S.M.A.R.T Goals: Tips for Achieving Any Goal
(C) 1998 Dr. Barry W. Morris
Home Business Central

REASONS WHY PEOPLE DON'T GET EVERYTHING THEY WANT
I firmly believe that its possible to have everything we want. When I've questioned people that seem to have everything they desire as to how they got it all, invariably the reply is something like this: Do you have any idea how hard I've worked to get this? What appears to be an effortless accumulation of wealth and possession is the result of massive and continual action toward specific goals.
People who take action, even small steps on a daily basis, accomplish much more that people who don't. An example of this is fitness expert, Covert Bailey. By committing to a goal of writing just one page per day, he was able to complete his first book in under one year. He states that if he had tried to write the entire book within a shorter timeframe, it would have been much harder to complete.
People who fail to act are instead acted upon by circumstances, by laziness, and if their inactivity becomes habitual, eventually by disease. There is truth in the saying, A rolling stone gathers no moss.
One of the reasons people often fail to get what they want out of life is that they lack a systematic plan for success. We've often heard those who fail to plan, plan to fail. On the other hand, those who take the time to design their ultimate goals usually end accomplishing those and often, much more. Similar to an unplanned vacation, unless we consult a map that outlines our journey we have no idea where were going and likewise wont know when or if we've arrived. Getting what you want in life, whether its success, more money, a satisfying relationship, or a better job, requires a systematic plan.
Some people who do make set goals still don't get what they want because they set goals that are too difficult to attain, or too easy to reach which results in the absence of any sense of positive accomplishment. Setting goals that are realistic for the individual is paramount in outlining a plan of action for achieving them.
Another reason for failing to get what you want is never writing out a goal on paper. Most people think about writing down their goals but see little profit to seeing them on paper. When properly written, a goal statement can be a motivating factor and spur you on to greater accomplishment. Some students of mine place three by five cards that contain a motivating goal-statement in places of high visibility, such as the bathroom mirror, their office desk, or the refrigerator, as a visual reminder of their goals. By repeatedly seeing their goals they are reminded of daily actions necessary for goal achievement.
The fourth reason people often fail to fulfill their dreams is that circumstances get in their way. They find numerous excuses not to take action. The car isn't running well so a job interview across town is out of the question. The weather is damp, so why go out for that jog like they promised themselves. When excuses become paramount, they occupy a position that is much closer to our dream than we are. Excuses are usually convenient ways to avoid responsibility and accountability.
Finally, not getting what you want out of life can be attributed to clinging to false or limiting beliefs about your ability to accomplish a goal and fulfill your dreams. I'm convinced that people fear success more than failure. This, at first seems paradoxical. But I believe that success, for some individuals, represents such a departure from all that's safe and secure, that they actually sabotage their efforts to succeed. Such is the case of the person who desires a career change, but is unwilling to learn a new trade or skill in order to achieve the goal of getting out of their boring job. Not surprising, they find themselves in the same job day after day complaining to anyone who might listen. Instead of taking action and making a commitment to pursue new knowledge, they wallow in self-inflicted victimization. Dr. Bobbie Sommer in her book Psychocybernetics 2000, stated quote- There aren't a lot of victims in life, but there sure a good many volunteers. unquote. Embracing the victim mentality only further debilitates us and reduces our self-confidence, which result in diminished effort and action toward goals.
Before we go any further, complete this exercise. Take a few minutes and jot down a few excuses, reasons, or obstacles that may have impeded your progress in reaching goals in the past. Save this list for later review.

HOW TO SELECT GOALS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE AND PRACTICAL

Selecting goals that are both inappropriate and impractical defeat the purpose of goal setting. By employing the following guidelines, you can identify and design goals that will bring immediate benefit to your life and eliminate countless weeks of agony pursuing goals that ultimately are wrong for your life.
The first step in the process is to identify areas in your life that you want to improve or I which you wish to realize lasting change. Do this by writing down these areas, such as, personal growth, physical appearance, financial status, spiritual growth, family goals, vacation plans, or business areas. I recommend selecting five major area of life: Vocational, Avocational, Relationship / Family, Financial, and Personal. Place these headings at the top of a separate piece of paper. Under each of these, write a definition of success for each area. For instance, in the area of Finances, your definition might be: I will realize financial success when my income is budgeted to allow timely payment of bills, regular contribution to a savings/investment plan, and allows occasional recreation. You can come up with your own definition in each area.
Now that you've defined success in each area, brainstorm all possible ideas and goals in each area. Don't hold back. Write down anything that comes to mind. Brainstorming in this manner should provide a list of 20 25 ideas. Turn off the tape now and do this for one area in your life.
You should now have a list of twenty to thirty ideas from which to choose. Turn your attention to selecting three of the most practical and exciting ideas from the list. Tony Robbins chooses the three ideas or goals that get him the most excited and yet are practical enough to work on. Now that you have selected these three, answer the following three questions.
1. What was my progress on this goal five years ago? Answer the question fully.
2. What is my present status in achieving success in this area? And,
3. What do I want to achieve in this goal-area five years from now?

This brief exercise will help you assess whether the goals are appropriate for you. Your responses should reveal your level of current progress in the area. It will also help you chart your future plans for achieving success in each goal. Take some time now and turn off the tape to carefully answer each question.

USING A S.M.A.R.T. GOAL STATEMENT
Its called a smart statement because, once again, we are using an acronym. A quality goal statement possesses elements that correspond to the letters S.M.A.R. &T.
The first element in a successful goal statement is that it is SPECIFIC. It defines accurately your ultimate definition of success. A specific goal statement gives your goal meaning and it establishes a direction or something to aim for. Instead of a goal the statement: I want to help the homeless rewritten specifically, this statement might be: I see myself volunteering at the homeless shelter on Main Street. Notice that this goal is written in the present tense. This suggests to our subconscious that the goals are imminent and gives our subconscious a timeframe of now.
The second element of a successful goal statement begins with M: Measurable. When goals are measurable, they provide a scale on which to gauge our success. It allows us to chart our progress daily, weekly, monthly, even annually. Our goal of helping the homeless, by adding measurability, now becomes: I see myself volunteering at the homeless shelter on Main Street one weekend per month. A business goal might be: I see the sales of this product increasing by 20% over the next six months.
It should be noted that not every goal lends itself to measurability. A goal that involves ones physical appearance might be one. In a case such as this, we might measure the amount of times that we pursue the activity or place ourselves in a position to work on the goal.
The third element of a success goal statement is its action-orientation. The goal statement must lend itself to action that leads to accomplishment and measurability. For instance, I see myself volunteering at the homeless shelter on Main Street on the first weekend every month after arranging a meeting with the shelter director next week. Unless we impart action into our goal, there is minimal likelihood or our goal being met.
The fourth element of a successful goal-statement, beginning with R, is Realistic. Setting goals that are unrealistic only frustrate our goal setting experience. By choosing a goal that you can clearly visualize is crucial. Like Tony Robbins, choose a goal that gets you excited about the possibility of achieving, yet is practical enough for you to benefit early on in the process of its pursuit. Instead of a goal-statement like: I see myself winning the Mr. Universe competition next year. Focus instead on a statement like: I see myself working toward entering a body building competition by Spring by working out at my gym three times a week with my personal trainer. The former goal is too difficult to visualize initially. The latter can be visualized and realistically achieved. There's no reason why your goal to become Mr. Universe cant be realized in the future. Setting a series of goals that lead in that direction will make it possible.
The fifth and final element of goal statement, beginning with T, is its timing. Imparting a time line to our goals allows us to measure our progress and make realistic action plans. I believe in setting short-term goals and long-term goals in each area of life. A short-term goal might include a one-year timeframe while a long-term goal is five years. This allows our goals areas to undergo change and maturation without necessitating a complete redesign of our action plans.

Writing SMART goal statements that are specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time conscious results in an action plan that is optimally designed for success.