"Many of life's failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up" -- Thomas A. Edison

Alive & Well Archives

February 2001

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TODAY'S QUOTE:  Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality.  If you can dream it, you can make it so.

                                                    -Belva Davis

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TODAY'S TOPIC: Goal Setting

On January 1, many of us frantically put together goals and resolutions for the New Year. By the end of January, many have already broken their resolutions or forgotten their goals. Now that the New Years pressure is gone, I thought this would be a good time to re-visit goals. In fact, I just finished writing and committing to my top goals for the next 12 months.

Goals are important. Without them, we don't have much to strive for, and we often lack motivation. On the other hand, properly formulated goals can excite us and propel us to take action. What do I mean when I say “properly?” Well, let me give you an acronym to remember when setting proper goals. You want your goals to be S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely).

If your goals are not S.M.A.R.T., it’s more difficult to achieve them or become motivated by them. Let me give you an example. I recently assisted a man with his goals. When we started working, one of his goals was to “make a lot of money on his investments.”

Although he had the right idea, he missed some of the important elements of achievable and motivational goals. Using the above statement, how will he know when he has achieved his goal? How will he know when he has made "a lot of money?" This goal is not specific and measurable. I asked him if making $10,000 would be enough. How about $2,00,000? Without a specific, measurable number, he doesn't have a target to aim for. Additionally, this

vague goal will not propel him to take specific actions.

When I explained this to him, he got really excited and revised his goal to "make $1,000,000 on his investments within the next 12 months." Now he has a target. He will know when he has reached his goal. When he makes $700,000, he will know he has not reached his goal, and he will not get complacent. His goal of $1,000,000 will keep pushing him to take the necessary actions.

When formulating goals, you also need to state them in a positive tone. For example, a goal to lose 10 pounds in the next 12 months is much better than a goal to avoid gaining weight. When you put goals in an affirmative tone, you’ll feel good about them, and you’ll take the actions necessary to achieve them.

Also, when formulating goals, make sure they are YOUR goals. Maybe you *should* lose weight. But if losing weight is a *should* and not something you are truly committed to, you will not achieve your goal. Also, make sure your goals are not someone else’s goals. If the goals are someone else’s and not truly yours, you will not be committed to achieving them.

You can see the importance of formulating proper and S.M.A.R.T goals. But just formulating the goals is not enough. You must write them down and commit to them. The act of writing them down is the first step in commitment. Next, you must post your goals where you can see them daily.  Goals posted in front of you motivate you to take actions daily to achieve them. What we focus on, we get. I have my goals mounted on a large poster in my office. I also have them posted in my car so I see them every day.  Your daily planner is another place to put them. It’s hard to not take the required actions when you see your goals staring you in the face.

So what are your goals for the next 12 months? Are you ready to commit to them?

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Coaching Challenge

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1) Pretend today is Christmas or Hanukah, and you can have anything you want. Brainstorm and quickly write a list of anything you would like to achieve, create, have, do or experience in the next 20 years. Do not edit this list. Remember: the things on the list must be things YOU want and not what you “should” want or what others want for you.

2) Return to your list and write 1, 3, 5, 10 or 20 years next to each goal. The numbers designate how long you will take to achieve them.

3) Examine your list and choose your top four goals for the next 12 months.  Remember: they need to be S.M.A.R.T. and positive.

4) Write down at least one action you will take IMMEDIATELY to achieve each goal.