I am excited to be launching my new website today. It's a significant phase in the life of my business, as you may well relate.
As I write this first article for my news feed I am reflecting on my journey to this point… It all started with setting myself some goals… To be honest, at the time, I wasn’t quite sure how it might all come together, but I was clear in defining what I wanted to achieve and in understanding the elements that would set me up for success. One thing that is for certain; the clearer you can be when setting your goals the more effective you will be in achieving them. The clarity gives you decision making power, and making them time-bound helps keep you on track when competing demands challenge for your time.
Set yourself up for success with SMART goals
A useful tool to set clear goals, is the SMART method (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-limited). It brings structure and trackability into your goals and objectives, instead of vague (all-be-it good) intentions.
To set yourself a SMART goal it needs to be:
SPECIFIC - A specific goal like 'take a 30min walk before work 3 days each week' is more likely to generate action than a general goal to 'be more active'.
Consider the Who, What, When, Where, Why elements of what you want to achieve, so you can create a clear picture of you want to accomplish and why. Also consider conditions and limitations. The more tangible your goal is the better you can make it specific and measureable and therefore attainable.MEASUREABLE- The old adage of what is measured is done is so true. When you measure progress you can see your progress and are more likely to stay on track. Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward achieving your goal by asking questions like, 'How will I know when it is accomplished?' 'What will it look/sound/feel like?', 'How much/many of 'x' or 'y' will there be?
ACHIEVABLE - Consider the time, money, talent you will need to achieve your goal. You may need to do some research to ensure you have what you need, or to refine the goal. Considering milestones will also help make those goals that may appear out of reach all the more achievable - not only breaking down the challenge into 'bite size portions' but also giving you opportunity for feel the success along the journey to give you energy for the next step.
REALISTIC - Your goal must be something you are both willing and able to work towards. Goals should provide opportunity to stretch yourself (high goals generate motivation) and also be defined with balancing view of what is genuinely achievable. It may be that you need training/resources to be able to achieve your goal, so you may need to plan ways to get these things. This is also good opportunity to consider whether the goal will actually deliver what you want - eg 'you could think having a bigger team will make it perform better, but will it really?'
TIME-LIMITED - If there is no timeline there is no sense of urgency, so anchor your goal within a timeframe that is realistic and flexible.
If you would like further information or to arrange some support in building this skill please don’t hesitate to contact me. I look forward to helping you build your success your way.
Yours in success,
Vicki
