Goals are dreams in writing with a deadline!
If you don’t know what you want, what direction to take, when you plan to get started and when you plan to get there you could end up with regrets and disappointment about not getting anywhere.
Get busy in your spiral notebook looking over your wants and making your list of goals. Don’t leave any wants out, don’t discount one thing you want to make better or go for or wish you could achieve. You can weed out and prioritize later.
The intention of goal setting is to place the focus on results.
A key success tip in goal setting is the powerful SMART tool. There are many variations of this dynamic mnemonic:
S Specific (Spelled out or Significant)
M Measurable (Meaningful)
A Attainable (Action-Oriented or Achievable)
R Relevant (Realistic or Rewarding)
T Time-bound (Trackable)
You get more than one shot at writing out a goal, so plan on several drafts as you work toward learning how to coach yourself and others. Keep this tip sheet handy as you craft your goals.
Pick up your pen – Writing out your goals will help to crystallize your thinking and move you from wishing and hoping to truly shaping up a formidable goal.
Go for precision – Spell out precise, short, to the point goals. Putting dates, times, and amounts so you can measure results.
Set realistic goals – Remember, these are your goals. Others in your life will hand you goals (your employer, society, etc.). Your own goals need to be achievable. Be cautious to not set goals that are too difficult. As you investigate what obstacles might need to be considered and what skill sets are required you may need to tweak your goals.
Set goals that are dependent on you and your performance – Examine your goals to be certain you have as much control as possible on reaching the goal.
Express the goal in a positive framework – State the goal positively. “Write in my journal 15 minutes five days a week” is precise, action-oriented, meets the criteria that you are in charge and is worded in a positive manner. “Stop procrastinating about writing in my journal” is the polar opposite and ineffective.
Sift out the goal – This is challenging. Ask yourself is this goal a true reflection of my values? Who besides myself will benefit from me accomplishing this? These are hard questions for goals to get past. You will find the greatest satisfaction from working on and accomplishing goals that sync well with what matters most to you. You will find a groundswell of support when what you focus your time, energy and resources on is beneficial to others.
More to come on Coaching Yourself & Others so stay in the loop! Sign up for the blog so you don’t miss any segment of the series! Sign up for our newsletter, too. It’s free and full of tidbits that will help your personal and professional development.
Still learning,
Honey
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