Saturday, January 01, 2011

Setting Goals for 2011 and Beyond

Setting SMART Life Goals

Setting goals is the key to staying on track and providing a clear direction to your life. Start with an overall self-concept that you want to achieve. It can be as simple and straightforward as “I am kind” or “I am content,” and as complex as “I am a holistic success” or “I am an accomplished innovator.”

In order to become the person you want to be, it is important that goals be SMART goals. They should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Set short-term goals for as little as 1-3 months, medium term goals for 6 months to a year, and long-term goals for 5 years or more. You can also include a lifetime accomplishment list. Start with short term first and experiment. Set your goals in the following categories:

Health
Family
Social
Career
Education
Financial
Spiritual

Make sure to dedicate plenty of time and though into this task. Goals should be neither fickle nor fixed. Goals are dynamic. As you change, your goals will change.

Put your list in a place where you can look at them often, ideally every day.  If you feel you are getting off track, set small and precise weekly or even daily goals to give yourself a sense of accomplishment. You can also involve your loved ones and have a set of both personal and family goals. Check out this 30-day challenge to get you started on the right foot.

Enjoy the process and may all your goals be achieved!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for your great advice!I surfed in from the 30 day Challenge and I'm taking in all the advice and inspiration i can get.

OneDNP said...

"A" can also be "action oriented" and "r" for "realistic." Since the original post, the 30-day challenge started charging for membership for which I receive no kickbacks.