The SMART Method Helps You Succeed At Anything!

The focus of this article is goal setting, which is an important part of turning your dreams into reality. A goal is simply a target you aim at with your ambitions and aspirations. No matter what you want to accomplish having a goal greatly improves your chances of making it happen.

Since having goals is a smart thing to do, use each letter of the word smart to represent an element of goal setting. This helps you remember the basics.

S - Set
M - Measure
A - Action
R - Review
T - Transition

Set - Setting a goal is nothing more than selecting something you want to change or something you want to attain. You should have some idea of how much time and effort is needed to reach your goal. Be realistic because trying to reach a goal that is far beyond what you are capable of may lead to disappointment. Saving money for a down payment on a new house is a good goal. However, be sure the home you want is within the budget of your expected future income.

Measure - You need a way to measure your progress. It is good to establish some milestones along the way and make each milestone a mini-goal. Concentrate on getting to one milestone at a time. Splitting a major goal into small mini-goals may make it easier to be successful. For example, if you want to lose fifty pounds, it's better to work on losing 5-8 pounds per month rather than thinking about all 50 pounds. People in MLM might want to set a mini-goal of sponsoring so many people each month.

Action - Take action and do what is needed to reach each of your milestones. If you are on a weight loss program, the action might include low fat meals and exercise. For saving money, the action is to put aside a set amount each payday. Taking the needed action may require tenacity, persistence, as well as drive and determination to reach your goal.

Review - Review your progress on a regular basis to determine if you are on track with your original milestone schedule. It may be necessary to revise your mini-goals, either the way they are measured or the time it takes to reach each one. It is always better to revise the mini-goals and continue on toward your major goal instead of giving up all together.

Transition - As you reach each milestone, and especially when the major goal is achieved, you will see/feel a transition of a sort. This transition is a change from the way it used to be to the way it is now as your new reality emerges. Some changes may be rather subtle, but you can take pride knowing that you set a goal and made a difference by taking action.

Making a New Year's resolution is good. However, all too often, nothing becomes of the resolution because it was just a good thought and not a real goal. It is important to understand why you want to make a change.

Understanding the reason for wanting to reach a goal and how the change might benefit you can be a powerful motivation for you to make it happen.
 
 

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