04/06/2020
SMART GOALS
Do you ever feel like you're working hard but not getting anywhere? Maybe you see little improvement in your achievements when you reflect on the last 5 or 10 years.
Many people spend their lives drifting from one job to another, or rushing around trying to get more done while actually accomplishing very little. It’s fundamental to set yourself objectives and goals, even resolutions, but it’s not all personal goals that need to 100% meet the SMART scale, some goals can only meet 80% or even less. That doesn’t make your goals any less important or attainable. A SMART goal is a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. Therefore, a SMART goal incorporates all of these criteria to help focus your efforts and increase the chances of achieving that goal.
At times, all your goals need is to be 80% SMART. Meaning, yes they have to be specific, measurable, achievable and realistic or relevant, but they don’t always have to be time-bound.
SPECIFIC: Your goal should be clear and specific, know exactly what it is you want to achieve. Ask yourself ‘What do I want to accomplish?’
MEASURABLE: You goal should be measurable in the sense that you are able to track your progress. Ask yourself, ‘How much?’, ‘How many?’, and what are your indicators of progress?
ACHIEVABLE: Your goal must be achievable and attainable. Your goal also needs to be realistic to be successful. In other words, it should stretch your abilities but still remain possible. Ask yourself if you have the capabilities and resources to achieve those goals, if not what’s missing and have others done it before? If the answer is yes, means you can also do it.
RELEVANT: Be realistic with your goals. Make sure the goal is relevant and matters to you. Ask yourself are you able to commit yourself to achieving the goal? ‘I’m going to own a multi-million pound enterprise by the end of the month’ Might be a tad too ambitious, don’t get me wrong ambition is a leading trait, but maybe start off with something more realistic, remember all successful business people don’t just become successful overnight.
So with the above, that meets 80% of the SMART scale. The remaining 20% is TIME-BOUND. Not all goals have to be time-bound, yes there has to be a time when you must realize your goals. But putting a time frame to it makes you feel like a failure if that deadline comes and you haven’t yet achieved that goal. On your journey to achieving your goals, you will fail multiple times before you actually succeed. And you can’t tell me, when you don’t meet your deadline, then that makes you a failure. No, it makes you more knowledgeable and more experienced to know what to do and what not to do, as you continue the journey to achieving your goals. As mentioned earlier that for you to achieve your goals you need resources and capabilities, thus, when you fail the first time, you have gained the resource of knowledge.
There is no time frame on when you can achieve your goals, at times you may not even know it that you have attained that goal until to try to evaluate yourself. So never think you are too late or not on time to achieving your set goals, the only deadline there is, is your death day. For as long as your have breath in you, keep pushing and never give up.
By Fannely Mbewe.
