Secrets to Effective Goal Setting

Have you set goals in your life and not been able to follow through? How many times to do you have an intention to change something in your life, start out enthusiastically and motivated and unfortunately are not able accomplish what you desire? Today I wanted to help you with some goal setting. In my practice I have seen many different ways that people set goals. Some people are very familiar with how to effectively set goals and they are able to implement follow-through with their own system. If you are one of those people this post would just be a reminder or another tool. For the rest of you that are looking for a system here is one that works for many. It is called setting SMART goals. The acronym SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.

What does this mean? It means that saying “I want to make more money in my business or I want more clients or I want to lose weight” are not SMART goals. An example of a SMART goal would be:

“I want to increase my income by 20% by September by taking on one new client a month by asking for referrals from my current clients, consistently marketing on social media and attending networking events so I can meet new prospects and grow my business”

another example

“I want to lose 10 lbs by August by increasing my workouts from 4 to 5 days a week and eliminating one restaurant meal a week”

Here is how the first goal would be broken down.

Specific

When you are specific you are able to break down tasks into steps to actually achieve your goal.

I want to increase my income by 20%

Measurable

Having a measurable goal gives you the ability to know you have achieved your goal.

Income is increased by 20%.

Achievable or Attainable

The steps I have chosen to take are things that I can do. I will be asking for referrals from current clients, consistently marketing on social media and attending networking events.

Relevant

Increasing my income is relevant to my business growth.

Timely

Do you have a deadline? Time-frame? I will take on one new client a month to increase my income.

Go ahead and try this for something that you would like to accomplish. Once you have your goal ready have it written out and actually schedule the tasks on your calendar. If you need support with reaching your goals. Please contact me for a complimentary consultation.