A really important aspect to achieving success in any endeavor is the creation of proper goals.

Without goals…there is no direction to focus on and without direction and no real firm game plan your ideas will just be floating around in your head with nowhere to go.

Proper goals allow us to view exactly where we are and where we want to be. They are the “game plan” that gets us there.

Setting SMART goals is a concept that is the perfect strategy for ensuring that any goal you have set is lined up properly for success.

What exactly are SMART goals?

A SMART goal is one that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, results oriented and time-bound. They should be simply written and clearly define what you are going to do.

Specific: Make sure your goals are not a vague generalization of something you want to accomplish. Specific means they need to be a firm place you want to be or something specific you want to obtain. If you are not specific when creating your goals…how will you know when you have achieved them?

Measurable: If you have created “specific” goals then they will also be “measurable.” This simply means that you will know when you have achieved them. You may have some goals that are harder to actually “measure” such as the goal of “having more energy.” Just make sure to balance these goals with goals that are measurable.

Attainable: Your goals must also be attainable. You must have the skills or you are working at achieving the skills that help you to achieve your goals. Make sure that whatever it is that you are working towards is something that you can in fact accomplish given the skill set, resources and tools at your disposal. They need to be achievable yet they should stretch you enough so that you feel challenged but defined enough to achieve them. Achievable goals will motivate and inspire you while “impossible” goals will demotivate you.

Working towards a goal that is not attainable will only lead to growing more and more frustrated as time goes on.

Relevant: A key to achieving your goals is to make sure that you are going after goals that are near and dear to your heart…not someone else’s. If you are just trying to impress others you will eventually run out of steam. If your goals are not personal to you, the chances that you will continue to make sacrifices to reach them will be slim to none.  Your goals need to be relevant to what it is you want to be accomplishing in your life.

Timeline: The last piece to SMART goals is a timeline. Without a timeline to work within, you will likely fall prey to procrastination. You’ll begin pushing your goals farther and farther into the future until you eventually come back and see that a whole year has passed yet you are not one step closer to achieving your goals than you were previously. Your timeline must be quite strict. It must keep you moving forward with some degree of effort yet be flexible enough for things to come up in your life and still allow you to reach your goals. It’s best to set your timeline when you initially set your goals but it is also important that you are reviewing it regularly to be sure that it is still relevant.

You can employ the help of friends and family by telling them about your timeline. They can help you to prevent yourself from slipping and extending your timeline beyond your initial plans.

SMART goals are the key to ensuring that you see success with your plan. Any goal or objective you set for yourself should be focused around these concepts.

“How You Do The Small Things Is How You Do The BIG Things” is a complete guide to fostering a healthier and more positive mindset and realizing true success in all that you want in your life.