Goal Setting: How to

Good Morning!

Now that we know how important it is in our lives to set goals. We are going to talk about how to set them out so you reach them as soon as possible! The easiest way to make sure you reach whatever goal you are reaching for is to make your goals SMART:

So lets break down each of these elements and see how they work:

Specific:

Is the What, Why, and How of the SMART model.

• WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate, lead, develop, plan, build etc.
• WHY is this important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish?
• HOW are you going to do it? (By…)

Ensure the goals you set is very specific, clear and easy. Instead of setting a goal to lose weight or be healthier, set a specific goal to lose 2cm off your waistline or to walk 5 miles at an aerobically challenging pace.

Measurable:
If you can't measure it, you can't manage it. 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 goals.

Attainable:Goals you set which are too far out of your reach, you probably won’t commit to doing. Although you may start with the best of intentions, the knowledge that it’s too much for you means your subconscious will keep reminding you of this fact and will stop you from even giving it your best.
A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real commitment from you. For instance, if you aim to lose 20lbs in one week, we all know that isn’t achievable. But setting a goal to lose 1lb and when you’ve achieved that, aiming to lose a further 1lb, will keep it achievable for you. The feeling of success which this brings helps you to remain motivated.

Realistic:
Realistic, in this case, means “do-able.” It means that the learning curve is not a vertical slope; that the skills needed to do the work are available; that the project fits with the overall strategy and goals of the organization. A realistic project may push the skills and knowledge of the people working on it but it shouldn’t break them.

Be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! Too difficult and you set the stage for failure, but too low sends the message that you aren’t very capable. Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement!

Timely:Set a timeframe for the goal: for next week, in three months, by fifth grade. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards. If you don’t set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time. Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to start taking action now.



Specific: I want to lose 10lbs through healthy eating and 1 hour of exercise 5 days/week
Measurable: I will weigh myself 1x per week
Attainable: 10 lbs is an attainable goal
Realistic: 10 lbs is a realistic goal
Timely: I want to lose 10lbs in 10 week - since 1lb/week is healthy and safe this is good!

So now my SMART goal will read: "I want to lose 10lbs in the next 10 weeks through healthy eating and 1 hour of exercise 5 days/week". Now I'm in business!

I would like to challenge each and everyone of you to pick one goal that you want to achieve and before you go to bed tonight turn it in to a SMART Goal! It may not seem important but this simple step can make the difference between it being a goal and a dream.

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)

PS Not sure where this underlining is coming from and why I can't turn it off.... hopefully we'll be back to normal tomorrow!