her realize what you are after.  With that information at your fingertips, you can create many worthy goals, all moving you in the direction you want to go.  You do not (and in many cases should not) have to reinvent the wheel.  Copying will get you there faster.  So in this case, copying is the smartest thing you can do.

This is a simple but powerful concept for brewing up meaningful and personal goals.  These goals express what matters most to YOU and are, therefore, just as worthy as a world changing goal!

Use your powerful gift of imagination and begin with the “end in mind.”  You will stir up some powerful emotions if done with focus and your true mission in life will be revealed.  With this personal mission, you will have no problems coming up with meaningful goals.

If you’ve ever tried to set a goal or just simply attempted to meet a deadline and didn’t make it, it may be because you haven’t improved your skills at goal setting yet.  Use these tips to learn how:

Know the results you want
You cannot set your first goal unless you know what you want.  Make a list of what you want to accomplish and write them down.  Although a trusty notepad will usually suffice, you might also use an organizer, computer software or an online website account that lets you manage your time and organize a list of tasks.  

Make sure the goals are precise.  Don’t just say, ‘I want to sell to more customers.’  Instead, say, ‘I will call a minimum of 10 potential customers a day’.

Review this list and then identify which goals are short-term, which are long-term and continuous.  Short-term goals are goals you set with the intention of completing them soon, either out of necessity or desire.  Long-term goals are goals that you want to achieve in the near future while continuous goals are those that you sustain over time and thus have no deadline for.

Set your priorities
Separate the goals depending on their importance.  Some goals just naturally have to be completed first, such as those that have deadlines while others can be completed in the future.  There are also goals that can be set above others because of the types of knowledge and skills you already have.

By prioritizing your goals, you are more likely to complete many of them and avoid getting overwhelmed.

Consider forces or factors that are beyond your control
Certain things will affect how successful you will be at goal setting.  These factors include: market behavior, customer demands, injury, bad weather, even wrong timing.  Any of these factors will affect the outcome of your performance.  There’s also a good chance you may not get the results you want.

To avoid this, set goals according to your performance instead of outcomes.  This allows you to make goals that are realistic and achievable with an outcome that is much more satisfactory.

Remember to always set your goals in a positive way
Do not begin a goal with a negative, such as ‘I will NOT waste time’.  Instead, say something like ‘I will manage my time by prioritizing and scheduling.’  That way, you give yourself a clearer vision about what you want to do and the steps you want to take to get there.

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