BalanceNewsletter005

Today's Article: How to design empowering goals!

Have you had a goal that always seems to elude you? Maybe it involves making lifestyle changes that promote a more physically healthy life. Perhaps its reaching a state of finanancial well being. Or could it be taking the first step towards turning that childhood dream into reality. Regardless of your vision, there are attributes of the way a goal is framed that will have a direct impact on the likelihood of it being successfully achieved.

Its very possible that you've heard the SMART acronym before, however there are many versions of SMART when it comes to goal setting. One that I've found to be incredibly empowering is a model of SMART goals which the Academy for Coaching Excellence has embraced. In order to maximize the chance for successfully attaining your goals, they must have all of the following attributes:

*Specific - to be successful at accomplishing a goal, we must first know specifically what it is that we want to accomplish. Become clear of your vision, and craft a goal that is has direction and has no ambiguity
*Measurable - now that you've got a specific goal, test it for 'measurability'. Ask yourself how will I know if I have successfully completed the goal? Can a friend tell you that you completed your goal? So, you might imagine, 'feeling better' is not a goal, however completing a walking marathon definitely passes the measurability test.
*Attainable - we want our goals to be a stretch, something that will push us, but something that we know is attainable as well. Pie in the sky goals will only lead to frustration when they are not completed. Make goals that are realistic and build on your successes.
*Relevant - What passion are you fulfilling by completing this goal. What is your intrinsic reason 'why' you will be successful. A goal needs to come from within, it needs to touch your heart, when this connection has been made, you'll have an internal motivation to seeing the goal through to success. A goal can never be forced upon you by someone else.
*Time Based - All goals need a date. Ask yourself what happens when we don't have a date. Of course, we let it slip and slip into next week, next month, and next year. Keep your goals set within one year. After a year, the commitment to a goal will generally not be strong enough to ensure you make action today. (by all means, have a vision for 5 and 10 years, just keep the goals smaller, as steps towards making your vision come true)

When you've designed a SMART goal, you may find that taking action towards turning your goal into a reality is not only easy, but that its fun! Perhaps you are finding out that the goals you've set in the past are not even goals at all! I hope this tool is as useful for you as it has been for me!