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SMARTER goals for greater success in the new year

Many goal setting programs talk about setting SMART goals. While it's a great method for many people, additional steps help a person working from home achieve greater success. This simple method is easy to follow when setting your goals. Rather than being SMART, these goals are SMARTER. A SMARTER goal is:

Specific: It is not enough to say “I want to lose weight.” You need to say “I want to lose ten pounds by Valentine's Day.” Vague goals give you too many ways out and do not provide enough direction.

Measurable: How will you know if you've reached your goal? If your goal is to “be successful” it's hard to measure what success is. If, instead, you say, “I want to earn $50,000,” you can measure your progress towards your goal.

Achievable: Is your goal realistic? Many people fail in their goals because they don't set a goal that is achievable. If your goal is to be a New York Times bestselling author making a million dollars in 2010 and you've never written a book, you're setting yourself up for failure. Instead, a better goal might be to write a book in 2010.

Don't just set a goal to set a goal. Is the goal you're setting relevant to your vision for your business and/or your life? Will it bring you closer to your vision of your preferred future?

Time-Bound: Give yourself a deadline. A goal without a date is just a dream or a wish. Setting a date gives you another way of measuring your success. If you miss your date, you can always re-set the goal and re-cast your vision.

Enjoy the journey: Getting there is half the fun.Sometimes people get so focused on the end result that they don't take time to enjoy the process. If you have a big goal, make sure you build in rewards for the small victories along the way. If your goal is to write a book, and you like chocolate, maybe you reward yourself with your favorite candy bar when you finish a difficult chapter. It's important to enjoy the journey along the way, and rewards help you savor it.

Relational: We are relational beings and need to have accountability and encouragement from others. It's especially crucial for people who don't go in to an office every day to connect with others. Many weight loss programs credit their success to the relationships and accountability between the members of the group. By sharing your goals with others, it gives you a home team cheering you along the way.


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