I really like lists. I have many, many lists in my home. Daily "To Do" lists, grocery lists, crafts to make list, birthday party ideas list, etc. etc. As I was thinking about what I want to accomplish this year, I wanted to make a list. Why? A list is something you can see, touch, cross off! Just having a jumble of ideas in my head is not good.
I found this excellent post about "
Personal Goal Setting." I like this idea of "SMART Goals."
-S - Specific (or Measurable)
-M – Measurable (or Meaningful).
-A – Attainable (or
Action-Oriented).
-R – Relevant (or
Rewarding).
-T – Time-bound (or
Trackable).
Ideas for goal setting!
SPECIFIC
NO - "I want to write a book in my lifetime."
YES - "I will start writing a mystery novel this year and have the first draft complete by December 31."
NO - "I want to travel."
YES - "I will fly to Paris for my birthday next year."
MEASURABLE
NO - "I will write 100,000 this month!"
YES - "I will write 500 words a day." or "I will write 1,000 words this week."
NO - "I will save money for my trip."
YES - "I will set aside $100 each pay period for my travel fund."
ATTAINABLE
NO - "I will lose 50 pounds in two months!"
YES - "I will eat more vegetables and less fries and soda. I will walk a mile each day. By eating healthier and moving more, I will likely lose weight soon."
NO - "I will write the Great American Novel in my first draft!"
YES - "I will write an interesting book and keep revising it until it is fit to be seen by others."
RELEVANT
NO - "I will be on the NY Times Bestseller List for a year straight."
YES - "I will go to local bookstores and book festivals. I will meet readers and encourage others to write."
TIME-BOUND
NO - "I will quit my job and write 12 hours a day!"
YES - "I will write one hour before work each day." "I will write one hour each evening at Starbucks after my kids go to bed."
NO - "I will train all day for the marathon next month!"
YES - "I will start walking a mile a day. I will start walking two miles a day next month. I will enter that 5K race in 6 months and finish in less than 30 minutes."
By being precise, you can reach those attainable goals. Think about what we tell our kids. We don't just say, "Be nice." "Be safe." "Do your homework." "Clean your room."
We tell them, "Make friends by asking someone on the playground to play with you today." "Wear your helmet while riding your scooter." "Finish your 2 math pages and then read for 15 minutes." "Pick up your dirty clothes and make your bed."
We give our kids specific tasks and we expect them to accomplish them. Why not do that for ourselves? It might seem simplistic but if it helps you get the ball rolling, then do it! :-)
What are your:
Life goals?
Writing goals?
Travel goals?
Health goals?
Hobby goals?
Start BIG. You want to go to Europe during your lifetime! Who will go with you? How long will you be there for? How much will it cost? If it will cost $5,000, start calculating how long it will take to save up that money. If it takes 10 years, then put those small goals into place. Saving money each month, building a travel itinerary, etc. Work toward your goal and by the time you get there, it will be totally worth it. :-)
I'll leave you with some inspirational quotes!
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new
dream."
C. S. Lewis
"My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we
are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose
- somehow we win out."
Ronald Reagan
"People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a
shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine."
Brian Tracy
SMART Goals
A useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART
mnemonic. While there are plenty of variants (some of which we've
included in parenthesis), SMART usually stands for:
- S – Specific (or Significant).
- M – Measurable (or Meaningful).
- A – Attainable (or Action-Oriented).
- R – Relevant (or Rewarding).
- T – Time-bound (or Trackable).
- See more at: http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html#sthash.3QRVlZtL.dpuf
SMART Goals
A useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART
mnemonic. While there are plenty of variants (some of which we've
included in parenthesis), SMART usually stands for:
- S – Specific (or Significant).
- M – Measurable (or Meaningful).
- A – Attainable (or Action-Oriented).
- R – Relevant (or Rewarding).
- T – Time-bound (or Trackable).
- See more at: http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html#sthash.3QRVlZtL.dpuf
SMART Goals
A useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART
mnemonic. While there are plenty of variants (some of which we've
included in parenthesis), SMART usually stands for:
- S – Specific (or Significant).
- M – Measurable (or Meaningful).
- A – Attainable (or Action-Oriented).
- R – Relevant (or Rewarding).
- T – Time-bound (or Trackable).
- See more at: http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html#sthash.3QRVlZtL.dpuf
