SMART Goals

[RainMan]

A useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART mnemonic. While there are plenty of variants, SMART usually stands for:

* S Specific
* M Measurable
* A Attainable
* R Relevant
* T Time-bound


Think of something specific you want, that you know you can achieve. It's okay to dream big, but don't set yourself up for failure is what I mean. Make sure it's something real, not just "Gee I want to find a steak to cook tonight." Also, give yourself enough time to do it. Don't decide to sail the entire world in 10 days. It won't happen.

[boots]

That's a good way to look at things. Setting reasonable goals are good cause you can accomplish more of them!

[Steven]

That's my problem then. My goals are too unrealistic and unattainable in the amount of time I give myself

[Anchorman]

Is your goal reachable within your time frame? Don't set yourself up to fail. If you have one big goal then you have to break it down into smaller parts, or short term goals. Remember, you will do better if you take baby steps than one big giant step.

There must be an action tied to each goal. For instance, if your goal is to graduate from college three years from now, the actions tied to that would be to complete the remaining 94 credits you need to complete your bachelor's degree. You would then plan how many credits you would need to take each semester to reach your desired goal. Furthermore, you would need to figure out what actions you would need to take to support yourself financially while attending school.

There's one more thing to remember when setting your goals — be flexible. If you encounter barriers that seem like they might impede your progress, don't give up on your goals. Instead, modify them to meet your current situation. However, if a particular goal becomes something that is no longer important to you, then you should be open to letting it go. That will allow you to put your energy into pursuing goals that are important to you. By using these criteria when setting your goals you will give yourself the best possible chance of achieving the things you want.




careerplanning.about.com/od/settinggoals/a/goal_setting_3.htm