“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” –Bill Copeland
NEW YEAR GOALS SETTING.
How are your new year’s resolutions going? How many of the goals you set for yourself, have you achieved to date?
Many of us have the habit of setting goals every time a new year begins. It is a time that we are generally excited. And we conceive it as a new beginning and a perfect moment to propose ourselves to go for all those things we aim.
But, also, some of us in February have already forgotten those goals. Besides, just a few of us will end the year fulfilling our New Year’s resolutions.
However, setting goals and achieving them is a great strategy to move life towards success and strengthen our self-esteem.
SETTING SMART GOALS IN THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF LIFE.
There are seven areas of our life that we must keep in mind when we create our goals. This way, we balance our actions and focus on creating a lifestyle that makes us feel fully realized.
Those areas are:
1- Job & career
2- Finances
3- Relationships
4- Health & Fitness
5- Fun & Recreation
6- Personal: It’s everything related to personal growth goals, things you want to have, and experiences you want to live.
7-Contribution goals. It’s about what you want to give back to your society, and what differences you want to make in the world.
Set at least one goal for each area. This way, you will have a more balanced life than if you only focus on making money or losing weight. Make sure you have all these areas fulfilling in your life.
EXPLAINING SMART GOALS
S.M.A.R.T is an acronym that stands for:
-SPECIFIC
– MEASURABLE
– ATTAINABLE
-RELEVANT
-TIMELY
It’s an excellent strategy to think about these features when setting goals. By complying with these factors, it is more likely that we will achieve our objectives—the more details we have about what we want, the better.
SPECIFIC
To make a goal specific, we should answer these questions:
1- Who is involved in this goal?
2- What exactly do I want to achieve?
3- Where and When do I will fulfill this goal?
4- Why do I want to reach this goal?
MEASURABLE
You should be able to break down your goals into measurable elements.
1- How much?
2- How many?
3- What are the signs of progress?
4- How long will it take me?
ATTAINABLE
A goal must be achievable. And how do you know that? Well, if someone has already done so, that’s a good indicator. However, do not limit yourself when setting goals. When we seriously want something, neither fear nor the limitations of your circumstances can stop you if you are fully committed to achieving it and have a detailed plan of action.
Ask yourself if you have the resources and skills to achieve the goal? If not, what are you missing? As a result, you will have answers that will show you where to start working.
“Nothing is impossible; the word itself says I’m possible!” Audrey Hepburn
RELEVANT
This step is about proving that your goal is meaningful to you. Is it a “should”? Something that people are expecting from you, and that’s why you are going for it? Or is it a goal that genuinely matters to you, and you are fully committed to achieving?
In addition, is it aligned and consistent with your other objectives?
Remember that being coherent will help you achieve your goals quickly. Sometimes we want to lose weight, but we eat more ice cream or, we want to read more, but instead, we watch more television.
TIMELY
Does your goal have a deadline? By when do you want to achieve it?
Having a target date allows you to focus on and measure your performance and outcomes.
This way, you will be able to differentiate your short term goals from your long term goals and know where to put most of your attention and energy.
5 STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE YOUR SMART GOALS
There are some tips and tricks that could hugely help you achieve your dreamed goals. Today I want to share with you my favorites ones.
1. WRITE DOWN YOUR SMART GOALS
Did you know that you are more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down?
Did you know that you are more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down? That’s because there is a connection between your brain and what you write.
That way, your goals will remain easily in your memory, and you won’t forget about them. Also, It helps you clarify every detail and keep track of your progress and success. How wonderful it is to find your journals from five years ago and realize that you have achieved all the goals you have set for yourself!
2. CREATE A VISION BOARD
If you still don’t use visualization in your life, you miss a useful and powerful resource to achieve your goals.
In your mind, you should be able to see what your life will be like when you reach those goals. If you still can’t feel what it’ll be like when you lose all that excess weight, when you meet the love of your life, or when you have the amount of money you want in your bank account, your subconscious probably still doesn’t believe that you are capable of achieving something like that. Creating a vision board could help a lot with that.
Our minds react actively to visual stimulation. By representing your goals with pictures, you will reinforce your emotions, becoming more motivated to reach your goals.
And of course, you want to place your vision board where you can see it at least once daily.
3. BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR WHY?
It is one of those questions we talked about when setting specific goals. But I want to speak separately on this topic because it is quite useful, especially when we feel unmotivated. Your why are purpose for doing whatever it takes.
Why do you want to achieve this goal, and what are the consequences if you don’t reach it?
You should know that there are going to be goals that are challenging to achieve. And to accomplish them, inevitably you will fail not once but many times until you succeed. You will face adversity, rejections, hard times, and not all of us have a high tolerance for failure. So, many times we end up giving up.
In those moments, our why are going to play a fundamental role in supporting you emotionally and keeping you on track.
4. ACTION PLAN TO REACH YOUR SMART GOALS
If you are writing, thinking, talking, and dreaming about your goals, but you are not willing to take massive actions. You must know in advance that you will not achieve anything.
Certainly, in this world, the people who succeed are those who take action regarding their wishes and objectives. It doesn’t matter if they are small steps. Every day, do something that brings you closer to your purposes.
Make a detailed list where you describe each thing you must do to reach your goals.
Examples: Maybe you should work on your mindset and your limiting beliefs. Or take a course that helps you improve your skills. Surround yourself with the right people, join support groups, or perhaps find a coach or mentor who will help you and teach you how to achieve your goals effectively.
5. CELEBRATE YOUR PROGRESS
Happiness, recognition, enjoying the process are fundamental in this journey. Are you still making progress toward your smart goals? Concentrate on those results and celebrate it! Pat yourself on the back and realize that you are already a champion.
If you continuously measure yourself for the things you haven’t achieved, reaching your goals will become an overwhelming journey. On the contrary, if you recognize yourself for the efforts, you have made and for the results, however small they may seem, it will strengthen your self-esteem and motivate you to go for more.
In conclusion, these strategies will lead you to set goals effectively and achieve them. If you consider them, you will have more precise goals and the necessary tools to complete all your projects.
I have used these five strategies to set and fulfill my smart goals, and they have effectively helped me achieve most of my dreams.
I hope you stay true to your dreams, knowing that it is in your hands to achieve them. Nothing can stop you if you are fully committed to achieving your goals.
