How to set your Goals with a Smart Spirit by Diane Shawe

We all have things we want in life.

Diane Shawe M.Ed
The route to success is to take the things that we dream about and wish for, and turn them into reality.  Thinking, planning, and taking action on the things we really want starts to set the wheels in motion. Just following our Smart Spirit guide will help you get to grips on how to start setting your goals.

• Do you set goals for yourself now? What are some examples?
• Do you write them down?
• How often do you review your goals?
• How do you reward yourself for meeting your goals?

• You need to select things that motivate you and make you stretch.
• Getting out of our comfort zone helps us create the circumstances that we need in order to get what we want.
• Selecting easy goals won’t excite you and motivate you to go them.
• If you want real change to take place, you’ve got to be willing to take some risks and go after what you want.

Setting goals with SPIRIT

• When you are creating big goals, you may need to break them into several small, achievable goal statements.
• Specific
• Be specific about what you want or don’t want to achieve. The result should be tangible and measurable. “Look gorgeous” is pretty ambiguous; “Lose 20 pounds” is specific.
• Prizes
• Reward yourself at different points in the goal, particularly if it’s long-term. If your goal is to clean up the backyard to prepare for winter, you might treat yourself to a special meal cooked outside when you are all finished. For bigger goals, check your bucket list to see if there are things on there that could be good rewards!
• Individual
• The goal must be something that you want to do. If your spouse wants you to lose 20 pounds but you think you look fine, you’re not going to want to work towards the goal. When your boss is setting targets for you at work, try to find an aspect of it that is meaningful to you and that you can connect to. (This is where working with people and organizations that have similar values to you is helpful.)
• Review
• Review your progress periodically. Does the goal still make sense? Are you stuck? Do you need to adjust certain parts of it?
• Inspiring
• Frame the goal positively. Make it fun to accomplish. For example, you could make a poster of the end result, frame it, and post it on the wall.
• Time-Bound
• Give yourself a deadline for achieving the goal. Even better, split the goal into small parts and give yourself a deadline for each item.

Setting goals with SMART

• Use the SMART method to create actionable goals. SMART is a mnemonic used by life coaches, motivators, HR departments, and educators for a system of goal identification, setting, and achievement. Every letter in SMART stands for an adjective that describes an effective way to set goals.
• Specific. When setting goals, they should answer the highly specific questions of who, what, where, when, and why. Instead of the general goal, “I want to get into shape,” try for a specific goal, “I want to run my first half-marathon next year.”
• Measurable. In order for us to track our progress, goals should be quantifiable. “I’m going to walk more” is far more difficult to track and measure than “Everyday I’m going to walk around the track 10 times.”
• Attainable. It is important to evaluate your situation honestly and recognise which goals are realistic, and which are a little far-fetched. Instead of, “I am going to be very rich,” (while admirable) it might be more realistic to say, “I am going to increase my turnover by 10% quarterly.
• Relevant. Is this goal relevant to your life and to the “big picture” questions you have already asked yourself? Some good questions to ask yourself when figuring this out are: does it seem worthwhile? Is now the right time for this? Does this match my needs?
• Time-related. Setting a “due date” to meet goals not only keeps you on track, but it prevents pesky daily roadblocks from getting in the way. Instead of saying “I’m going to get my bank loan someday”, you might consider saying, “I’m going to get my bank loan in 3 months.”

Coping Strategy

• Everyone has setbacks!
• Remember to GET BACK ON AND KEEP GOING.
• Evaluate your action plan and adjust as needed.
• Goal achievers are optimists!

OUR ONLINE GOAL SETTING COURSE

What Will Students Learn?

Identify what’s important to you in your life
Use goal setting activities and appropriate language to articulate what you want in your life
Explain what your dreams and goals are for both the short and long term
Use motivating techniques to help you reach your goals
Understand how to deal with setbacks

What Topics are Covered?

Self-understanding
Laying the foundation
What’s in your bucket?
Getting down to business
Getting started today
Dealing with setbacks

What’s Included?D.C.

Instruction by an expert facilitator online
Specialised manual and course materials
Personalised certificate of completion

Click here to find out more about this online course