Week 2: SMART Goals

Have you resolved to make 2010 the best year of your Life?

New Year's is a unique holiday. It's the only holiday that celebrates the passage of time. Perhaps that's why, as the final seconds of the year tick away, we tend to become introspective.

Then we wonder: how did time get away from us? And why did all our hopes and dreams never materialize? Inevitably, that introspection turns to thoughts of self-improvement and the annual ritual of making Resolutions, which we’ve all been doing so diligently over the last week or so.

We all do it. We swear to ourselves, "This is THE year" for transforming our lives and fulfilling our goals. We are determined to keep all the promises to lose weight, stop smoking, make more money, be more patient...just fill in the blanks.

Throughout January, millions of people from around the world will ask themselves questions as they figure out how to make 2010 the best year of their lives.

The following is a creative exercise for you to think about how to surpass your potential this year.

In 2010, I'm finally going to __________________________! How would YOU fill in this blank?

Now fast-forward to December 31st - New Years Eve, 2010. You're reflecting on the past year, jotting down a few notes in your journal.

"I've got a lot to be thankful for this year...

I reduced my credit card debt by $_______________________________.

I feel great and now fit into my ________________________________.

I have achieved a number of goals to include ____________________.

I have exceeded my own expectations by __________________________.

So, what did YOU write down? What are your aspirations for the coming year?

Well, this doesn't have to be just a fun little exercise. It can be something much better...

By getting serious about your goals this year, you can turn these dreams into reality.

Last newsletter, we mentioned the concept of SMART goals – SMART is just an acronym to help you remember the elements of a good goal. Here they are:

Specific – your goal needs to be a specific statement of exactly what you want to achieve.

Measureable – you need to be able measure progress against your goal. Some goals, like weight loss, are easy to measure. For goals with no obvious measure, then you’ll need to come up with some kind of ranking system.

Actionable – to achieve your goal, you’ll need a set of step by step actions that you can take to achieve your goal. Goals won’t happen if you just sit around waiting for them to.

Realistic – don’t bite off more than you can chew!

Time-bound – set yourself a deadline, of you’ll just keep putting it off for another day.

Now this may all sound pretty simple – and it is – but you need to put some genuine thought into your goals to make sure they are going to suit you, and so that you can actually achieve them.

The Life Planning Program that we keep harping on about (sorry, I’m going to do it again!) is based on the SMART goal concept, but includes lots of other insights into the world of success and achievement. It’s a workbook style program that you can work through at your own pace, and is supported by practical tools, templates and assessments – and it’s all FREE!

I also recommend that you download the FREE trial of the goal setting software, GoalPro. Even if you don’t go on to purchase the program, just by using the FREE trial you actually learn so much about goal setting. So just try it as a learning exercise!

And don’t forget the products from the GoalsGuy. They offer step-by-step goal setting and achievement programs and lead you every step of the way, so you just can’t stop achieving your goals.

The GoalsGuy has a great program starting today – The 100 Day Challenge. This is an excellent program, designed to get you start the year fast!

There’s also the Got Resolutions program, which is a step by step system for setting and achieving your New Year's Resolutions.

And don’t forget, you can try one or more of the following FREE resources to help you on your journey:

So what are you waiting for – set some goal today, and make 2010 the best year ever!