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"The successful person

is the average person, focused."

-Billy Sunday

 

 

The Power of Goals

• Goals give us motivation. We are engineered and function best when we move in the direction of our dreams and aspirations. All of us have an natural desire to make progress and move forward. Without goals it is easy to drift aimlessly and without purpose.
• Goals give us focus. Our time is limited. We can’t do everything we want to.
• Goals help us make wise decisions. It separates the important from the irrelevant. Goals help us avoid going off on rabbit trails.
• Goals give us confidence. When we make a plan and take the steps to achieve the plan, we earn self respect. Once we attain a goal, we have the confidence to set higher goals. There is an upward spiral of achievement and confidence.
• Goals give us fulfillment. Oliver Wendell Holmes said that most people die with music still in them. Goals turn our dreams into reality. Deciding what is important and then going after it leaves little room for regret.

SMART Goals

Goals are not vague wishes or unrealistic dreams. There is a specific process to setting meaningful goals. Many people use the SMART Model of goal setting.

• Specific. A SMART goal is measurable. It is clear whether or not it has been achieved.
• Meaningful. A SMART goal is something that is important to you. It gets you out of bed and sustains your focus and energy.
• Ambitious. A SMART goal stretches and challenges you. It cannot be attained without significant effort and diligence.
• Realistic. A SMART goal is achievable. An unrealistic goal is demotivating. There needs to be a healthy tension in whether or not you will attain your goal.
• Time-bound. A SMART goal has an end date. A goal without a deadline will lack the positive pressure needed to maintain motivation.

Types of Goals

Long term and short term. Goals can and should be both long and short term. Goals are useful for ambitions far in the future and for what you want to achieve by then end of the day. And everything in between.

Destination goals and sub-goals. If a goal is too far in the future, it may not be motivating at the moment. It’s important to have regular wins. For example, if someone has a goal to lose 30 pounds, that may take some time. Having a weekly goal of losing one and half pounds per week keeps the positive pressure on. It creates small victories on the way to the destination goal.

Outcome goals and process goals. Outcome goals are results oriented goals. Process goals focus on what you will do to achieve the outcome goal.