Achieving goals

Earlier this month, I wrote about new years resolutions and SMARTY goals.

There are two more things that can really help you achieve your goals.

One is how you word your goals. It is important to focus on the end result and train your mind to see life as if you have already achieved the goal. So it is worth setting your goals in positive terms.

So instead of “I will loose weight” make it “I will weigh xkg”, or replace “I will get out of debt” with “I will have a positive bank balance”

You can take this even further by using the present tense in your goals – and this is particularly useful if you repeat your goal to yourself frequently as an affirmation. So our above two examples become “I weigh xkg” and “I have a positive bank balance”.

Adding a reason in the message can also be helpful – such as “I have lots of energy now I weigh xkg” and “My positive bank balance gives me security.”

The other way to increase your chances of achieving your goal is to acknowledge your efforts. Every so often, look back and acknowledge how far you have come even if it is not as far as you had hoped. It can just be a private “hey, I’ve done this much” or you could share with a trusted friend or give yourself a reward.

If the goal is going to be tough for you or is a long term goal, make sure you give yourself mile stone rewards, too. Maybe for every month you exercise you treat yourself to a massage or for every 25 cold calls you make you can watch your favourite DVD.

With a SMARTY goal written in positive terms and acknowledged and rewarded, I don’t need to wish you luck as your goals are practically achieved already!

SMARTY goals

As promised in my New Year’s message, I wanted to explain what SMARTY goals are – and why they are better than other goals.

First, the acronym stands for:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Relevant

Timed

whY

And now for an explanation…

Specific – the more specific the goal, the easier it is to see your progress and feel some achievement. For example, ‘loosing weight’ or ‘getting fit’ may be common resultions, but they aren’t specific. Much better to say ‘I will loose 5 kilos’ or I will train so I can run 10km’

Measurable – make it so you know when you have reached it, and see imrpovement along the way as well. For example, ‘I will make $x more this year than last year’ is easy to see how close you are to $x and achieving your goal.

Achievable – you must be able to work on the goal. Setting a goal of running a marathon next week is unlikely if you currently get puffed walking to the letterbox, but a goal of walking for 10 minutes every day is achievable. Of course, part of being able to work on teh goal means your attitude, too – you need to be willing to work on it and allow yourself to grow your abilities along the way.

Relevant – your goals must fit in with where you are, what your values are and your big life goals. Following someone else’s goals may not be relevant for you (e.g. don’t try to loose weight if you are underweight), and you may need to set different goals at different times in your life. If your values are to help people, then ‘I will volunteer at the community centre 3 hours a month’ is a relevant goal.

Timed – goals without a deadline are just wishes really. A deadline makes you take them more seriously and to act on them now rather than tomorrow. Deadlines need to be realistic to keep your goal achievable, but they also need to be tight enough to keep you motivated and working towards the goal. So a timed goal is something like ‘I will read a business magazine a month’, ‘I will sell 10% more this year’ or ‘I will exercise 4 times a week’.

whY- you need to have a reason to aim for your goal. The reason will keep you going even when it is hard and you don’t seem any closer tot eh end. And I’m talking about the real, deep reason for your goal. For example, ‘my doctor says I should stop smoking’ will only motivate you on a good day. On a bad day, you will need to know ‘I want more energy and don’t want emphasemia like Uncle Jim so I will not light a ciggarette now’. So what is your real reason (and there can be more than one) for setting this goal?

So let’s go back to our first examples – I want to loose weight and I want to be get fitter. Now, let’s word them as SMARTY goals:

I will loose 1 kilo a month until I reach 60kg so I can fit into my favourite dress and keep up with my kids in the park.

I will exercise four times every week to be fit enough for the fun run in September. I want to show John that I can compete at his level and I want to feel proud of myself.

Happy New Year

I wish you a successful and prosperous 2008, however you define successful.

A new year is the time many of us think about what we intend to do differently in the future and what we intend to strive for. And it is a good time to do this – not only does a new year open in front of us, but we are often refreshed and have more time than during the working year.

Many people disregard resolutions as a meaningless fad. While I don’t think it is the only time to make resolutions, and I agree many new years resolutions don’t survive beyond January, I don’t agree that they are meaningless.

Making a resolution just because it is 1 January and everyone is doing it – that perhaps is meaningless.

Making a resolution because you really want to make a change or improvement is a great thing.

My tips for making resolutions today (or at any time) that will last are:

1. make them SMARTY goals (I’ll outline them in another post, but essentially they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timed and WhY)
2. don’t set too many – one or two major resolutions per area of your life is plenty
3. write them down somewhere you can see them to be reminded frequently
4. consider telling a trusted friend so they can help keep you on track
5. set your own goals – don’t copy others or do what others think you should do

Other than resolutions, it is also a good time to clear out last year and start afresh. My New Year, New Business article has some tips on refreshing your business, so I won’t repeat myself! 

Good luck with your resolutions and goals, and enjoy 2008.