LLT: Set Goals and Accomplish Them

Setting goals is fairly easy, accomplishing them on the other hand can be rather difficult. I know this first hand since I use to never believe in setting goals, which is precisely why I chose this topic for Life Lessons Thursday. Hopefully most people set goals and are not like me. I use to not set goals because I believed that the let-down of not attaining a goal was greater than the feeling of accomplishment of reaching a goal. For years, and I mean years, I was oblivious to the fact at hand that I was indeed setting short term goals and I didn't even realize it. Once I realized I was setting short term goals I magically convinced myself that my theory only applied to long term goals. Finally, I came to terms with myself and realized that I was as not only as stubborn as a donkey but that I was missing out on a crucial step to helping me achieve whatever it was I wanted.

Once I realized I was a perpetual idiot, I talked to a few successful business men and asked them about goals and what they had thought about my previous philosophy. Needless to say, 85% thought and told me I was a complete moron and then they proceeded to educate me about goal setting. Here's what they explained:

Specific - A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six "W" questions:

*Who: Who is involved?
*What: What do I want to accomplish?
*Where: Identify a location.
*When: Establish a time frame.
*Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

EXAMPLE: A general goal would be, "Get in shape." But a specific goal would say, "Join a health club and workout 3 days a week."

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 goal.

To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

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 the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.

You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.

Realistic - To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.

Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.

Timely - A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there's no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? "Someday" won't work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, "by May 1st", then you've set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.

T can also stand for Tangible - A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing. When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.

The bottom line: Set goals and give it your all to accomplish them. You'll be surprised at how much you accomplish!