Individuals and businesses alike often use this time of year to focus on setting goals and priorities for the upcoming year. In fact, it is estimated that approximately 44% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions. Unfortunately, the majority completely abandon their goal by February and resort back to their old ways. Why is it that so many fall short of reaching the one goal that they feel is most important?
Well, let’s explore a common personal goal: “I want to lose 10 lbs.”
What is wrong with this goal? It isn’t SMART.
Serious goalsetters, both individuals and businesses, know that they must be SMART about their goals. However, very few know that they can actually be SMARTeR about their goals! SMARTeR goals are: Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic, Time-Bound and can be evaluated and Rewarded.
Here is an example of a SMARTeR goal: “I will lose 10 lbs by March 1st by eliminating fried food and exercising 3 days a week for 45 minutes. I will weigh in weekly and reward myself with a new swimsuit on March 1st!”
Specific – Yep. It is very detailed and understandable
Measurable – 10 lbs
Action-Oriented – Eliminating fried food and exercising
Realistic – You bet. The goal is 10 lbs, not 100 lbs.
Time-Bound – March 1st
evaluate – Weekly weigh ins
Reward – The new swimsuit!!
Businesses are just as guilty of having goals that are not SMARTeR as well. It is not unusual to hear a goal like, “I want to grow our profits next year.” Like personal goals businesses need to be SMARTeR to achieve results. How are they going to achieve this goal? Do they want to increase profits by $1 or $1,000,000? How will they know that they are becoming more profitable? You get the point.
So, make sure that you set goals that you can track, evaluate, and reward as you progress through the year. Some other tips include automating the tracking of your goals and finding an accountability partner to ensure you stay committed to your success
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