Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Goal Setting 101

Have you ever wondered why you fall short of achieving the goals you have set for yourself whether in your personal life, career, on the sports field or academically? Perhaps you're not working on your goals or maybe it's more that your goal setting process is steering you in the wrong direction before you even begin.

Setting goals provides focus, motivation and a great sense of achievement when you get to tick them off at the end of the day, month or year. Once you have identified what it is you want to achieve get smart about it.

Set yourself up for success by setting goals using the S.M.A.R.T system. S.M.A.R.T goals are:

Specific - Start by identifying a clear, concise and specific goal. So instead of setting a goal such as 'I want to be healthier' set a goal that specifically outlines what you want to achieve e.g. 'I will lose 5 kgs in 2 months'.

Measurable - You should be able to clearly measure your progress in achieving the goal and have a finite result at the end. So when you identify the goal identify the measurement of success, such as weigh-ins with specific targets or a weigh-in at the end of 2 months.

Attainable - Setting a goal that is unattainable is setting yourself up for failure. You should have short and long term goals so that you have small successes on your way to the ultimate goal. So if exercising everyday is out of your reach right now start with something more attainable like exercising 2-3 times a week.

Realistic - Setting goals you can realistically achieve will help with motivation and focus. Even if your goal is big you can start by setting realistic short term goals to get you across the finish line. No goal is too big or small so long as you plan for success smartly.

Timely - Finally set yourself a reasonable time frame for achieving your goal.

Avoid using general statements for your goals that do not include a time by which you hope to achieve the goal. e.g. instead of saying you want to create a business empire in 2 months, say you will create a growing and profitable business within 1 year. Then break down your goal into attainable short term steps.

Start yourself down the smart track with your USANA business opportunity and highest quality nuntritional products.

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