The welcome of a New Year often brings with it hopes of new and improved habits as well as ambitions of pursuing new goals and resolutions.   

 In order to be successful in achieving your goals, you must begin with the most important step:

Map out a plan.

In the highway of life, a SMART goal is the road map to keep you on the best path to reach the destination of achievement rather than wandering aimlessly hoping to get there someday, somehow!

• S –  Specific
• M – Measurable
• A – Achievable
• R – Realistic
• T – Time Framed

Chances are, if you taken any sort of business, leadership, or even personal training class, you’ve heard reference to S.M.A.R.T goals. With this method (coined by Jim Rohn) you are challenged to produce an actual plan to achieve a particular goal, rather than just a vague idea or statement like, “I’d like to find a new job.” or “I’d like to loose some weight.” or “I want to get organized!”

Here’s a look at the acronym criteria to set your goals into motion:

Specific: 
Have you decided exactly what it is you want to accomplish? It’s easy to set goals that are difficult to judge whether they’ve been achieved or not. For example, a statement like “I will lose 6 pounds this month” is more specific than simply saying, “I’d like to loose some weight.”

Measurable: 
Goals need to be measurable. For example, I have a friend that would like to get more organized. But, “getting organized” is an ambiguous statement. A clearer objective is “I will spend 15 – 20 minutes a day de-cluttering.” It’s a simple, concrete goal. This makes it easy to see if you hit your target.


Achievable:
Goals need to be reasonable and achievable. I’m sure most of us has tried to drop a few pounds at one time or another. Most times, success or failure depends on setting practical goals. Building a house in one week for example is fairly unrealistic goal (unless you’re part of the cast of Extreme Home Makeover, perhaps).  Be mindful not to set yourself up for failure by setting goals that are decidedly out of your reach.

Realistic: 
Goals need to be realistic. Setting your sites on big goals are important, but one needs to remember to set goals that are realistic to your current situation and actual skill level.

Do you have the ability and commitment and flexibility to make your dream come true? Or does it need a little adjustment? For example, you may yearn to be a basketball or Broadway star, but do you have the time, talent and commitment to become a pro? Be honest. Could you be happy to pursue something more along the lines of a YMCA league or community theater and still feel fulfilled?

If you merely want to improve on a certain skill or trade – find a great teacher or coach to help train and mentor you through the process.


Time Framed: 
A set deadline will give your goals structure. For example, maybe you want to find a new job or start your own business. It’s easy to spend a lot of time talking and daydreaming or reading about what you’d like to do, someday. However, without an end date in mind, there is no sense of urgency, no reason to take any action day in and day out. Having a specific time frame gives you momentum to get started. It can also help to monitor your progress.

Good example: “I want to paint my kitchen cabinets white and add new hardware and have it done in two weeks. I’ll commit myself to working on it at least 2 hours every day until I reach completion.”