SMART Way To Set Your Goals!

New year eve..many of us try to set our goals for 2009.

But how do you set goals?

According to Lindsay Agnes, author of 'Change Your Life with NLP'-"a goal is stated simply and according to the principles of SMART objectives"

What is SMART?

1. Specific-goals should best straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen. for exmple, instead of setting a goal to lose weight or be healthier, set a specific goal to lose 2 centimetres off your waistline or to walk 5 miles a day.


2. Measurable-if you can't measure it, you can't manage it. choose a goal with measurable progress, so you can see the change occur. for example, "I want to write one chapter a day for my book" shows the specific target to be measured


3. Achievable-all your goals should be achievable, which means they should be within the bounds of possibility for you. For example, "it is within the bounds of possibility that I can win the KL Marathon this year"..


4. Realistic-this provides the check on achievable.it may be possible for me to win the KL Marathon, but is it realistic? Realistic means 'do-able'. set the bar high enough to find out what you are capable of but not so high that you will frustrate yourself when you never get there.


5. Timed-set a clear time frame for the goal: for next week, in three months, a year, 5 years etc. if you don't set a time, the commitment is too vague. it tends not too happen because you feel you can start at any time. without a time limit, there's no urgency to start taking action now.
   

Your wheel of Life

If you are not sure about the goals you want to focus on, use the Wheel of Life below to identify the areas of your life that are currently out of balance. these areas need to be in balance to achieve harmony and success!