Goal Setting, Key to Living a Better Life: Part Two

Introduction

In part one of this article, I discussed the reasons many people give for living without planning their lives. People were categorized under the Proactive group, the Reactive group, the Active group and the Care free group. I also stated the fact that planning makes living manageable.

We are continuing from where we stopped.

So what is goal setting?

I describe goal setting as writing a list of things you desire to achieve on a paper, with a step by step method for carrying them out coupled with a completion date, clearly stating when you hope to achieve the goals.

We set goals daily and make plans because of the limited resource called time. Time is equal for everyone on this planet and except you use it creatively, you will lag behind those that know how to maximise it.

To tackle time wastage and maximise its use, we must set goals and make plans to actualise them. There is a simple process of goal setting which is widely accepted and used all over the world. It is captured in this acronym “S.M.A.R.T” which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. With the aid of “S.M.A.R.T” and one outside this list called “Commitment” there is virtually nothing you cannot achieve.

I shall discuss them one after the other below.  

Specific 

A goal must be specific and not vague. What you plan to pursue must be very clear to you or else you will not realize when you achieve it or reach your destination. I will illustrate this by a simple goal of someone that wants to buy a television set. “I want to buy a Television set” This goal is vague and does not qualify as a well set goal. Why do I say this? The reason is that there is no specific type of television mentioned here, no brand, no size or specific time to buy the television is stated. But if I wrote the following instead as a goal, “I want to buy a 24 inches, Sony flat screen Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) coloured television between January and March 2008″ it will be accepted as a good goal. The specification of the size, brand, type and time to purchase it will enable me plan for its actual purchase.

Measurable

A goal must be measurable. You must be able to calculate the time and resources required for the attainment of the goal and ensure they are well deplored. You must be able to measure properly the progress towards the eventual achievement of the set goal. Measuring will enable you to correct your plans if you discover that you may not reach your goal at the pace you were going. I will use a simple goal of saving 1,000 dollars in one month to clarify this point.  To achieve this target, you must be able to determine the source of earning this money, your capacity to earn this money, and determine the task to perform within the specified time.

Achievable

Is the goal achievable or just a wish list of things you know you may not be able to achieve? Have you thought about it carefully and weighed the resources and the potential you have to actualise this goal? What can possibly hinder you from achieving this goal? Answering those questions will enable you to have a clear list of perceived setbacks, to keep you prepared to handle them if and when they eventually occur.  It helps to ensure you are not overwhelmed by the pursuit of the goal.