“I set clear and well-defined goals, carefully consider potential obstacles, and create a plan to overcome them, ensuring my success.”
In my work, I find that while most people set goals, they don’t think through the entire process and adequately prepare themselves for successful execution.
For example, often, when people seek my advice or guidance on goal setting, they don’t have a clear goal in mind. I actually start my investment consultations with “What is your end goal, what do you want to achieve, why do you want to invest in real estate?”
From there, I continue with more questions to unpack their true objective, and then we set goals and create an investment strategy from there. It all starts with the goal first.
In my personal life, I had to learn to fully think through as many hidden barriers or people that could be affected by my changes, positively or negatively. As a wife and mother, every change I make in my schedule or routine will ultimately be felt by those closest to me, my family. It’s important to take the proper steps to think through the unforeseen outcomes of setting your goals for success.
To achieve success, setting goals and planning are crucial – a message often echoed in various channels and podcasts. However, it’s not as simple as it sounds, especially if you’re like me.
It’s a good idea to consider who your actions might impact, potential effects on yourself, and any hidden obstacles you might be overlooking. Unexpected challenges during your journey can easily throw you off course, leading many to leave their goals unattained.
I am constantly reevaluating my goals to ensure my plan and goals align, I use the SMART Goals format to help keep me on track.
In this article, I want to encourage you to reevaluate your goals and ensure that you have a solid plan in place.
What are SMART Goals?
Goal setting is important for success, in both business and personal life. Implementing and executing actions to achieve goals is crucial. Setting unclear or unrealistic goals leads to disappointment and a feeling of failure. Be true to yourself. Does your schedule allow you to achieve your goals? Or, maybe focus on one or two.
SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Developing a solid goal-setting strategy using the SMART criteria can greatly improve your chances of achieving success.
Specific: I’ve found one of the main reasons people struggle to reach their goals is because they are not clear about what they want to achieve.
Instead of setting vague goals like “I want to be more present for my family” or “I want to grow my business,” make sure your goals are specific.
For example, set a goal like “I want to volunteer more at my child’s school” or “I want to increase business revenue by 20%.” By clearly defining your objectives, you have a better chance of staying focused and motivated.
I set a goal this year to increase my volunteer work from majority work industry service to service that involves and impacts my children, which also increases my time with them.
Measurable: Your goals should be quantifiable so you can track your progress and know when you have achieved them.
Ensuring your goal is measurable also helps maintain motivation—it’s much easier to stay committed when you can see how far you’ve come and how close you are to completion.
For instance, instead of aiming to “read more,” you could set a goal like “reading one book per month.” Speaking of books, one of my favorite books on goal setting is The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.
Measuring success doesn’t just boost morale but also helps you adjust your strategy if needed.
To measure a goal this year, I became a leader in my kids’ school PTA. Instead of being a Co-Room Parent, I am now Chairing the Room Parent Committee. This allows me to be more involved in the classroom, and get to know my kids’ classmates, school administration, and teachers better. I will measure my involvement based on the number of committee meetings and activities I attend.
Achievable: Your goals should be challenging but attainable with hard work and dedication. If your goals are too easy, you won’t be motivated to achieve them.
Setting realistic goals is key. Dreaming big is great, but unattainable goals can hinder success in the long run. So, let’s stay grounded.
When setting my involvement goal, I considered my current commitments. What’s the time commitment? Are there other meetings? What’s the objective? Is there a structured format or do I have to create it?
With these questions, I am looking for the unseen labor time commitment that would be required that isn’t usually considered when someone asks you or you step into a new position. Asking these questions allowed me to truly evaluate whether I would have the capacity to achieve this goal.
Relevant: Ask yourself: Does this goal align with my broader business or personal growth vision? If the answer is no, then it might be time to reassess. Working towards relevant goals will help you be more efficient and avoid wasting time and resources on unimportant stuff.
Time-bound: Deadlines help to push us forward. By setting a specific time limit, we can focus on our goals and work efficiently. Having a clear deadline encourages us to manage our time better and avoid procrastination. In this way, deadlines act as a motivating factor for achieving progress in our tasks and projects.
I wanted to accomplish this goal, this year and took the step to commit.
Now that we have a better understanding of SMART goals let’s explore how they can skyrocket your success in business and life:
Make Your SMART Goals Soar
- Clarity and focus: Identifying what really matters to you, whether in your personal life or business, is super important when setting goals. It helps you allocate your resources and energy efficiently to achieve those goals.
- Increased motivation and Sense of Achievement: When goals are doable and make sense, they get you pumped up and committed to success. You’ll be naturally stoked to hustle towards targets that matter and are within reach.
Reaching a SMART goal is highly rewarding, as it represents a tangible accomplishment in your personal or professional life. This sense of achievement fosters self-confidence.
- Taking Action leads to Enhanced productivity: Armed with concrete deadlines (time-bound aspect), SMART goals help you prioritize tasks effectively, leading to improved efficiency as you continuously complete one milestone after another.
- Self-accountability: Check yourself. And even better – tell someone else and ask them to check in with you or with each other. I like to tell my spouse, coach, or therapist.
Having shared goals and someone to hold you accountable can make a big difference in reaching your goals faster. It’s also important to regularly check your progress and make any necessary adjustments along the way. But don’t forget about self-accountability – it’s what keeps you constantly improving.
So, whether you’re a mother, entrepreneur or simply wanting to elevate your place in life or any other endeavor, remember to set SMART goals to fuel your success and then IMPLEMENT. Take Action.
Inspired and want more? Join my exclusive mailing list right now! I’m super excited for us to continue on this journey together! 🏠💕