SMART Goal Setting



I encourage you to pick up a pen and a piece of paper and jot down the goals you want to reach. Look at each goal and evaluate it. Make any changes necessary to ensure it meets the criteria for a SMART goals:

S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely
Specific
Goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen. Specifics help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do.

Specific is the What, Why, and How of the SMART model.

WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate, lead, develop, plan, build etc.

WHY is this important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish?

HOW are you going to do it? (By...)

Ensure the goals you set is very specific, clear and easy. Instead of setting a goal to lose weight or be healthier, set a specific goal to lose 2cm off your waistline or to walk 5 miles at an aerobically challenging pace.

Measurable
If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. In the broadest sense, the whole goal statement is a measure for the project; if the goal is accomplished, the is a success. However, there are usually several short-term or small measurements that can be built into the goal.

Choose a goal with measurable progress, so you can see the change occur. How will you see when you reach your goal? Be specific! "I want to read 3 chapter books of 100 pages on my own before my birthday" shows the specific target to be measure. "I want to be a good reader" is not as measurable.

Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goals.

Attainable
When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop that attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. Your begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.

Goals you set which are too far out of your reach, you probably won't commit to doing. Although you may start with the best of intentions, the knowledge that it's too much for you means your subconscious will keep reminding you of this fact and will stop you from even giving it your best.

A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real commitment from you. For instance, if you aim to lose 20lbs in one week, we all know that isn't achievable. But setting a goal to loose 1lb and when you've achieved that, aiming to lose a further 1lb, will keep it achievable for you.

The feeling of success which this brings helps you to remain motivated.

Realistic
This is not a synonym for "easy." Realistic, in this case, means "do-able." It means that the learning curve is not a vertical slope; that the skills needed to do the work are available; that the project fits with the overall strategy and goals of the organization. A realistic project may push the skills and knowledge of the people working on it but it shouldn't break them.

Devise a plan or a way of getting there which makes the goal realistic. The goal needs to be realistic for you and where you are at the moment. A goal of never again eating sweets, cakes, crisps and chocolate may not be realistic for someone who really enjoys these foods.

For instance, it may be more realistic to set a goal of eating a piece of fruit each day instead of one sweet item. You can then choose to work towards reducing the amount of sweet products gradually as and when this feels realistic for you.

Be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! Too difficult and you set the stage for failure, but too low sends the message that you aren't very capable. Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement!

Timely
Set a timeframe for the goal: for next week, in three months, by fifth grade. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.

If you don't set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time. Without a time limit, there's no urgency to start taking action now.

Time must be measurable, attainable and realistic.




Everyone will benefit from goals and objectives if they are SMART. SMART, is the instrument to apply in setting your goals and objectives.

5 Facts About Goal Setting

These practical tips on goal setting can help make it easier to set and reach goals:
1. Specific, realistic goals work best. When it comes to making a change, the people who succeed are those who set realistic, specific goals. "I'm going to recycle all my plastic bottles, soda cans, and magazines" is a much more doable goal than "I'm going to do more for the environment." And that makes it easier to stick with.
2. It takes time for a change to become an established habit. It will probably take a couple of months before any changes — like getting up half an hour early to exercise — become a routine part of your life. That's because your brain needs time to get used to the idea that this new thing you're doing is part of your regular routine.
3. Repeating a goal makes it stick. Say your goal out loud each morning to remind yourself of what you want and what you're working for. (Writing it down works too.) Every time you remind yourself of your goal, you're training your brain to make it happen.
4. Pleasing other people doesn't work. The key to making any change is to find the desire within yourself — you have to do it because you want it, not because a girlfriend, boyfriend, coach, parent, or someone else wants you to. It will be harder to stay on track and motivated if you're doing something out of obligation to another person.
5. Roadblocks don't mean failure. Slip-ups are actually part of the learning process as you retrain your brain into a new way of thinking. It may take a few tries to reach a goal. But that's OK — it's normal to mess up or give up a few times when trying to make a change. So remember that everyone slips up and don't beat yourself up about it. Just remind yourself to get back on track.

Obedience

Obedience to our Lord in every facet of our lives is the key to inner security and experiencing the presence of Christ.
I recall one wealthy and influential businessman in California who sacrificed everything he had to care for his dying wife. Eventually he spent his fortune seeking to find a cure for her disease.
By the time I learned of their situation, they had lost their entire fortune including their palatial home. They were living in modest circumstances in a little trailer on a parking lot in Hollywood.
I went to see them with fear and trembling. How in the world could I, a healthy, young Christian businessman, identify with this poverty-stricken husband? He had already lost his large fortune and was about to lose his most precious friend and mate of nearly forty years.
The trailer was neat as a pin. When I stepped into their humble home, it was as though I were entering a corner of heaven. There, sitting beside his dying wife, was this man holding her hand. Both of them had radiant faces. The joy of the Lord filled the place.
I had come to minister to them, but they ministered to me instead. They were trusting God with their lives. Like Job, they were saying of their Lord, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope (trust) in him..." (Job 13:15).
I will always remember the peace of heart and mind that this couple enjoyed because they had learned to trust and obey the will and ways of God even in the midst of tragedy.
Many people hope to find security in their possessions when only a right relationship with God can bring abundant life. Through the years, I have become increasingly convinced that there are no unhappy obedient Christians. Furthermore, I have never met a person living a disobedient life who can honestly say that he is happy. I have observed many Christians like the businessman and his dying wife, however, who have found peace and blessing in tough times because they were walking with God in faith and obedience.
We can find no lasting security in a life apart from God as the Lord of our lives. God alone is the owner of all that we possess and the total source of our supply. Are you experiencing the joy of Christ in your life? His love? His peace? The sense of His direction? If not, could it be that you are not obeying His commands? When you withhold the resources that God has entrusted to you for His work, He has little with which to bless you, and your life becomes unfruitful and unhappy.
We are not our own anymore; we have been bought with a price, the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:18-20). Giving Him control of our time, talents, and treasure is our way of expressing gratitude to our great and glorious God and Father for all that He has done to fill us with His presence.

Children, Obey Your Parents

God's Word, the Bible, teaches children to respect, honor, and obey their parents.
COLOSSIANS 3:20 says Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
EPHESIANS 6:1-3 says Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."

Submit To Parents

1 TIMOTHY 3:4 ....... having his children in submission with all reverence
Children should submit to their parents and show them respect.
Even if your parents do not serve God, you still must respect and obey them. However, God does not expect you to obey them when they tell you to sin by doing wrong things. (see Acts 5:29)

Rebellious Children Were Killed

From the Old Testament we learn how serious it is for children not to submit to their parents. The punishment was very severe. In those days children who refused to submit to their parents were killed!
We are not living under the Old Testament law, but it was written to teach us. It shows us what God thinks of rebellious children.

DEUTERONOMY 21:18-21 NKJ 18 "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them,

19 "then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city.

20 "And they shall say to the elders of his city, `This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.'

21 "Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil person from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.

Here's today's proven step to success!

Step 4. Integrity

Not doing what's wrong is a given, most people understand this. Ifyou're not doing this already, it's probably a good idea to start.

Integrity is more than that though. It is also doing what youconsider to be right.Keeping your word is an important part of integrity.

To be asuccess you will need the help of people. Who would you rather wantto help? Someone who is unreliable? Makes excuses? Goes back ontheir word? Or, someone who reliable and trustworthy? Being knownas a person of your word will get you farther than almost anythingelse on the path to success.

Take responsibility. If you make a mistake, the right thing to do isadmit it. A person of integrity does even more; they try to fix it.Taking responsibility does not mean making excuses. Just saying you are wrong may not be enough either.

Take charge and do your best tomake it right.Act with integrity and you will attract those with a similarmindset to your own!

Just to recap, we've discussed the following proven steps to leadyou to never-ending success:

Step1. Honesty

Step2. Seek Proper Advice

Step3. Enthusiasm

Step4. Integrity

Step5. ...check your Email tomorrow!

To your success,

Gary EvansGood To Feel Goodhttp://www.goodtofeelgood.com

SECOND STEP TO SUCCESS

The second proven step to success is knowing where to seek GOODadvice... Everyone's got an opinion these days, but why should youlisten to their opinion?

Step 2. Seek Proper Advice

Most people feel advice is worth what it costs - nothing. This is probably true in most cases. Do you want to know the ultimate secret about seeking advice?
It is very simple, but often overlooked. Here it is. Ask the right person for the right advice. Don't let the sheer simplicity of this statement trick you.

It is very powerful, but also easy to overlook. This technique works in any field - studies, exams, health, spiritual matters, business, finances,relationships, and so on.Let's say you are having some small problem with maths. Would it make sense to complain to a language teacher and then ask for his advice? Or, would it make more sense to seek the advice of a Maths teacher who has been teaching for 30 years?
Obviously, if youwant to have success, the latter choice makes a lot more sense, yet people tend to be care free in asking for and giving advice. Here is some advice that may actually be worth something. Starting now, try to ask yourself this question before seeking advice.

"What makes this person qualified to give me advice".To be fair, when someone asks you for advice that you are less than qualified to give, let them know and try to steer them in the rightdirection to someone who is well experienced with the subject.Be warned though! If you are asking someone who has "been there and done that", then you have to be willing to follow their advice.
After all they've already mapped out a route that successfully worked for them. Should you seek a second opinion? Yes! Take advice from the professionals in that field and take advice from many of them. If the response is congruent with the majority of them then you know you've just found some good advice.
It is easier to be carefree in seeking advice, but it is alwaysmore productive when you seek it from experts.
wish you all the Success.

FIRST STEP TO SUCCESS

Success is something you have to practice and so these 7 importantproven steps will provide the perfect foundation for you to build upon. So, to get you started immediately, here's your first success principle.

Step 1. Honesty

Lying for personal gain always ends up being counter-productive inthe long run. Why? Because truth is the foundation upon which ourdealings with others are built. Being a person of your word is a vital element to success. In thewords of William Shakespeare: "The good I stand on is my truth and honesty".

Success is not achieved entirely by yourself. On your way tosuccess you will undoubtedly be aided by other people. If you arenot honest with them you will only create feelings of bitterness.If you are not honest with yourself you will wonder why you arewhere you are. Any success you achieve using dishonesty will beartificial. What is really surprising is that sometimes the truth is just aseasy to tell.

For whatever reason, people still choose to lie. Thefirst step to shifting to a more honesty centered self isrecognizing the lie and correcting it right away. Ask yourself, "How does this impact my life?" If you are beinghonest with yourself, you will see that you probably have a lot ofwork to do. I feel it is easier to be objective than it is to behonest. You should consider adopting the approach that your words are gold.As a deliberate creator you must realise that in order to createyour world just as you want it, your words and thoughts will play ahuge roll in that.

If you are using your words without any realmeaning behind them, then why should the universe take your wordsas serious requests?Statements such as:- I'll call you back tomorrow- I'm too busy to chat right now- I can't see you tonight, I have too much onAll of these can cause the power of your word to weaken, if you saythem without attaching any truth to them. When you give your wordand don't mean or honour it, you detract from your power to deliberately create your own experiences.

The concept of being truthful with others is promoted from a veryyoung age; sometimes successfully, sometimes less so.What about white lies? What about lies of omission? What about truth that is delivered without tact? What about truth that is intended to harm? These questions are all valid and point to the apparent difficultyof what real truth is. The answer can be summed up with thisintentionally thought provoking and vague statement: "It is always best to tell the truth, sometimes".

So, your first proven step to success is to be more careful withyour words and only ever make statements that you truly believe tobe true.