Goal Setting

Setting Goals:

Most everyone has dreams. But not everyone has goals. A goal is something you set for yourself to achieve within a specific timeline. While some goals can be achieved in a day, others may take years to reach. To achieve your goals efficiently, they should be carefully planned, and evaluated with the acronym SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound

The First Step:

The first step is to clearly define your goal. However, goals are just dreams without a solid plan. To begin the planning process, identify your goal’s deadline so you can organize your time efficiently. For example, if your goal is to win a medal in a track event, your deadline would be the day of the competition. Then, from today, you can plan specific days of the week to train. Keep in mind that although your goal should be challenging, starting off too hard will likely lead to frustration. If you break your goals into manageable mini goals, you are more likely to be successful. 

Using SMART:

The goals you set should be accurate, achievable, and SMART. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
-A specific goal provides a clear focus.
–Measurable goals can be tracked to show progression.
–Attainable goals show that your goal is challenging and realistic.
–Relevant goals align with your personal values and long-term objectives.
-Finally, time-bound goals have a deadline rather than left to be achieved “someday.”
Keeping your goals SMART will make them easier and more defined to achieve.

Final Thoughts

All in all, to achieve goals, they must be thoughtfully planned and evaluated to ensure they are SMART, or assessed using other methods that confirm your goals are realistic and achievable. Goals without plans are just dreams. But when backed by structure and intention, goals push us to what we want to become. Setting and planning goals is the first step towards personal development and long-term achievements